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Take Action

Spruce Up Your Celebration

Surprise your guests with a tree; they restore wildlife habitat and make great party favors! More >

Dining for Wildlife

Stop by your local farmstand, pick up a few veggies and protect a puma. More >

Drive Safely

Reduce the rate of motor vehicle collisions with wildlife; don't litter.
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Ghost Cats

Pumas are the stuff that legends are made of; sinewy, fleeting creatures rarely seen; only glimpsed from the corner of one's eye seconds before vanishing into thin air. Was it ever really there or was it just a trick of the light? But you heard something too; a visceral scream overwhelming you with the desire to run but paralyzing you with fear. You stand there... motionless, alone; but not alone... waiting for what will happen next...

But of course nothing happens next. Despite their ambush-style hunting tactics, cougars are not beasts lying in wait to attack ill-fated humans. In fact, cougars had been roaming the forests of eastern Pennsylvania since before the discovery of the Americas in 1492, avoiding man altogether until... they were gone; wiped out by settlers who were driven by fear, cougars were exterminated. For better or worse, our own history is inextricably tied to that of cougars and the lands they lived on, creating a connection that may relate to why so many are reluctant to believe pumas are no longer in Pennsylvania.

Join us for a presentation on the history of the Eastern puma, also known as cougar or mountain lion, and find out why despite the availability of habitat and prey, the Pennsylvania puma population remains scarce, if it exists at all. Also learn more about our historic cougar connections and participate in techniques for finding and identifying signs of this elusive wild cat.

To register, email Valerie Peckham at peckham.valerie@phillyzoo.org.