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But the Eastern Cougar Foundation (ECF) would beg to differ, asserting that regrowth has restored enough eastern forest, including parts of Pennsylvania state forests, to provide adequate "cover and prey" for pumas. Chris Bolgiano, ECF co-founder says that, "Given the size of deer populations in the East, the question is not so much whether cougars can survive, but rather whether humans will allow that to happen. The cougars are there - they will succeed if we let them." Though each of these scientific theories has merit, none can be substantiated without more data.

In 2002, the Eastern Cougar Foundation received a grant to conduct the first officially endorsed field search for pumas since the early 1980s. The study, which took place in Monongahela National Forest in WV, involved using remote camera traps to capture wildlife on film and was coordinated by a Field Advisory Committee that included ECF board member, Marcella Kelly. Kelly's expertise in using camera traps to monitor jaguar populations in western Belize (a project funded in part by the Philadelphia Zoo) was critical to the success of the study.

The Cougar Network is also engaged in science-based initiatives that they hope will answer questions about the future of cougars heading east from the western states. Their interest in "cougar-habitat" relationships and in the expansion of cougar populations into their former home ranges has led the Network to begin work on a document entitled, "Potential Habitat for Cougars in Midwestern North America." This project will result in the creation of models and maps of cougar habitat based on the analysis of current data and input from cougar experts. The goal of the project is to provide predictions of cougar abundance and distribution in the Midwest, an area with significantly more confirmed puma sightings than Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, governmental agencies and non profit organizations continue to investigate the credibility of reported puma sightings in Pennsylvania, as well as those in other eastern states. In rare cases when some physical evidence is found, the origin of the cat in question - wild or escaped from captivity - typically remains unknown. At the end of the day, the chances of encountering a top predator that's thriving in a healthy ecosystem are slim to none. The trick is ensuring an ecosystem can support predator populations before inviting them in. The expression, "If you build it, they will come." springs to mind with the added, "If you build it, protect it, create a corridor to access it and wait for it... they will come." We've waited over 100 years. Pumas may not have returned to Pennsylvania yet, but we know they're on their way.

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