I actually don't think it is a joke. There have been occasional reports of cougar sitings in the Midwest these reports started to increase in recent years but forestry employee's were certain most if not all were not cougars as they left the Midwest centuries ago, they had been considered extinct in the Midwest. Now the cougar sitings are being taken for truth as the reporting incidences and physical evidence have increased to the point that the consensus is they are returning i noticed they are listed on that instructional document



For years people reported sightings of giant squids but only dead carcases were found but now they have been video"d and proven to exist



In Tasmania the settlers feared the Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine and set out to eradicate them. Years after they were determined to be extinct they were placed on the endangered species list, and people still report seeing them...it is possible some survived.



Reports of the Sasquatch go way back in time and similar creatures are reported in nearly all countries by different names, they are considered not to exist because no one has ever found physical evidence of one, such as a carcass or bones. But I consider the idea that Neanderthals were considered at one time not to have evolved to reach a state of acknowledging each other with the same emotions shown by later hominid species, but now it has been found that they cared for their ill, they buried their dead with flowers and belongings, so they recognized similar bonds to others that we do, and they have even now found utensils that appear to have been used for makeup and grooming.



I think it"s inclusion on these instructions reflects the fact that although we have no proof people have reported encounters with them throughout time not all areas of this earth are even mildly populated< there are forests< mountains plenty of hiding places< and if they bury their dead the chances of finding a carcass or remains will be slim since there is no indication where they might inhabit or bury their dead despite it"s questionable existence if a member of our military were to find one and shoot it dead< the outcry would be astounding>



Very similar to the response to the Chicago Police killing the first Cougar to make it's way into residential areas, something potentially rare need not be destroyed, there are other means of management if needed.