Cougar Recovery in Eastern North America?

IMHO, the return of the eastern cougar is likely to be a disaster. It will mean that children cannot play unsupervised in forest areas, including some state parks. It will force adults hiking with children in eastern wilderness areas to carry firearms, with all the hazards that that entails.
I see two solutions:
1. controlled hunts that eliminate or minimize cougar populations and terrify the survivors OR
2. hikers with children in eastern wilderness areas carrying shotshell revolvers, which are deadly only at close range

The concern is understandable, but the evidence doesn’t support the conclusion.

Millions of people live, hike, camp, hunt, and recreate in areas with established cougar populations throughout the western United States and Canada. Cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare. According to wildlife agency records, fatal attacks are exceptionally uncommon. Certainly, far less common than fatalities from dogs, vehicles, drowning, lightning, or even falling trees.

Cougars historically occupied much of the eastern United States for thousands of years while humans lived, farmed, hunted, and raised families there. Their return would present management challenges, but there is little evidence that it would create a situation where children can no longer safely play in natural areas or where every family needs to carry a firearm to enter the woods. I mean bro lets get real the fear mongering is not the way forward. Nature has value intrinsically not just for our desire to exploit it for pleasure and recreation. #Bringbacktheeasternpuma