Editorial: Are there Cougars in the Eastern U.S.?

Cougars, mountain lions, pumas. No matter what they are called, they are allegedly, in the United States, only in the Western part of the continent. Wildlife officials claim that they were driven from the Eastern U.S. or perhaps hunted to extinction and have been supposedly extinct from the East for 60 years or more. However, in certain Eastern states, there is a comeback of sorts for these mysterious cats, with sightings taking place in several Eastern states, including Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and several other states. Of course, wildlife officials have an "official" stance on cougars in that they are not "supposed" to exist in the East, but unofficially, I am sure they know more than they are telling. Having been to East Tennessee, I can say that that area is conducive to mountain lion habitat, even if people do not see them (although there have been sightings here and there over the past few years in the Great Smoky Mountains). On Monsterquest the other night, there was a cellphone photo taken of a cougar sighted in North Carolina, where they are not "supposed" to exist. It is just like the panther situation in Mississippi-they are "officially" extinct in the Magnolia State, but yet there are still sightings on occasion of these large cats. So, are there cougars in the East? You decide.