But right now youre dealing with top-notch guys. Its OK, he told me. They usually either don't disperse at all or they'll kind of overlap their mother's home range, or they'll disperse very short distances.. I came across a dead adult deer carcass high up in an oak tree. So its this gathering storm. Body length: 5 - 8 feet Ear length: 3 - 4 inches Tail length: 21 - 35 inches Weight: 90 - 160 pounds Behavior: Mountain lions are solitary animals except during the breeding season or when females are raising kittens. Bobcats: They are about two to three times larger than their distant relative. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. More recently, unexplained animal sightings in Connecticut and other states became more and more associated with mountain lions. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? Its closest living relative is the cheetah. A witness captured the terrifying moment when a deputy escaped the jaws of a mountain lion in Colorado. Length of body. If you dont think cougars are coming to the East, think again, she said, leaning forward for emphasis. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. Growing up in northern Vermont, Id heard stories of sightings, though always a few steps removed from the tellersomebodys cousin had seen a cougar cross the road on their way home from deer camp up in Canaan (or was it Coventry? Bios and videos of the New Haven Register's 90th First-Team All-State Football players. And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. Another possibility is to use the dosdude1 patcher to upgrade the MacBook to Sierra, this being generally possible on any unsupported machines mid-2008 or later. And its not just Vermont. Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators., Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. Adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between . Those are the two closest populations that we have here. The reasons for this conspiracy vary depending upon whom you talk to, but they coalesce around the idea that wildlife agencies would be inconvenienced by the cougars presence, as theyd be forced to respond in ways that would tax their resources. It jumped 28 feet across the road. Adult males may be more than 8 feet long (from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail), and can weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. He soon developed a five-question litmus test: How far away were you? Also known as cougars, panthers or pumas, mountain lions range in color from tan to grey, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service. If these animals are not in the habitat, what we see is an overabundance of herbivores., The ecologist John Laundre, who has spent 35 years studying cougars, concurs. Rumors of their hidden presence persisted. People like you are the problem and cause of extinctions. 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. Mountain lion spotted in East Haddam - YouTube 0:00 / 2:17 Mountain lion spotted in East Haddam 6,872 views Apr 27, 2012 22 Dislike Share Save WTNH News8 135K subscribers A Mountain lion. Weights range from 80 to 225 pounds, but the average is 140 pounds. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. Its not a bear, not a dog, not a deer, not a bobcat. I lived in Woodstock, CT in 2005/2006. I also know of someone who said they showed F&G a photo of one from a game camera in NH. Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami, and a conspiracy theory expert, says these types of theories are not uncommon. We get a lot of pictures sent to us, and people say, I took this picture of a mountain lion in my backyard. And Ill look at it, and to me, its clearly a bobcat, Hawley said. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. Then saw him a few more times from further away across the road and along the edge sometimes of the woods. Of course no dash cam or accessible phone camera at the time! He coined the term landscape of fear to describe the relationship between predator and prey in the wild. We were about 50 feet from it and it stood taller than any labrador and we watched it tail and all slink down the side of the lawn and the rabbits being surprised out of the bushes. As I looked at my daughter and then turned to follow the direction she was looking, I saw the animal in my side mirror. Ottmann nodded. I wasnt planning to shoot her unless she moved in my direction. Adult mountain lions can be 7-8 feet long, including their tails. Now that USFW has declared them extinct, why not formally reintroduce them. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. are received by 1:00 p.m. CT, June 9, 2020 by Sheri Henderson at the Lincoln . State conservation officials believe this photo, taken in Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain lion. Still, sightings are common. Action Alerts. Bobcats: Though technically a type of lynx, they are distinct from other species of lynx such as the Canadian lynx. Morse introduced me to her cat, Allister, whom she referred to as her portable puma. Then she fetched me a beer. We met for lunch on a Sunday morning in early March, and it didnt take long for me to understand why Harrigan is such a popular columnist. Mountain lions (commonly called cougar or puma) vary in size and weight. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. It had rained previously. Mountain Lions in New York. community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. If we end up with a population, it will be the result of a colonizer female who gets here somehow, some way, and the rest will be history.. Time changes all and Im not going to shut the door on the future and say that a breeding population of cougars is not here because the day after tomorrow they could be here its just a matter of time., Though a deer hunter herself, Morse is opposed to the way mountain lions have been hunted in the western U.S., where they are found. Respect predators, protect them but dont worship or try to hug them! Theyre here. Hes even had his own false sighting. There is also something appealing about the idea that there is an animal out there so cunning that it has escaped our notice and the eyes of our cameras. This is always been a debate however as someone who is an avid Outdoorsman I can say with certainty I know of at least 12 people that have personal accounts of seeing mountain lion in Central and Western Massachusetts. Hawley, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says data dont support a breeding population of mountain lions in Connecticut. Hawley: Yeah. 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. Photos of the cat did nothing to convince DEEP the cat was here. LOS ANGELES (AP) A mountain lion that was part of a National Park Service study was fatally struck by a vehicle on a highway near Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. This is the second mountain lion sighting in North Texas in less than a month. In fact, jaguars used to be native to south Texas, as well! You dont even have to go out and look for it.. Mountain lions found in eastern Nebraska typically are dispersing young animals on the move to find new territory. These powerful cats can weigh between 70-220 pounds, with males weighing more. It was huge! Email editor@connecticutmag.com. He set down his cigarette and looked me in the eye. WOODBRIDGE, CT (WFSB) - Police in Woodbridge said they have received reports of mountain lion sightings in town. 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 met with Morse at her home in Jericho. However, the population declined in the early 1900's due to unregulated hunting and bounties were placed on mountain lions until 1966. Habitat. Height at shoulder: 25-30 in. Fight at end of CT high school basketball game involving Middletown, Weaver second in as many days, How UConn women's basketball forward Amari DeBerry landed on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 plays, Connecticut boys hockey top performers / games to watch (Jan. 17), Goggles? On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. She was calling from a trail in Pootatuck State Forest, the 1,200-acre strip of nature occupying the hills above Squantz Pond in New Fairfield. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to get our latest and greatest content delivered right to your inbox. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. Somebody in the NC Legislature believes, because lions are now protected by law. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. Not long after, what was believed to be the same mountain lion was struck and killed on Route 15 in Milford. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. Two were confirmed in Logan County (2014 and 2015), and one . 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. Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. The MPD Animal Care and Control Unit's report includes a fact sheet about mountain lions, which has many common names, including "puma, catamount and panther.". Not really, Rego says. However, Hawley noted that Eastern bobcats tend to have very few spots compared to bobcats that are out west or even in the Midwest. If they have spots, they are typically in the white, underside part of the bodies or on the insides of their legs. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it,. The range of a Mountain Lion may cover 25 to 785 square miles. 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. And theres another school of thought, Well, no, there just are too many of them probably we have to reduce that population somehow. Where do you fall in that whole continuum? Lol Here is a small glimpse at what these dogs were bred to do (if you got sensitive eyes, do not view): Yet I also remembered something Sue Morse had told me months before, as we sat in her living room drinking beer and chatting cats. We hadnt seen a cougar, nor any evidence to suggest a cougar had traveled these woods recently. The mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, or puma. So long as the tails there, that is. I mentioned this to a neighbor who spotted one a few miles away. What would motivate DEEP officials to do this isnt clear. We hadnt seen a cougar, nor any evidence to suggest a cougar had traveled these woods recently. Anyone can get fooled. Mountain Lion Sightings in CT Was the animal a pet set free? I only saw the back side, but he was huge. I was just amazed as I watched this scene in my own back yard. And even the home entries are kind of changing. Many, many times, in many different ways along its travel up through Minnesota, Michigan and to Canada, down through New York, through hair samples, blood samples, trail camera photos. UConn women's basketball's Dorka Juhsz, Amari DeBerry play 'word sneak' at press conference, Fight breaks out after CT high school basketball game between Bassick, Wilbur Cross, Guide to Legal Cannabis Dispensaries in CT, The Best Bathroom Remodeling Companies in CT, recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, 10 criminal cases to watch in Connecticut in 2023, Haar: Pepperidge Farm HQ to exit CT for NJ with 170 jobs, After 350 years, the name of a CT river could be changed. The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book, Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. A harvest is kind of twofold. Learn More . On November 22, about 20 miles north of Rowlett there was another . 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. The Great Divide | Are There Mountain Lions in New England. Mrgunsngear (Mr. Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. In 1994, scat collected after a sighting in Craftsbury, Vermont, was found to contain cougar hair (the animals are prone to ingesting their hair while grooming), and the commissioner of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department circulated a memo with the following line: Harrigans interest in cougars was sparked in the late 70s, after he took ownership of, Perhaps, then, the ultimate question isnt whether cougars are among us, but rather how we can encourage them to settle here, After 20 minutes or so, we turned and stumbled our way back to the parking lot. No doubt of what it was; size, color and recognizable tail. I appreciated Ottmann and Bettys confidence and commitment, but here I was, poking through thorny thickets behind a bar, trailing a bleeding man whose devotion to proving the presence of cougars was beginning to seem like a quixotic quest with no end. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. I could hear the steady rush of traffic on Route 315. What we do not have is a secure predator corridor.. Wildlife is unpredictable (and several people go missing in wild areas, parks especially, every year -Probably not because of alien abduction). Tim Abbott, the regional land conservation and greenprint director for the Housatonic Valley Association, says that during a lecture on mountain lions last winter at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, when the speaker asked if anyone had seen a mountain lion, half of the roughly 400 people in attendance raised their hands. There have been several sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. Also known as cougars, panthers or pumas, mountain lions range in color from tan to grey, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service. Well, I KNOW there was at least one mountain lion in NE because years ago (maybe 35 or so) I lived in Longmeadow, MA. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. Betty had driven up from his home in Rhode Island. In the second camp, there are those issuing the denials, pointing to the lack of photographic evidence, or the absence of tracks, or the simple truth that many people dont seem to know the difference between a cougar and a bobcat and a lynx and even, in some cases, a golden retriever. Mountain Lions: Large tan cats with a distinctive two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the ground as they walk. We have people eating dinner in their kitchen, they hear a noise, all of a sudden a bear walks in, so they run into their bedroom to get away from the bear, while the bears out ransacking their refrigerator. Pictured is an image shared earlier this month on Facebook of what was claimed to be a mountain lion sighting this past fall in Prairie du Rocher. I saw on three occasions in about the same location a beautiful mtn lion with the long bushytail that curves at the end. 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. on the regular. 8 January. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. Its extremely rare for a person to see a wild animal and to underestimate its size. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. But honest misidentifications are more common. Harold Davis just bought a new snowplow. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. But no. Bobcats: They are are the only wild cat found in the state and the most common in North America. Theres probably 100 in Connecticut, Ottmann interrupted, rolling a cigarette as he spoke. Rego has many reasons why a conspiracy to conceal mountain lions by his colleagues at DEEP is impossible. State wildlife experts say those big cats have been extinct in Connecticut. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. It may not surprise you to learn that I was quite intrigued by this third group. Here are some things to keep in mind if you come across or see a big cat like a mountain lion: Be mindful of . A month after the cat was struck and killed, researchers confirmed it had traveled more than 1,500 miles from the Black Hills of South Dakota. They are much larger than bobcat and lynx, young adults can still have spots too. 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. One one occasion she had two little ones with her so their den must have been sort of closeby. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. 2012). It was fast as hell but there was no mistaking its not only long,but THICK tail as it disappeared into the woods. 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. Though promoted as a once in a lifetime event and offered at the dirt-cheap price of $15, only 395 Nebraskans applied for the chance to hunt a mountain lion. Mountain lions in Eastern Connecticut? Having retired from a career at General Dynamics, he devotes many of his waking hours to cougar research, a passion hes cultivated for nearly twodecades. Because he lives among them, Harrigan understands that no one knows the woods better. It has a long, black-tipped tail and black . The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. It can run at speeds of up to 50 mph. 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 . I think they never left, Ottmann piped in. So its this gathering storm. Ive seen tracks (Downeast Maine) and others have seen them, plain as day. Walking our dog in the woods, she had just seen a giant feline saunter across the path. Fish and Wildlife Service unofficially declared the Eastern cougar extinct. By, Corporate Support: Advertising & Sponsorship, Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators., Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators, 'Just weird': Rash of injuries hits women's college hoops, Alex Jones' lawyer avoids discipline over records release, Grieving family members plead for CT legislators to pass Aid in Dying bill, Milder winters mean Connecticut's ticks are now active all year long, You cant plow a puddle: How warmer winters are changing snowplowing, Connecticut COVID data: Your town's infection rate, hospitalizations & vaccinations, Long COVID researchers in CT to get part of $10 million in federal funding, New omicron subvariant fuels COVID surge throughout the Northeast, Connecticut GOP lawmakers counter with their own plan to reduce energy prices. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. His bicycle was later found with the chain unbroken, but off the sprockets. 5-7 yards from me. We told him what we saw, and he confirmed other sightings on the property. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an, on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. The tavern was quiet except for some hard-rock music playing on the radio, the murmur of a handful of men at the bar, and us. The last catamount killed in Vermont stands under glass just inside the doors to the Vermont Historical Museum in Montpelier, a hop, skip, and a jump down the block from the statehouse. In 2011, the U.S. Several years ago, I was bicycling with a buddy up Quabbin Reservoirs Administration Rd. By mid-19th century, forests made up only about 30 percent of New England (its notable that today that number stands at approximately 80 percent, nearer to what it was when cougars thrived here). The map from that publication is shown below, with the current mountain lion range in green and confirmed mountain lion locations as black dots. I did call in a report to CT DEP and they basically dismissed my narrative questioning whether I made a mistake confusing the animal I saw with a bobcat or fisher cat. . According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, mountain lions became extinct in Connecticut in the 1800s, and bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. The second occasion was on the way to work when I saw the cougar/catamount crossing Route 44. The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book Heart of a Lion: A Lone Cats Walk Across America by William Stolzenburg. Two mountain lion encounters in his driveway. 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. She adds, I think its because a lot of people are fascinated by wild cats; they are the embodiment of the wild.. 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. #3. Reading Time: 4 mins read . My daughter said to me thats the biggest cat Ive ever seen. But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. Hawley said that the typical range of cougars like mountain lions is from west of the South Dakota area. Weve had housecats misidentified as mountain lions and even deer, Rego says. Ive seen more field evidence in a couple of hours tracking out west than Ive seen in 100 years on the East Coast, he said. October 12, 2020 10:47 pm ET. His mention of these encounters was so matter-of-fact that I found myself nodding along. I knew it had to have been from a mountain lion Ive seen bobcats and their tracks and from the size of the deer carcass Im convinced there are mountain lions amongst us in Massachusetts! He explains that we frequently overestimate the size of animals in the wild, particularly ones we are afraid of. They are named for their short (bobbed) tail which is often about six inches in length. 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. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. Have a question or comment? Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. Females ranges are much smaller so it will take reintroduction or a few savvy wildlife biologist in the dead of night. 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