Why is the puma endangered?

Pumas are endangered due to a combination of government-sanctioned bounty programs and hunting. Only the Florida panther is still in grave danger with only 100 of the subspecies in existence. The main threat to the Florida panther is the highway and being hit by cars.

Pumas go by many names including mountain lion, cougar, catamount and red tiger. Despite having the smallest population, the Florida panther was the only subspecies to survive sanctioned historical extermination. In the mid 1990s, Texas cats were released into the Everglades to help strengthen the population. In many Latin American countries, these cats are still shot on sight as a part of various bounty programs.