Um, so where have you heard that Oklahoma Fish and Game is reintroducing Cougars? Because I am not familiar with any planned Cougar reintroduction in any parts of the US besides Florida, and I keep hearing this urban legend about local Fish and Games reintroducing cougars. Given the amount of work it takes to reintroduce wolves (numerous public hearings, close monitoring, etc), I am very skeptical that they just released a few cougars under the radar.
There are two problems with your logic.
First is assuming that the Oklahoma Fish and Game is required to report any activity of reintroducing any species. It is not.
The Oklahoma State Constitution is the largest constitution of any government in the world. Within this document are layers of protection of the various chartered public agencies.
For the most part these powers have been kept in check. To date the largest abuse of this has been the City of Tulsa taking water from Spavinaw Creek in 1912.
As for the Oklahoma Wildlife Department, you can note that there are species of fish found in our rivers that are not found in the same rivers in the adjoining states. How did they get established? There was no public hearing because it was not required. Several variants of catfish and clams found in the Grand River are what I am referring to. The release of some type of Rattlesnake in the Spavinaw Wildlife Management area is another one.
In contrast, the wolf release program was a change in the public policy of wolf eradication during the early 1900's. This program was challenged as a breach of contract between the US Government and the ranchers that leased public land for grazing from the BLM (Bauru of Land Management). The definition of ownership of land in the Oklahoma Constitution would make this case void if tried here. The taking and usage of land by the City of Tulsa to gain water from Spavinaw Creek is an example of this (eminent domain).
The second flaw in your logic is assuming that the release of Cougars has to be government sponsored. I would like to point out that there are a growing number of privately owned exotic animal facilities in Oklahoma and Texas. Perhaps this is common elsewhere and I do not know of it. It has been reported that one of these privately owned farms 3 miles north of Adair, Oklahoma has had an alligator escape as well as some sort of 50 pound rat.
The release of a large cat may not be something these people would want to report.
A case could be made that they are migrating here on their own. The attraction of higher densities of food in the eastern part of the state would make this logical. If this was the case, then why they are not also reported in eastern Kansas as noted in eastern Nebraska and the Dakotas?
http://www.cougarnet.org/prairiestates.html
However, I would like to point out that there have not been any creditable reports of cougars in this area for so many years that the official public stance is that they are not here.
The usage of "tree hugger" cameras by several hunters and game officials in the area has proven otherwise. The big cats are here.
Also for your consideration.
"Western cougar populations have been increasing since the 1960's, largely due to increased legal protection (i.e., game animal status) and expanded prey populations (primarily deer and elk). There is substantial evidence that indicates the species is beginning to re-colonize the adjacent Prairie States. South Dakota has documented a growing population of cougars, while the states of Nebraska, North Dakota and Oklahoma believe that they may now have small resident populations. "
http://www.cougarnet.org/prairiestates.html
"Despite game warden Daniel's claim that their department hasn't been able to substantiate cougar presence in Oklahoma from numerous sightings, the presence of cougars in Oklahoma has been verified, with two cougar kills in recent years in Cimarron County. One cougar was hit by a vehicle three years ago, and another was shot by a landowner in his yard last spring. Sources: (Rural Newkirk Woman Victim Of Cougar Attack; The Newkirk Herald Journal; Wayne White; 09/26/2002) (K-State Research and Extension News; K-State to Record Kansas Puma Sightings; Kathleen Ward, Communications Specialist; 10/15/2002) "
http://users.frii.com/mytymyk/lions/attacks3.htm
