The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. Because they are.. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. And it was this curiosity that led me to the Old Well Tavern in Simsbury, Connecticut, at a time of day (11:30 a.m.) that does not normally find me ensconced in the dim confines of a drinking establishment. So its this gathering storm. Because while male cougars eventually strike out on their own and occasionally wander far from home, females are, as Morse puts it, hardwired to remain close to their mothers home range. Fear is actually one of the most powerful ecological forces we know, and its a really important management tool., According to Laundre, the problems caused by a relatively fear-free ecosystem are not always obvious, in part because they can take decades to fully manifest. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. P.O. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it,. The catamount is a creature of stealth and concealment; it stalks its prey, which on the EasternSeaboard would likely be deer, moose, porcupines, beavers, and domestic livestock. I was deer hunting with my father, it was in the fall about 7 years ago, in Barre Ma towards the Templeton Ma lines. Friends that go backcountry skiing in Vermont have reported seeing tracks to me many times and I have seen pictures of the pawprints myself that look overwheming like a mountain lion. However, when I asked the room of 200 or so people how many believe they had seen a mountain lion/cougar/puma/catamount, hands shot up all around the room about 25% of those present. Were getting more and more home entries every year. Given the long, shared border between these provinces and New England, along with plentiful evidence that other species cross this border regularly, it seems entirely possible that cougars would also engage in international travel. I thought I saw signs posted in Pawling NY about 8 years ago, that DEC released a pair to control deer population,mane several people have seen them in Wingdale, NY. Morse founded Keeping Track in the belief that getting citizens interested and engaged in wildlife will have the knock-on effect of getting them interested and engaged in how land-use decisions affect wild populationsand might provide the impetus for conservation efforts. I think I may have pissed her off since I was up in that area X2 this week. This article appeared in theNovember 2019issue ofConnecticut Magazine. He soon developed a five-question litmus test: How far away were you? In 2011, genetic testing confirmed that a mountain lion originated in South Dakota and traveled more than 1,500 miles before being struck by a car on the Merritt Parkway, according to Reuters. Rego has many reasons why a conspiracy to conceal mountain lions by his colleagues at DEEP is impossible. But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. Rego says that if there were many other animals like the 2011 cat that died in Milford, there would be more visual or physical evidence. I also had the vague notion that when it comes to cougars, people tend to sort themselves into one of three camps. And, 18 months ago, a Cedar Rapids man bagged a mountain lion that was perched in a tree while deer hunting south of Marengo. A self-defense connoisseur with a large social media presence has ignited a firestorm over his posting of a video showing a mountain lion getting shot in the head. I have pictures of tracks around my car and up to the back steps of my deck in Arkville, NY . Responding to complaints about a predator eating a local farmers sheep, Crowell and a small group of fellow hunters had tracked the big cat through the snow. Residents of Greenwich, Conn., have reported seeing a mountain lion roaming the woods -- even though the species is extinct in the region, MyFoxNY.com reports. It was a bright sunny summer day. DEEP believes their numbers have increased in recent years. March 20, 2022; Bob Dylan is Staying Busy in Isolation May 5, 2020; An Argument Against Gen Eds February 18, 2013; Forgive or Forsake: When an Artist Messes Up April 6, 2018; Computer Science and ESPN: An Interview with Christine Chung February 18, 2015; The Emperor Has No Clothes: Trump and COVID-19 April 22, 2020 But honest misidentifications are more common. However, many of their claimsespecially Mr. Bettys contention of roughly a dozen personal sightings in New Englandare hard to take seriously. Mountain Lion Update - May 8, 2020, by Sam Wilson, Furbearer and Carnivore Program Manager. There is a big difference between Tuesday when none of us saw a moose in our region and then Thursday we did, Morse says. I live in New Milford and I saw one crossing the road in front of me when I stopped to get my mail from my mailbox. Almost every state has some sort of legend of something thats hiding somewhere, he says. That's not to say that pits are not formidable dogs, they are. They can be seen at any time of the day or night, but are most active at dawn and dusk, corresponding with deer activity. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. But a high-profile sighting in 2011 stirred up renewed interest in the animals here, when a mountain lion from South Dakota was hit and killed by a car on a Connecticut highway. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. Recall a few years back, a guy in a kayak off Horseneck Beach in Westport, MA, was tracked by a large fin. Hey, I know what I saw. We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. To Betty and Ottmann, the dominant narrative of the occasional itinerant cougar from the West is not particularly relevant to the facts on the ground. Mountain lion hunting tags were sold in 2013 through a lottery system for the state's first lion hunt. It was definitely a cougar. She lives near the end of a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Green Mountains. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. Habitat. 10186. . It was a flooded area. It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. Harold Davis just bought a new snowplow. The debate rages in Maine, where the last confirmed cougar kill occurred in 1938, and in New Hampshire, where the last confirmed kill was in 1885. The cougar and the states refusal to admit it was here made the local paper. