Hi,

How many cougars are there roughly in the world? This includes Pumas,
mountain lions etc - ie they are just synonyms.

I want an estimate of the total global population (though I think they
only exist in the us?).

I don't need a precise answer - just an informed guess based on
whatever you can reference on the web. If you can do better than that
then great.

thanks - Delard

Estimates of the cougar population vary; the estimates are usually in
the range of 10,000 to 50,000.

"Cougar: approx. 10,000+ in the western USA; numbers unknown in
Canada, Central & South America"

International Society for Endangered Cats: FAQ 
http://www.wildcatconservation.org/faq.shtml

"From a low of perhaps only 6,500 in the late 1960s, the country's
cougar population has rebounded to an estimated 20,000 or more
today--although accurate counts are unavailable because the cats are
reclusive and often inhabit inaccessible places."

National Wildlife Federation: Clawing Its Way to the Top
http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?articleId=693&issueId=28

"Since many states implemented laws that ban the hunting of mountain
lions, the national mountain lion population has doubled to an
estimated 32,000 since the early '70s."

Big Cats: White Pumas
http://www.bigcats.org/abc/catspecies/albinopuma.html

"...mountain lions, also called panthers, cougars, catamounts and
pumas, are increasing in numbers out west where there are an estimated
41,000 of them."

Press Republican: Possible mountain-lion sighting stirs up talk
http://www.pressrepublican.com/outdoors/lib/2003/01192003out1.htm

"Audubon Magazine did a piece on the predators in November 1994 when
cougar attacks started increasing nationally and the mountain lion
population jumped dramatically. The magazine reported that some
biologists believed there were about 50,000 mountain lions in the
United States that year.

That compared with an estimate of 6,500 in 1969.

Today, there are no figures available on the number of cougars,
according to the Cougar Fund, an organization in Jackson, Wyo., that
calls for protecting America's greatest cats."

Idaho Statesman: Cougars at our doorstep
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040425/IDOUT/404250350

"Native to this continent, Felis concolor once ranged from the
Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific coast, and from Canada deep into
South America. In fact, Felis concolor once claimed the most extensive
geographic range of any large native North American mammal. But
European settlement brought an overwhelming onslaught of poisonings,
bounty hunting, and habitat alteration, and today nearly all of the
remaining 10,000 to 50,000 mountain lions live in twelve western
states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New
Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming), with a tiny remnant
population in Florida and perhaps the Appalachian Mountains. Reported
sightings are increasing in the East, but there are still no verified
cougar populations there."

Shadow Cat: Encountering the American Mountain Lion
http://print.google.com/print/doc?isbn=1570611548 

My Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: cougars OR "mountain lions" 5000..100000 estimated
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=cougars+OR+%22mountain+lions%22+5000..100000+estimated

I hope this is helpful. If anything is unclear, or if a link doesn't
work for you, please request clarification; I'll be glad to offer
further assistance before you rate my answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

Thanks