By Patrick Myers

(National Park located in Colorado)

The first picture is a 3-4 year old female that was killed in a collision with a Longview PD vehicle in Longview. The next two are claimed to be likely of one animal seen near Newton. And the third is one claimed to have been seen in Jasper County.

What’s interesting is mountains only have breeding populations in south and west Texas, as shown in the first map (second map here). Meaning that these cats had to have traveled many hundreds of miles across the state to reach East Texas. Though this isn’t isolated to East Texas, as the third map shows just how widespread far traveling cougars can be across the eastern lower 48. Every square mile of the lower 48 is historic mountain lion range before their core population was reduced to the west.

A cougar was killed in a vehicle collision near Milford, Connecticut in June 2011. And DNA analysis proved that it was descended from the Black Hills in South Dakota, a distance covering 1500-1800 hundred miles (2500-2900 km). And left a trail of DNA in Minnesota and Wisconsin over a period of 2 years. Making this the one of the longest overland travel journeys of any animal.

This post started with me discovering that cougars will sometimes travel long distances through to where I live (and I even know someone who’s claimed to have seen big cats locally), and then I discovered this kind of kind of thing is just something that they do.

One of the most interesting aspects of megafauna rewilding is how restoring a large animal population can influence an entire ecosystem.

Large herbivores can affect vegetation, seed dispersal, and habitat structure, although the effects depend on the species, population density, and local environment.

If you could choose one region for a major megafauna rewilding project, which would you pick, and which species would you prioritize?

For example, would you focus on expanding European bison populations, restoring elephants to suitable parts of their former range, or exploring the ecological role of wild horses?

What scientific research or real-world rewilding projects support your choice? And what ecological risks or practical challenges would need to be considered?

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts and any research papers or project reports you recommend.

So a while ago I asked a few questions to help with my alt history project wherein at least some megafauna that died out in the Pleistocene—Early Holocene in our timeline managed to survive.

One of my questions went as follows

How would human migrations across the world have to be altered to make megafauna more equipped to realistically survived? Would they have had to migrated slower give megafauna more time to adapt to humans?

The answer to these questions were

1. Slower migration but especially smaller dispersed population densities would help preserve megafaunal populations.

   1. Another thing multiple people suggested was to have H. Erectus spread out more across the world so as to get animals familiar with hominid behavior and how to deal with us.
   2. Have Sapiens focus on smaller prey, scavenging, and plant foraging and if they did happen to hunt larger, slower reproducing animals, have them target more vulnerable individuals like injured or elderly individuals .

These were great for pointing me in the right direction! If you are reading this post, Thank you to all those who gave me these suggestions!

I do have a few questions that I’d like to have answered in this post however.

1. How would the behaviors of minimizing hunting larger, slower reproducing megafauna be enforced amongst humans? Someone suggested that large animals might be seen as sacred food sources that must not be overhunted. I totally agree that religious beliefs would be formed to explain and further enforce such behaviors, but I’d imagine there would have to be some pragmatic benefit to doing so that would be noticeable within a single generation that would encourage people to continue these sustainability practices

2. What would this entail for the other human species that H. Sapiens shared the planet with?

3. How long would humans have to live in small dispersed communities before they could develop larger scale permanent settlements. I mostly ask this because I had an idea for Aboriginal Australian kingdom/empire where the monarch wears a crown with points made out of diprotodon incisors with gemstones imbedded in them lol

egyptian goose (A. egyptiaca) - it used to be present in the balkans and middle east until 1700's and today is reintroduced but only as small populations or vagrants from other regions like western europe or palestine, the only place where reintroduced population is established is levant, it is also introduced in big parts of europe, UAE and americas with populations from the first two being possibly native but pretty unlikely especially because it seems like egyptian goose is actively demaging western europe's ecosystems

malagasy shelduck (A. sirabensis) - an extinct species thats used to be present on madagascar until the arrival of humans and is now extinct, (re)introduction of egyptian goose would be deffinitely a good idea

mauritius sheldgoose (A. mauritiana) - an extinct species that used to be present on mauritius, egyptian sheldgoose is reintroduced and established on island filling the extinct mauritius sheldgoose niche

reunion sheldgoose (A. kervazoi) - an extinct species that used to be present on reunion, currently egyptian goose can be seen there but it's not established by far and is only a rare vagrant from mauritius, (re)establishing egyptian goose populations on reunion would be deffinitely a good idea

