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Mountain lions can live in almost any habitat including forests, prairies, deserts, and swamps. DCNR gave the following as examples: the saber-tooth cat; a small, three-toed horse; the Pleistocene beaver, and the mastodon. It had been captured in Florida, and was to be released. The State cites that there are no road-kills, and in a heavily trafficed state like Pennsylvania there should be kills. They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, where they can freely roam 50,000 to 80,000 acres of land. They often would catch sheep in broad daylight. However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. Mountain lions thrive there due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. The bones were found perfectly preserved. With that hope in mind, I have, for years, asked outdoors people if they ever heard of a mountain lion, or puma, in their area -- with my questioning limited to people in my home state of Pennsylvania. The question is just like in the story of the boy who cried wolf) if that day ever arrives, how will we believe those first, true sightings after so many hoaxes have been perpetrated on the public? But no one that I've communicated with had these preconceptions, and seeing what they saw was a complete surprise. One of these days, though, I'll get one that won't be, and I hope that will be soon. The state of Idaho is large, expansive, and full of rocky wilderness. But more importantly, he also said that regardless of color, he saw a big cat, with a tail that looked to be about 4 feet long! The large, undeveloped interior filled with rocky habitats perfect for mountain lions allows them to safely live and breed. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. Mountain lions, which continue to be reported across Pennsylvania throughout the year, are officially extinct east of the Mississippi River and north of Florida, according to the U.S. Provided by Touchpoints Although there was no evidence that the 2011 mountain lion ever set foot in Pennsylvania, DNA evidence confirmed that it had been both west and east of the state. At one point, there was debate whether that cat should be protected, since its genes were diluted from escapees or released pumas that originated in South America or our West. The Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos. Murray said Rocky was emaciated and chained when she found him at a private zoo. There are, from time to time, eyewitness accounts from hunters or hikers who claim to have seen the cat. I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. Suppose, instead of declaring the puma, or Eastern mountain lion, extinct, the USFWS actually recognized the existence of the cat as a wild, breeding species. Over the last two years I have occasionally posted a Question of the Month soliciting sightings from people who believed that they have seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania or in other areas in the mid-Atlantic states. Are Mountain Lions in Missouri Making a Comeback? As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. One might argue that the eastern puma is extinct, but that does not mean that there are not pumas (mountain lions, cougars) in the east. In July and August I received seven different reports, and everyone involved had done a search of some type to compare images of bobcats and pumas. The reintroduction of mountain lions into South Dakota is one of the great wins of modern conservation. If pumas do exist in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, could they all be released cats or escapees? In Michigan, there has been multiple sightings of 'black panthers,' animals that were thought to be mountain lions, or pumas, except that they were black. What the Lenape Indians never did, the European colonists and their descendants did swiftly eradicate the wolf and cougars viewed as a menace to their families and livestock. The other site, The Cougar Network, is still active, and is reporting the cats expanding range from the West, but offers little about the phenomenon of Pennsylvania cats. The Cougar Network, working with state agencies, have documented multiple mountain lions as far east as Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan in recent years, as well as that cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. Colorado has a large number of mountain lions within its borders, mostly due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. He notes how over the millennia, the region was inhabited by humans, only to be depopulated by migration brought on by the search of food due to a fickle climate, war or epidemic. Just take your pick of all these incredible Pocono lake house rentals or just a Pocono cabin for rent, in luxury of course! Would my mountain ridge be declared 'Critical Habitat' for the puma? And book one of these Poconos cabins rentals for the best outdoor access to these activities. "It's one of those things where I'll believe it when I see it," said Jason Farmer of Pocono Summit, my hunting partner for the last eight years. The cat was far enough away that I couldn't get a size reference, and I believed the cat was further away than it actually was. Mountain lions live almost everywhere in the state of Washington. And again, while they may have been mistaken, they certainly were completely convinced that they had seen a puma. Have some feedback for us? Those special two were across a river just outside Glacier National Park in Montana, and consisted of a mother and two cubs (Mary saw both cubs, I only saw one, and we did so separately, as we were driving two vehicles). Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. These cubs are born blind and helpless. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). They know what they saw, regardless of what the facts say, and they know they saw a puma. Although in captivity, they can live much longer. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. That's significant because, in states where mountain lions live, they're often struck by vehicles or otherwise found dead. Let's see a clear photo, or a carcass or something. In the wild, adult mountain lions can weigh anywhere from 65 to 220 pounds. As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! Although there was no evidence that the 2011 mountain lion ever set foot in Pennsylvania, DNA evidence confirmed that it had been both west and east of the state. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Like Arizona, New Mexico is the perfect home for mountain lions. Packer Hill Ave. Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. For example, one man I interviewed said he saw a 'black' puma, and this should disqualify his sighting as a black puma has never been recorded. I'm thinking of the solution often suggested for pesky endangered species out west, namely wolves and grizzly bears. Something to consider, even though we all trust the government. Over the last few months several people have responded to this question with reports of their own. In Michigan, there has been multiple sightings of 'black panthers,' animals that were thought to be mountain lions, or pumas, except that they were black. In January, the U.S. Recently the US Fish and Wildlife Service formally declared the Eastern Puma an extinct species, except for the remnant population in Florida. Discover the Little-Known U.S. River Gorge That's, The 9 Best Books About National Parks for Travelers, mountain lions seem to be making a comeback. Although unconfirmed, mountain lions continue to be reported in many spots across Pennsylvania, including several reports in the past couple months. Since mountain lions are the top predators (unlike most other states with grizzly bears), they have a well-developed population. Only when I reviewed the images on my laptop did I discover that I had a mountain lion! Pocono Record sports writer Mike Kuhns wrote a great piece on Oct. 14, "Does the mountain lion roam PA?" Bobcats tend to be darker brown, with lighter belly fur and spots while mountain lions tend to be more uniform brown, tawny color. While there have been no confirmed occurrences of mountain lions in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s, dozens . But an image captured by one family's. I spend a lot of time outdoors, and I've seen about 10 black bears in Pennsylvania, and all within ten miles of my home. Instead, the person usually pauses, sometimes with a sheepish or embarrassed expression on his face, and seems reluctant to continue. Illinois can also now be added to this list a mountain lion was found on the outskirts of Chicago. There are controlled hunting laws in the state of Oregon. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. It also mentioned that someone raising a mountain lion without a license may either have let it go when it became too large to handle, or that the animal had escaped. In Pennsylvania, I receive a few reports of black, big cats, which makes one wonder -- are there melanistic (black) pumas out there, or are those sightings always wrong. Interestingly, almost all of the people I've spoken to who claim to have seen a puma have not seen a bobcat, an animal that is common enough in Pennsylvania to support a legal trapping season! All of the above images are of bobcats. There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. "Hunters are always saying they see mountain lions, and the Game Commission always says there aren't any," said Robert Hale, owner of Buffalo Gap Outfitters in Dillsburg. While there have been no confirmed occurrences of mountain lions in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s, dozens of sincere reports of sightings and tracks and even more hoaxed reports emerge across the state each year. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania What equipment do we take in the field? He's sitting in a plastic doghouse, paws crossed, amber eyes locked on the two men ticking him off by their mere presence out beyond the fence. If we continue to be bombarded with manipulated photos and untrue claims in most cases by people who just want to get attention then we may be very resistant to accepting the "real McCoy" if or when) one finally arrives. This is only hearsay, however, since I'm only going on their stories. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? . I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. Puma vs Mountain Lion: Is There a Difference? At one time this fact almost resulted in this cat not being protected, since it wasn't a pure strain. This one streaked across the road in the early evening, and fortunately, it stopped when it climbed a hill on the other side where I had another view from my side of the truck. However, recently I saw a photo of a melanistic bobcat, as black as could be, with bright yellow eyes. The other two clans were the Turtle and Turkey. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. Is it the New Best Pack? He's a hunter, a woodsman, and he's seen a lot of game, so I can believe he saw a back-lighted puma. "It was in Worthington State Forest just across the Delaware River from Smithfield Beach). And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. I usually follow-up on these reports and, via email or phone conversations, I receive more details. Many people have claimed to see them, and this writer chronicled numerous such reports in the local press from the mid-1990s to the 2010s. Two different people told me that they, or a close relative, had seen pumas on more than one occasion. Thank you for reading! Mountain lions (cougars, pumas, and more) are among the top predators that live in the United States. A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. This is huge news for conservationists around the country and a sign that cougars may be heading east once again. Wishful thinking? Colorado and California have the highest estimated populations of mountain lions in the United States. "From people that I trust have had visual sightings, they've seen mountain lions.". Others would like to see some scientific proof. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? I've seen so many examples of these distortions, exaggerations and lies over the last couple of years that I've grown very dubious about anything I see on a computer. The Asa Packer Mansion, built in the year 1861, is a historic house museum. One man sent me a game camera photo that was blurry but looked like a mountain lion, or puma, as I like to call them. Joseph Pugliese 2.2K views 7 years ago Beautiful Bobcat in our yard as our. In Pennsylvania, I receive a few reports of black, big cats, which makes one wonder -- are there melanistic (black) pumas out there, or are those sightings always wrong. He knows and was familiar with bobcats, and it was not a weird house cat that he and his friends misjudged in size. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Goodrich said he once saw a mountain lion spring from a thicket and kill a sheep on a public road. There also were camels, sloth and hyena, which migrated elsewhere. No evidence has ever been produced to support those charges. This happens usually around the 18-month mark. Can so many people be so wrong? The Cascade Mountains are an important habitat for mountain lions in the region, and a stable population lives within the state. The Poconos is a mountain area in northeastern Pennsylvania.It is 2,400 square miles of wooded mountains and valleys full of beautiful lakes, rivers, forests and wildlife. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. Geologist Dr. John Yolton made the identification. Kross only saw the animal for a second, but it made a believer out of him. With healthy populations and strong conservation programs, however, they seem to be pushing back east. The sightings were great bear views, but too fast or fleeting to allow me to grab a camera. Features Writer Micaela Hood is signing off with the Pocono Record after five years of covering arts, culture, entertainment and sports in northeastern . The bobcat wouldn't survive. People can manipulate, enhance or combine photos and then create their own stories about the subject's origin, location and even identification. "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). He also noted that if the cat was here, wouldn't they be reproducing and increasing in population by now? Those cats for which DNA evidence was recovered had come east from South Dakota, part of the known, modern-day, U.S. mountain lion range. Because the neck bothered me, I decided to do some Photoshop on the puma in the lower left, moving his head higher up and changing the image to a contrasty black and white - to give a silhouette for comparision. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. I asked our Game officials about evidence, and they cite no road kills. If you can figure out how to travel far back in time for even a day, get lots of wildlife photos, as the rest of us might never believe your story. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are no wild, breeding cougar populations in this state anymore. Mary saw the photo, too, and she immediately agreed, it was a puma. It is almost safe to say that the panther has in these parts become extinct, Goodrich wrote. As they get older, the cubs begin to leave the den and explore. At the end of the last Ice Age, many animals in Pennsylvania died out. Mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week, along with other smaller prey as the opportunity arises. "While confirmed cougar sightings have occurred recently in the wild in the East, there is currently no scientific or physical evidence documenting the continued existence of a population of wild eastern cougars," according to the U.S. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. Controlled hunting of mountain lions is allowed within the state. the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. I've know of reports since 1973, in Cooke Forest, the heart of a lot of Pa. wilderness. Only once has anyone later determined that they had misidentified the cat, seeing a bobcat and not a mountain lion. The State Museum of Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, displays a taxidermy mount of a mountain lion in glass case, with the notation, "This lion, found near Hawk Mountain in Berks County around 1871, is the last native mountain lion known to have been shot in Pennsylvania. It has the color of a mountain lion, but the long tail appears to be missing. Imagine my surprise. Note the long, usually thick tail. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . Cougar vs Mountain Lion What Are the Differences? Phineas Teeple of Manchester Township is thought to have killed the last wolf in Wayne County. In 2011, a confirmed mountain lion was killed by a vehicle in Connecticut and which had been determined that it had wandered east from the Mid-West. The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. Now, forty years ago coyotes were rare or almost nonexistent in Pennsylvania, and had had that same sighting back then, when coyotes were thought not to exist within the state we would have had the 'facts' to doubt what we saw. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. If mountain lions are discovered in PA anytime soon they'll either be big foot's pets or genetically engineered and released by the DCNR to cull the orangu-bear population. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? You be the judge. Encouraged by the bounties, settlers waged war on these perceived beasts. "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. Currently, there are only 15 states that meet that qualification. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Foster, the Messiah College professor, said he has investigated about 15 reported mountain lion sightings since late May, and believed "three or four are pretty likely a mountain lion." "While it seems unlikely, it's not impossible that these animals are showing up in PA," said David Foster, a biology professor at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg. And how many would let them go, or provide an opportunity for escaping? These experiences are still available, but the reality is there is so much more for the mature traveler to enjoy in the Pocono Mountains. "We should be getting more pictures. 1.8 miles, 2 hours, moderate. However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? "From three really reliable sources who are always around the woods from Monroe County to Bradford, there is no doubt that there are mountain lions in Pennsylvania," East Stroudsburg University football team offensive coordinator and avid hunter Mike Terwilliger said. Now, if there were any escapes, and if any of these bred with a possible minuscule number of eastern pumas, a relic native population, wouldn't the gene pool be corrupted? According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. Best hike for seeing waterfalls. There is a big community of mountain lion enthusiasts across the Northeast convinced that the animals still exist in breeding populations. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? Note the size of the tail, the pointed ears, the speckled coat, the basic lack of white underneath. redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions. For many who have believed to have seen a cougar in the wilds of the Poconos, these arguments might be less than convincing. