Others have confused the Eastern mountain lion with coyotes, bobcats, or even deer. вЂњWe get a lot of photographs from trail cameras that are actually domestic cats,вЂќ says Asheville-based Fish and Wildlife biologist Mark Cantrell. If the Eastern mountain lion is extinct, what are these people seeing? Whether the вЂњsightingsвЂќ are hoaxes or genuine inquiries is irrelevant. ThereвЂ™s no way in hell we could have kept that quiet.вЂќ вЂњThe people behind these deliberate scams claim that the state government has been keeping mountain lions a secret. вЂњWeвЂ™re really vulnerable to these hoaxes,вЂќ says biologist Tom French of the Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife Service. Determined big cat activists have been trying to deceive state Fish and Wildlife Service agencies with false sightings and photographs from the Internet. Although the lone wanderer met a tragic fate on the Wilbur Cross Parkway, his legacy spurred a phenomenon of conspiracy theories.

The cougar had voyaged nearly 1,500 miles from his home in the Black Hills of South Dakota, an incredible feat no doubt, but one that exemplifies the big catвЂ™s dispersal instincts. Though the government states the species is extinct, hundreds of sightings are still reported on a daily basis, particularly after the 2011 sighting of an Eastern mountain lion in Greenwich, Conn. The last confirmed records of the Eastern CougarвЂ™s existence were in 1938 in Maine. Fish and Wildlife Service help set the record straight. It was hunted to extinction last century, but throughout the Blue Ridge, there are claims from locals that the cat has returned. With 18 native South American names, 25 Native American names, and 40 English names, this big cat has a big list of sobriquets that all boil down to the same thing: mountain lion.

Puma mountain lion