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. Spatz and Sue dont want to go where were going.. Height. 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. Apr 20, 2020. Males can reach up to two metres in length and weigh over 60 kilograms. This is the second mountain lion sighting in North Texas in less than a month. [Betty] and the other guys dont do this shit. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. We witnessed a mountain lion stalking a herd of deer. are larger and heavier than females (60 to 100 lbs.). For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. 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. Ask people who spend time outside Connecticut cities and you will hear firsthand or secondhand accounts of mountain lions. I had been foraging up in an area that is rocky. She said it was long and thick. Bobcats and a possible mountain lion have been mentioned within the past few weeks. Over the years, there even have been a few mountain lions documented in central Oklahoma. As I turned a corner going north toward Waterbury, I saw the cat come up from the cornfield, saunter across the highway, turn and look in my direction and then amble off into the brush. I only saw the back side, but he was huge. Jason. And so we come to the great divide over cougars in New England. These powerful cats can weigh between 70-220 pounds, with males weighing more. 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. Its closest living relative is the cheetah. The animal was shot in the town of Barnard on Thanksgiving Day 1881 by a man named Alexander Crowell. For instance, a favorite food for deer is the seedlings of forest tree species. 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? Mountain lion hunting tags were sold in 2013 through a lottery system for the state's first lion hunt. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. 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? 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. Almost every state has some sort of legend of something thats hiding somewhere, he says. 90th Annual New Haven Register All-State Football First Team. 5-7 yards from me. community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. They were also reluctant to certify that turkey and moose had returned the Quabin reservoir lands for many years after locals reported seeing them. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. At least once a year thered be a story from somewhere, but I only ran the absolute best, he told me. I kept trying to make it be something else because I was shocked that I was, indeed, watching a mountain lion pass in front of me. There was no mistake. It may not surprise you to learn that I was quite intrigued by this third group. Today, nearly 60% of Connecticut is covered in forest, and bobcats are regularly observed throughout the state. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. They can be seen at any time of the day or night, but are most active at dawn and dusk, corresponding with deer activity. Even in areas of high cougar density, the there are far more attacks on humans by domesticated dogs or deer/car collision fatalities than those due to cougar attack. he recalls. Defenders of Wildlife developed funding to support wolf predation on cattle which I believe worked. 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. Even though the experts say there arent any mountain lions in CT, there are. Mountain Lions: They are officially extinct. Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. . Got a question or comment? Apex predators like the cougar and wolf make for a healthier ecosystem. Join Us. Still, Spatz acknowledged that the word hope is very different from the word believe. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, DEEP confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. Facebook . He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. While other states have their Bigfoot and sea monster sightings, in Connecticut, and throughout much of the Northeast, we see mountain lions even when were told such sightings are unlikely, if not outright impossible. The reason why experts wont admit to a breeding population existing is that there is NO PROOF. Then saw him a few more times from further away across the road and along the edge sometimes of the woods. There were pine cones on window sills, a well-used hatchet and a variety of animal figurines on display, and, near the television, a stack of videos including Life of a Predator and The African Lion. So theres fresh mud. Even so, for decades, skeptics dismissed mountain lion sightings in Connecticut out of hand, pointing out that if the cats were here in anywhere close to the number of reported sightings, there would be DNA and physical evidence of their presence, not to mention photos and videos. Our wildlife biologists and enforcement agents are mostly political bureaucrats who dont often venture more than 100yards from the truck. Weve got a growing bear population. Sue Morse, the founder and science director of Keeping Track, a Vermont-based organization dedicated to protecting wildlife habitats, has studied mountain lions over her career as a naturalist, and says the majority of cougar sightings in the Northeast are misidentifications. I also had a coworker report a similar experience around the same time. of Energy & Environmental Protection. Osage County leads the list with seven, followed by Cimarron County with six. Within six weeks, he continued, I was getting off the plane in Jackson Hole for a national mountain lion conference. My parents friend in Deposit, NY, posted a young catamount sitting on the front porch on Facebook. How did I know? Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. 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. We clearly have migratory male cougars coming through. Bios and videos of the New Haven Register's 90th First-Team All-State Football players. It's rare to see an up-close look at mountain lion behavior out in the wild, let alone a whole family. He published his first book in 1959, The Ghost of North America: The Story of the Eastern Panther. Walking our dog in the woods, she had just seen a giant feline saunter across the path. I lived in Woodstock, CT in 2005/2006. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal. They are most definitely here. 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. Beautiful creature. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. - YouTube Multiple people in North Stonington claim they've spotted a mountain lion roaming around. