And for years, the responses to those who said they saw a mountain lion were as if they had said they had seen Bigfoot ripping through the Appalachians: You must have been mistaken. A wild eastern cougar? Never. Those are extinct.

Last week was no different, as various reports began trickling in of a mountain lion roaming around, in of all places, Greenwich, Conn.

There was a sighting near the Brunswick School on June 5. In another incident, a paramedic and an emergency medical technician were driving in an ambulance when they said a large cat jumped in front of them. A homeowner made a report around the same time.

A town conservation officer said the sightings were unlikely. But then someone came forward with a photograph. And early Saturday came indisputable evidence: flesh and bone.

Someone driving a Hyundai S.U.V. struck an animal on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, about 45 miles east of Greenwich. The authorities were called, and the animal was confirmed dead. More to the point, it was also confirmed to be a mountain lion.

Officials took the mountain lion, a 140-pound male, to a state Department of Environmental Protection office; officials said they believed that the dead animal was the same one that had been seen around Greenwich.

McCollough said he does believe some of sightings reported are actually mountain lions, but most are probably escaped from captivity or cats from the west that have strayed from their normal range. "The Fish and Wildlife Service does recognize that other mountain lions do appear. There are 110 confirmed, documented cases where mountain lions were seen in the eastern U.S. since 1900," he said. "It's probably most likely that they were pets who were released or escaped." McCollough said it is also possible, but less likely, that the cougars spotted were western cougars that are expanding their range eastward.

OK, there are about 100 Florida Panthers left in the wild. 100, ONE HUNDRED, ONE ZERO ZERO.

17 of those mere 100 cats, 100 for the entire state, were hit and killed by vehicles. Thousands of photos, videos, prints etc were taken.