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. I've seen scores of leopards in the grasslands and deserts of East Africa and I've never seen, nor spoke with anyone, who has seen a black leopard there. One sighting I give complete belief in was from a friend who told me a puma crossed right in front of their vehicle, and paused on the berm for a few seconds, at a distant of ten yards or less. They're common in the rural areas of the Lehigh Valley but are moving into more populated areas as evidenced by a 600-pound specimen (pictured) that was tranquilized in March after neighbors in. Foster said mountain lions and bobcats could not breed. Some may also be kept illicitly as pets, which would quickly become a problem as the cat matures. They ponder rare fossil evidence unearthed and seek to make sense of stratified geology, both fleeting in the face of what we call progress. Interestingly, the US Fish and Wildllife Service has declared the Eastern Puma extinct, except for the Florida population known as the Florida panther. Here in central Pennsylvania we live on the outskirts of what one puma-tracking website has as almost the high point of sightings, extending from north-central Pennsylvania in a southwestern diagonal that extends into the mountains of West Virginia. After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. The earliest wave arrived at the end of the last Ice Age; the last wave is the Lenape or Delaware Tribe, which made contact with colonial settlers in the 1600s. RelatedBigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know. Images from a homeowner's surveillance camera show a tan cat with a long body, beyond a chain-link fence. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. John Leap of East Stroudsburg's Lakeside Peat Humus Co. and an employee, Paul Strauser, found the bones in a peat bog off Route 209. Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? The bounty for adult wolves and cougars was raised on March 16, 1819 to $12. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. Contrary to popular belief, there are no black panthers in North America; no one has ever captured or killed a black Mountain Lion. Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? Bushkill Falls Trail. Here it is: I still couldn't get the big head/little neck, and the body is a bit stouter/shorter, but a striding cat might be stretched out a bit. Penn State's Nittany Lion hide sampled for DNA sequencing, Mountain lion reports in Pennsylvania popular, but often a hoax, More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. And yes, there are people in Pennsylvania who say they exist here. There are also big swaths of thick of forests in parts of the state. In the map above, I collected data from the state and on the federal level to find state parks . A Game Commission vehicle was there, and the Fed Ex driver, after reaching the bottom of a long hill, turned back to check on what he saw. (National Park Service). Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. They are there to help us. Check out the tails of the two! "When I started telling people, most of them didn't believe me, but I will never forget that huge face staring right at me," said a Montgomery County woman who says she saw a lion last summer in Limerick Township while walking her dog. They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, with about 50,000 to 80,000 acres of suitable land currently being used by the cat. A placard affixed to the fence outside Rocky's pen states that "cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans." Is there a Puma conspiracy? Still, these resilient animals reside in secluded areas across the United States, with current data suggesting they may even be returning to their historical regions! No one needs to panic.". The Pocono Mountains are . Mountain Lions - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service) NPS.gov Park Home Learn About the Park Nature Animals Mammals Mountain Lion Mountain Lion Last updated: May 4, 2018 Was this page helpful? Who knows? Editor's note: The Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent have collaborated for a series of stories called Mountain Beasts: Pocono cryptids, legends and lore. Erosion from glacial melt and violence glaciers did to the land left a. For information on predator tracks, check out this guide: https://www.wildliferemoval.com/animal-track-identification-guide/, Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. It was decided that this shouldn't influence the decision and, in fact, an infusion of new genes produces a hybrid vigor, lessening the chance of in-breeding. "They are very strong animals," she said. On the other hand, there are probably thousands of game cameras covering water holes and game trails throughout Pennsylvania, and to my knowledge no one has yet recorded a puma. Mountain Lions do remain in the western states and there is evidence that in 2011, a mountain lion migrated about 1,500 miles from South Dakota to Connecticut where it was killed by a. Where can I find Depth of Field reference charts? The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. These powerful, majestic creatures once lived across much of the country but have since been killed or pushed out of most of it. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. The rocky habitat that covers much of the state is perfect for these ambush predators, especially since humans dont inhabit much of the land. There is no known estimate of the number of mountain lions inhabiting Texas. More common critters co-existed with early Native Americans in the Poconos, including two species long since removed: the wolf and mountain lion (also known colloquially as panthers and cougars). If youve done any research on your own, you may have noticed that we didnt include a lot of states that have had cougar sightings, especially in the last few years. A total of 32 mountain lions have been struck and killed by vehicles in the study area since 2002. (National Park Service). If you're interested in this, please pass on this link, and if you see a cat, please let me know! A Mountain Lion Cover Up Caribou meat apparently was part of their diet. Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. Recently, on our Arizona Hummingbird and Bat Photo Shoot, I found a deer that had been hit by a car and had moved off to die beside a stream just 200 yards upstream from our lodge. There's a saying that "things aren't always what they appear to be." Heres What the Data Says. In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. No projectile points or spearheads were found with the remains, indicating the animal may have died naturally rather than killed by native hunters. The states beautiful wilderness and mountainous terrain are prime mountain lion habitats. "If there was mountain lions in Pennsylvania), I think we'd be getting reports from farmers and people with pets that there were attacks on their animals," Martinelli said. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Did they migrate south from Canada? Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The next day, another friend, who works for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, called me to ask if I had seen the photo of a Pocono mountain lion with a deer in its jaws.