100 Blackbucks have been captured and translocated to Kuno National Park.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DeR3OgNkRsw/

Species showcased:

Plains bison, merriam’s elk, desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, north American beaver, collared peccary, desert cottontail, black-tailed jackrabbit, Mexican grizzly bear, American black bear, jaguar, cougar, mexican wolf, coyote, ocelot, bobcat, gray fox, turkey vulture, common black hawk, mexican jay, greater roadrunner, yellow-rumped warbler, western diamondback rattlesnake, and spiny softshell turtle

A decade after Madhya Pradesh forest department began reintroducing hard-ground barasingha in Satpura tiger reserve, the endangered deer has returned in strength, with its population growing to around 303 and three population units established across the landscape.

The next phase of the conservation programme will focus on linking at least six grasslands through dedicated corridors to allow the animals to move between feeding and breeding habitats.

The recovery marks a major step in efforts to secure the future of the hard-ground barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi), which had disappeared from the Satpura landscape because of habitat loss and hunting. Kanha tiger reserve remained its principal natural stronghold, making the creation of a second population important for reducing the risks of depending on a single landscape.

Satpura tiger reserve field director Rakhi Nanda said the recovery reflected the combined efforts of frontline forest personnel, senior officers, scientific collaborators and communities that voluntarily left their ancestral homes for wildlife conservation.

“The establishment of a breeding population of more than 300 barasingha and three meta populations is one of the most encouraging examples of successful wildlife reintroduction in the country,” Nanda said.

She said the next priority was to strengthen habitat connectivity and develop grassland corridors to secure the species’ long-term future.

The Satpura programme demonstrates how wildlife reintroduction can move beyond the transfer of animals to the establishment of a naturally breeding population. The challenge now is to ensure that habitat availability, connectivity and protection keep pace with the growing herd, she added.

The forest department launched the reintroduction programme in 2015, bringing animals from Kanha to Satpura. Between 2015 and 2026, approximately 135 barasingha were translocated to the reserve. Initially, the animals were kept in a predator-protected enclosure in the Bori landscape to help them acclimatise, breed and adapt before being released into the wild.

The programme’s success is now reflected in natural breeding and the growth of successive generations born in Satpura, say officials. The population has expanded to around 303, demonstrating that the reintroduced animals have adapted to local ecological conditions.

The three population units are associated with the Bori enclosure, Bori grasslands and Malini grasslands in the Churna range. Establishing multiple populations reduces dependence on a single location and creates opportunities for the species to expand across suitable habitats, officials say.

With the population crossing 300, forest managers are turning their attention to habitat connectivity. The proposed corridor network will link at least six grasslands, allowing barasingha to move between habitat patches in search of seasonal forage, water and breeding grounds.

The initiative is intended to reduce pressure on individual grasslands as the population grows. Better connectivity could also facilitate dispersal between population units and support demographic and genetic exchange, provided animals move safely between the habitats.

Developing the corridors will require identification of suitable movement routes, management of intervening habitats and regular monitoring of animal movement. Ensuring adequate forage, water and protection from disturbance throughout the year will be crucial to their success.

The recovery has also been supported by grassland restoration, including areas made available after villages were voluntarily relocated from the reserve’s core area.

These landscapes have provided opportunities to restore wildlife habitats and reduce pressures associated with grazing and human activity.

Management measures include promoting palatable native grasses, removing invasive weeds, maintaining open grasslands and improving water availability. Forest managers are also focusing on breeding and fawning areas, where adequate cover and protection are essential for the survival of young animals. As the population expands, the availability of connected grasslands and the carrying capacity of the habitat will become increasingly important.

All 3 species of native Asian rhinos face significant conservation challenges, but 2 out of the 3 species are experiencing near-total population collapse and are extremely close to extinction.

1. Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) — Critically Endangered

Population: ~34 to 47 individuals remaining.(Indonesia)

2. Javan Rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) — Critically Endangered

Population: ~50 individuals remaining.(Indonesia)

3. Indian Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) — Vulnerable

Population: ~4,075 individuals.(India & nepal )

From 1960s to today timeline**, India's rhino population grew by 500%**, expanding from a vulnerable remnant of roughly 600 individuals in the 1960s to a thriving population of 3,323 rhinos by 2026 Through strict laws and massive conservation project like project rhino & Indian rhino vision with huge budgets.

When an animal population drops below 50 individuals, it hits a critical threshold in conservation biology known as the 50/500 rule. Dropping below this number creates a massive risk for inbreeding depression and elevates the risk of genetic pollution this is last hope for Indonesia.

Source - https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino-info/population-figures/

Source 2 - https://rhinos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/State-of-the-Rhino-2025-v4.pdf

okay so in chernobyl we basically let domestic cows live in the wild on their own because of radiation and it led them to become similar to their ancestors because of their environment, so im wondering if we can do that by releasing some herds consisting different breeds of cattle(mostly the older breeds) into a forest and just let natural selection turn them into a proxy of the aurochs?

1.extinct mammals † (Pteropus subniger, Scotophilus borbonicus, Boryptera alba (Coleura seychellensis on picture)
2.extinct waterfowl † (Alopochen kervazoi, Anas theodori, cf. Aythya innoata (likely a distinct extinct species)
3.extinct pigeons † (Alectroenas sp., Nesoenas duboisi)
4.extinct rails † (Dryolimnas augusti, Fulica newtonii, Porphyrio caerulescens)
5.reunion ibis † (Threskiornis solitarius)
6.reunion night heron † (Nycticorax duboisi)
7.reunion scops owl † (Otus grucheti (O. rutilus on picture)
8.reunion kestrel † (Falco duboisi)
9.extinct parrots † (Mascarinus mascarinus, Necropsittacus borbonicus (hypothetical), Psittacula bensoni)
10.hoopoe starling † (Fregilupus varius)
11.reunion fody † (Foudia delloni)
12.locally extinct birds (Phoenicopterus roseus, Microcarbo africanus, Egretta gularis, Psittacula eques)
13.extinct skinks † (Leiolopisma ceciliae, Gongylomorphus borbonicus (G. bojerii on picture)
14.reunion giant tortoise † (Cylindraspis indica)
15. extinct snails † (Dupontia proletaria (D. levensonia on picture), Harmogenanina linophora, H. subdetecta (i couldn't find picture of the second one)
16.Unio cariei † (U. mancus on picture)

some species (especially unnamed and obscure ones) may be missing, tell me in comments if you know species that is missing

The Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is facing a quiet but catastrophic collapse, now surviving in the wild in only two countries: Thailand and Myanmar.

Historically roaming across six countries, intensive poaching, habitat fragmentation, and the illegal wildlife trade have completely wiped them out from the majority of their native range.

Current Status Breakdown:

🇹🇭 Thailand (180–220+ individuals): The ultimate stronghold. Thanks to strict anti-poaching law enforcement in the Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM), their numbers are actually seeing a modest rebound.

🇲🇲 Myanmar (<20 individuals): A tiny, highly fragmented population hanging on by a thread near the Thai border.

🇰🇭 Cambodia: Functionally extinct (last seen on camera trap in 2007).

🇱🇦 Laos: Functionally extinct.

🇻🇳 Vietnam: Functionally extinct.

🇨🇳 China: Extinct (historically found in southern China; none recorded since 2007).

Thailand has become the undisputed champion of Tiger conservation in Southest Asia bucking a grim regional trend of local extinctions. While wild tigers vanished entirely from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos by the mid-2000s, Thailand became the first country in the region to successfully increase its wild tiger population

Source - https://conservewildcats.org/2024/08/29/thailands-tigers/

Source 2 https://endangeredtigers.org/tiger-species/indochinese-tiger/