Public support for puma reintroduction in the eastern United States

L. Mark Elbroch; Jazmin Murphy; Shelby Carlson; John A. Vucetich; Richard Eugene Waggaman Berl; Lexi Galiardi; Shelby Perry; Tom Butler; Neil H. Carter; Joseph W. Hinton; Axel Moehrenschlager; Emily M. Carrollo; Rana Bayrakcismith; Jeremy T. Bruskotter

doi:10.1111/csp2.70105

Public support for puma reintroduction in the eastern United States

Conservation Science and Practice

By: L. Mark Elbroch, Jazmin Murphy, Shelby Carlson, John A. Vucetich, Richard Eugene Waggaman Berl, Lexi Galiardi, Shelby Perry, Tom Butler, Neil H. Carter, Joseph W. Hinton, Axel Moehrenschlager, Emily M. Carrollo, Rana Bayrakcismith, and Jeremy T. Bruskotter

https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70105

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Abstract

Pumas (Puma concolor) are among the species identified as having the potential to enhance ecosystem function. Previous research highlights sufficient ecological habitat to support pumas in the eastern United States; however, their reintroduction requires social and institutional support as well. To this end, we conducted research to assess attitudes about puma reintroduction among key constituencies like hunters, rural residents, and young people. We sampled 2756 respondents across seven states (Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia). Ratios of strong support (for puma reintroduction) to strong opposition across states ranged from 4:1 to 13:1, and support outweighed opposition in every state. Our results contrasted with common assumptions that hunters, rural residents, and people who identify as politically conservative oppose carnivore conservation and reintroduction. We found marginal differences among categories of people, but overall little variation in support exhibited by different groups. People who identified very strongly as hunters were more supportive of reintroduction than those who did not identify as hunters at all. Taken together, the presence of quality habitat and support for puma restoration warrant further exploration. However, federal funding for state-based restoration efforts likely requires the inclusion of pumas in State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs), which are currently under a 10-year revision due to be published this year (2025).

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Additional publication details
Publication type	Article
Publication Subtype	Journal Article
Title	Public support for puma reintroduction in the eastern United States
Series title	Conservation Science and Practice
DOI	10.1111/csp2.70105
Volume	7
Issue	8
Publication Date	July 23, 2025
Year Published	2025
Language	English
Publisher	Society for Conservation Biology
Contributing office(s)	Eastern Ecological Science Center
Description	e70105, 12 p.
Country	United States
State	Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia