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Cougar
in Québec - the Ministry for Natural Resources, Fauna and Parks announces two
new confirmations
Quebec, February 1, 2005 The Ministry
for Natural Resources, Fauna and Parks (MRNFP) confirms the presence of
cougars (Felis concolor) in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region and the
Capitale-Nationale region (formerly the Québec region). The combined efforts
of the MRNFP, the firm Envirotel 3000 of Sherbrooke and the Laboratory of
molecular ecology and evolution of the University of Montréal make possible
the advertisement of these results.
These two confirmations are added to those of the cougar
killed accidentally in Abitibi-Témiscamingue region in 1992 and of the cougar
detected in the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region (zec des Anses) in 2002,
during the first deployments of Envirotel technology in this area. The
genetic expertise was then provided by Dr. Virginia Stroher of Bishop University in Lennoxville.
Let us recall that Dr. Marc Gauthier, of
Envirotel 3000, developed and marketed for five years a system able to
attract cougars selectively and to collect their hairs at stations of
scraping. In parallel, the Laboratory of molecular ecology and evolution of
the University of Montréal, under the direction of Dr. François-Joseph
Lapointe, developed a technique that makes it possible to detect, within a
reasonable time and at acceptable cost, the genetic print of the cougar
starting from DNA extracted from hair or flesh, which constitutes a
remarkable technological breakthrough.
On the track of the cougar
In spring 2002, four stations used to track the cougar were installed
in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region by the regional staff of the MRNFP, in
sectors where sightings were generally reported. The hair collected with one
of these stations, located on the territory of the zec Martin-Valin, were
sent to the laboratory of Dr. Lapointe, which confirmed its
origin.
A second confirmation, coming this time from the
Capitale-Nationale region, was carried out after the analysis of a sample of
hair and animal flesh collected in the summer 2002 on the bumper of a car
having accidentally run up against an animal in the Laurentides Wildlife
Reserve and of which description coincided with that of the cougar. The epic
recovery of this sample could not have been possible without the perspicacity
and the tenacity of the regional staff of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region,
who were informed of the fact of this event.
Other confirmations could occur soon as the samples of
hair, collected over several years, within the framework of specific projects
supported by voluntary organizations, are analyzed. Let us recall that last
autumn, the team of Dr. Lapointe
also discovered the presence of a cougar in samples of hair coming from Fundy
National Park in New Brunswick.
The cougar, formerly present in Quebec south of the 52nd
parallel, became extremely
rare as of the second half of the 19th century, victim of
persecution which was also the case in Ontario and in the maritime provinces.
Since 1955, several hundred sightings of this animal were brought to the
attention of the MRNFP by citizens and were the subject of rigorous
investigations by the personnel in the area: questionnaires submitted to the
observers, visits on the ground, checks of tracks, analysis of photographs
and videos. In spite of this systematic work and the exceptional
collaboration of the public, the irrefutable evidence of the existence of the
cougar in Québec was long in coming.
Protected animal
The cougar is a protected animal, since it is registered on the list
of species of vertebrate fauna likely to be indicated threatened or
vulnerable. So it is forbidden to kill it, except if the animal represents an
obvious threat. The Ministry for Natural resources, Fauna and Parks specifies
that the possibility to meet this cat in the forests of Québec remains
remote.
In addition, the Ministry is always interested to
collect information concerning the cougar and it is enough to communicate
with the regional office of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Fauna and
Parks. The cougar is also regarded as an animal with obligatory declaration,
which means that a person who finds a cougar wounded or dead must communicate
with the Ministry for Natural Resources, Fauna and the Parks.
For information:
http://www.mrnfp.gouv.qc.ca/faune/presse/especes-menacees-couguar.htm
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