Abstract:
North Carolina is slowly restoring animals that were largely or entirely extirpated during the last century. Reintroductions include the otter, beaver, elk, wild turkey, and red wolf. The Horizon 2100 plan calls for the reintroduction of the Eastern cougar. This animal is what is called an “apex predator,†or an animal that sits at the top of the food chain. Manuel discusses whether large predators should be brought back into North Carolina and whether they can possibly coexist with people in the twenty-first century.