I found today's discussion on the reintroduction of wolves into the Adirondacks really interesting, so I decided to do some more research. Since it seems that most people have given up on reintroducing wolves, though, I instead focused on an article about cougars. Rather than asking whether mountain lions have already returned to the Adirondacks, "Biologist: Cougars should return to eastern United States" examines how cougars might affect the ecosystem of the northeastern forest.
Some cougar advocates argue that reintroducing cougars would help to secure the sustainability of the forest. The article argues that "Without significant predators, prey species can have the same effect on a landscape as cows ... The overabundance of white tailed deer can threaten the sustainability of eastern forests." Furthermore, biologist Laundre believes that the Adirondack's deer population could support between 200-400 cougars.
The article also addresses the generally negative public attitude towards cougars. It states that, though cougar attacks often generate a lot of media coverage, there were actually only 10 cougar related deaths between 1991 and 2003.
Your question today about cougars in the Adirondacks was really interesting. I hadn't thought about them coexisting with wolves, but I guess they must have done so for a long time. I am curious how they both managed to live together in the same place when their food sources were so similar. The story of the cougar and the wolf sound extremely similar, although interestingly it seems like cougars are still viewed negatively while wolves are more popular.
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