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . His mentor, Aldo Leopold, a prominent wildlife biologist, also believed this, but felt if people learned about these populations, they would be hunted to extinction. If you dont think cougars are coming to the East, think again, she said, leaning forward for emphasis. Listen & Learn. Middlebury, Vermont | Could You Live Here? So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. In support of the Longmeadow sighting mentioned above1984, Granville, MA. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. While recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, if someone suspects they encountered a mountain lion, they should not run away, as it might spur a chase. Stephen Gencarella, professor of folklore studies at the University of Massachusetts and a Connecticut resident, says, The government coverup is only the latest version of something that could stretch back in the oral tradition to precolonial times. He notes that supposed mountain lion sightings spiked in the late 1800s and early 1900s shortly after the animals disappeared from New Englands woods. Still, sightings are common. Have a question or comment? Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. She said it was long and thick. I saw one yesterday in Windsor Cty Vermont. By now, I knew the answer to that one. So yes they are here and not to sure why they dont admit to them being around ! I was tracking some deer tracks and I came to a promising deer run with a lot of deer scat on the ground when I noticed a cat track amongst the sign. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. In Florida, where mountain lions are known as panthers, dozens are killed each year by cars. There, too, is Crowells photograph, grainy and old: the hunter leaning against a tree stump, his head propped casually on his left hand, elbow to stump, shotgun cradled in the crook of his right arm. . I dont ever say to people, Thats not what you saw. I say, I hope you saw one, Spatz told me when I called him at his home in upstate New York. Although there are numerous reported sightings of mountain lions in Connecticut every year, the animals have actually been extinct in this state for more than a century. July 20, 2022. Eastern cougars (mountain lions) do not have a native, self sustaining population in New York State. It jumped 28 feet across the road. Still more confusion ensued when a lab technician said she might have gotten some samples confused, and thus the canid result was thrown into doubt. They were also reluctant to certify that turkey and moose had returned the Quabin reservoir lands for many years after locals reported seeing them. Early spring 2019 I caught a glimpse of one entering over grown brush on the side of the road very very early in the morning. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. Earlier in the year, Id attended one of these presentations, and even in the tiny village of Woodbury, Vermont, on a stiflingly hot summer evening, nearly 100 people showed up to hear her speak and see her photographs (Morse is a magnificent wildlife photographer). Adult males can be around 8 feet in length and weigh between 130 and 150 pounds, while adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds. Our Mission. are larger and heavier than females (60 to 100 lbs.). More recently, unexplained animal sightings in Connecticut and other states became more and more associated with mountain lions. The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. We really must establish first that these beautiful animals SHOULD be in every state that was once THEIR habitat. They are here & ..just a matter of time with photo or kill on a highway/road. The size of a lion's territory depends on the availability of food and habitat quality. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. They are there and thriving!!!! There are many officials in denial up here, but we know what we saw and there are too many sightings by the local folks to be ignored. When I accepted the assignment to write about my quest to uncover the truth regarding the existence of cougars in New England, I had little idea what I was agreeing to. They also want to foster the formation and protection of migration pathways for them and other animals to enter new states. Then in June 2011, there were reports of a mountain lion in Greenwich and, for the first time, a photo. Ask people who spend time outside Connecticut cities and you will hear firsthand or secondhand accounts of mountain lions. The young typically remain with their mother for 2 years. Mountain lions, however, arent seen much in the Nutmeg State, even though several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month. The animal was shot in the town of Barnard on Thanksgiving Day 1881 by a man named Alexander Crowell. The CDFW defines a mountain lion attack as an incident resulting in direct physical contact between a human and a mountain lion resulting in physical injury or death to the person. But its also a great story that lays out how an animal this large, at 150 pounds, traveling through even rural areas, leaves signs and is detected. I saw a cougar in Wolfeboro NH crossing / running across 28 ; close call between myself and a car traveling in the opposite direction over 12 years ago . Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. Dismissing most of the sightings as probable bobcats, Morse asserted that the scientific evidence has not been proven. Height at shoulder: 25-30 in. Even in the controlled environment of a lab, the truth about Eastern cougars seems to be almost willfully eluding its seekers. Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami, and a conspiracy theory expert, says these types of theories are not uncommon. She said it jumped up on the neighbors stone wall which was pretty high and walked across it. Mountain Lions:They can have similar coloring and their tails can look alike, which has lead to some house cats being mistaken for them, even though mountain lions are much, much bigger. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. I do this shit.. Mountain lions have been dispersing away from these population areas, and researchers recently mapped all confirmed mountain lion observations from 1990-2008 (LaRue et al. I live in Hopkinton, NH and saw one coming up from the Contoocook River one misty morning. Unlike male cougars, the femaleslike this Montana cat with her cubdont tend to strike out for new territory, which makes it unlikely that a breeding population would establish itself far from the cougars current habitatsbut not impossible. Up to several inches of snow expected for northern CT, NWS says, Passenger in car that nearly hit FBI agents in CT gets 3 years, Police: CT man hiding in back seat tried to rob female driver, Yale police investigating false report of active shooter, NY man charged with CT car theft extradited, state trooper says, CT advocates resume push for aid-in-dying bill, Wilton Police Chief John Lynch announces retirement, RTM narrowly votes to accept voting infrastructure grant, Milford changes rules on accessory dwellings, Termination upheld for CT fire lieutenant in drug scandal, several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month, one that was killed on the Merritt Parkway in 2011, U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service, mountain lions became extinct in Connecticut in the 1800s, UConn athletics operated at $53 million deficit following Kevin Ollie payment. I was outdoor with my two pugs and quickly scooped them up and brought them in the house. Mountain lion facts. One one occasion she had two little ones with her so their den must have been sort of closeby. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. It has nothing to do with trophy hunting, public safety, etc. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? Had trouble sleeping last night cause that was to close and I think she may have stalked me from where I was in the woods. Two mountain lion encounters in his driveway. The mountain lion is believed to have had an encounter with a family on their lawn. No doubt of what it was; size, color and recognizable tail. 5-7 yards from me. Mountain Lions: Large tan cats with a distinctive two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the ground as they walk. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are Black panthers, which are not found in the U.S., are actually black jaguars or leopards. They also have facial ruffs and ear tufts on the tips of their ears, as well as shorter tails. A quick Google search reveals that the theory is not limited to Connecticut and similar tales are told throughout the Northeast. The photos were time-stamped December 7, 2020. If these people say they saw something, Im going to listen., If theres one thing people on all sides of the debate can agree on, its that a breeding population of cougars is essential to the overall health of New Englands ecosystems, which currently lack an apex predator. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. Connecticut Dept. Bobcats are most frequently misidentified by the public as mountain lions, but theyre not the only animals mislabeled. Mountain Lions: They are officially extinct. Well, I KNOW there was at least one mountain lion in NE because years ago (maybe 35 or so) I lived in Longmeadow, MA. And DNA analysis shows us that felis concolor is genetically the same across the USI think it is irrelevant, but interesting. Theres probably 100 in Connecticut, Ottmann interrupted, rolling a cigarette as he spoke. Bobcats: They are are the only wild cat found in the state and the most common in North America. I reported it to Connecticut DEEP, only to be told there are no cougars in Connecticut. Mountain Lion Weight: 80-160 pounds Length: About 7-8 feet long Tail: 2-3 feet long (up to half of the total length) Identification The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. My daughter said to me thats the biggest cat Ive ever seen. Mountain lions found in eastern Nebraska typically are dispersing young animals on the move to find new territory. In July 2019, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Mountain Lion Foundation petitioned the Fish and Game Commission to list mountain lions as a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act ( CESA) within a proposed evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) located in Southern California and the central coast of California. Weights range from 80 to 225 pounds, but the average is 140 pounds. Could UConn women's basketball be back to 'square one' with seven available players at Seton Hall? People like you are the problem and cause of extinctions. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. An attack is verified only when a physician, law enforcement officer or CDFW personnel determine the injuries were caused by a . I started asking a lot of questions, and realized theres only one explanation for the answers I was getting: They are here., You could have 30 in Connecticut alone. If theres a middle ground in the cougar debate, it belongs to John Harrigan, a veteran outdoorsman, newspaper reporter, and widely read syndicated columnist. Broken Down: The National Society of Leadership and Success? If you have a worldview in which the government is conspiring to do weird stuff, than thats what youre going to see, and all the evidence is going to point to exactly what you believe, he says. Morse has been tracking cougars for 45 years, mostly in the mountains of the West, where their existence is not in doubt. Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V.. I have heard several accounts from sober, sane, intelligent people who have seen them (especially a latre, good friend who was a very competent spokesman and hunter.). WOODBRIDGE, CT (WFSB) - Police in Woodbridge said they have received reports of mountain lion sightings in town. The main habitat requirement for mountain lions is stalking cover to successfully hunt prey. It is what wildlife biologists call an apex carnivore, which means it can overpower pretty much any other creature in its environmentwith the exception of an armed human. The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book Heart of a Lion: A Lone Cats Walk Across America by William Stolzenburg. 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