Rare Northern American ‘ghost cat’ officially declared extinct

A North American cougar species long suspected as having died out has now been officially declared extinct by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

While the eastern cougar was previously listed as extinct back in 2011 following an extensive review, the service has now ruled definitively that the so-called “ghost cat” is gone for good.

The fate of this mysterious species has long remained shrouded in doubt, with the last recorded sighting of it dating back to the 1930s.

The eastern cougar’s disappearance has been linked to hunting and deforestation by the lumber industry, leading to habitat loss for the cougar’s primary prey, the white-tailed deer.

A reduced white-tailed deer population is believed to have been the final nail in the eastern cougar’s coffin.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service will formally remove the species from its endangered list on 17 August.