Puma

All pumas are protected under Appendix II by CITES; Puma concolor coryi, P. c. costaricensis, and P.c. couguar are designated as Appendix I. In addition, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service classifies these same three sub-species as endangered. Hunting of this species is prohibited in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and Uruguay. Hunting of pumas is regulated in Canada, Mexico, Peru, and the United States.

The AZA Felid Taxon Advisory Group (T.A.G.) has placed a breeding moratorium on pumas and would like to see the total captive population reduced to a target level of less than 100 animals that will be held for educational and research purposes only (excluding P. c. coryi).

The greatest threats to this species stem from human/puma conflict. This species has suffered loss of habitat as human settlement has expanded. As a result, they are forced into close habitation with humans. Ranchers are threatened by them due to occasional cougar predation on domestic livestock and often seek to destroy them through poisoning or shooting. Human attacks by pumas are rare but when they do occur they create a further threat to their species by creating the need to destroy problem pumas and further contention between pumas and the human populations living in close proximity to them.