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it, he recalls. Additional samples were collected and are pending DNA analysis. They also have facial ruffs and ear tufts on the tips of their ears, as well as shorter tails. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. He wore red suspenders and a baseball cap. Emaileditor@connecticutmag.com, or contact usonFacebook@connecticutmagazine orTwitter@connecticutmag. We know that the closest established breeding population is in either the Everglades of Florida theres a small population down there and then out in South Dakota and Nebraska. Was INCREDIBLE! Young pumas dispersing from Western habitats are being killed at the source, compromising the Easts critical opportunity for ecosystem health and the return of an apex carnivore., Regardless of where they are found, or whether people want to hunt or protect them, people are enchanted by mountain lions. I always hold out the possibility of a sighting to be genuine, but at the same time, over decades of experience, we know that the vast majority are misidentifications and a small number are actually hoaxes, he says. What we do not have is a secure predator corridor.. 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. In a Facebook poll, 84 people said they believe mountain lions are in the county, 37 say they've personally seen them, and three people say they do not exist. Snow Camp Market. We need [an apex] predator back on the land, Sue Morse told me. It had rained previously. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Nicole has a degree in Communications from Fairfield University. Probably are lions in western NC, too. That had to be a mountain lion. Probably because of all the hunters that would be out trying to get their trophy and endangering others. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. Clearly, Puma concolor once inhabited the forests of the Northeast, although its difficult to say in what numbers. Advocates of the proposed Aid in Dying bill made an emotional plea to state legislators in Hartford on Wednesday to approve the legislation, introduced 15 separate times in Connecticut since 1994. But what might be his most compelling argument is that since this is Connecticut, the budget is too limited. my father was recently trout fishing in central Mass. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. They can be found in several different ecosystems including mountains, forests, wetlands, and deserts. Listen & Learn. Connecticut Republicans are proposing to reduce the cost of electricity by removing state taxes and surcharges from customer invoices. Mountain lions have traveled through Fairfield County in the past. 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. 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. Wild Turkey Brood Survey Put bluntly, Morse does not believe that New England is home to cougars. Well, I KNOW there was at least one mountain lion in NE because years ago (maybe 35 or so) I lived in Longmeadow, MA. But right now youre dealing with top-notch guys. As I looked at my daughter and then turned to follow the direction she was looking, I saw the animal in my side mirror. She favors plaid shirts, green Dickies work pants, and hiking boots, and she chided me for shaking her hand too gently. In fact, jaguars used to be native to south Texas, as well! Adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between . I couldnt tell you how happy I would be if mountain lions were actually recolonizing the state of Connecticut, Hawley says, but its just not happening., Hawley spoke about bobcats, mountain lions and bears on The Colin McEnroe Show: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators.. The sighting on Gerdes Road is the third in the past month and very close to the most recent one, on . People have been known to submit photos of real mountain lions taken in other states and claim they were taken in Connecticut. But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. The Cougar, also known as mountain lion and puma, is Canada's largest and most powerful wildcat. 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. Wildlife is unpredictable (and several people go missing in wild areas, parks especially, every year -Probably not because of alien abduction). Where I live bears, wolves cougars etc roamed freely and now sadly if one of those apex predators is spotted our DNR will usually destroy it. The big cat has been extinct here since the mid-1800s. A full-sized mountain line was photographed on the campus of the Brunswick School in Greenwich on Sunday, along with a matching paw print and a 9-inch lion dropping that seals the scientific deal. However, because they are capable of traveling great distances, they have turned up in all parts of North Dakota. The truth is, I was by this point dubious. Cougars, Lynx, Bobcats, Wolves, Bears etc were and are a He was a dark butterscotch color, very tall and lanky (taller and thinner than a really big German Shepard) and that tail. Yes, of course they are here, transients. It is also the most common wild cat found in North America. The image has since been deleted from social media. Uscinski, a Connecticut native, adds that the theory that the government is covering up the existence of mountain lions is likely motivated by a distrust of authority. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. There were caribou antlers mounted above the front doors, and the interior walls were covered in row upon row of books; a long table was piled high with still more books in seemingly random arrangements. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. Learn More . 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. He was previously a reporter for the Danbury News-Times and the Ridgefield Press. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. Email editor@connecticutmag.com. Mountain lions, also known as cougars or pumas, are a big cat species native to the Americas. 02:02. Nearby grocery stores include Food Lion, Star Food. 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? Mountain lion front tracks are 3 to 4 1/4 long and 3 1/4 to 4 3/4 wide. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Rumors of their hidden presence persisted. The official word is that mountain lions were declared extinct in Connecticut back in the late 1800s but sightings have become much more prevalent. Weve had coyotes misidentified. 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 Ive seen bobcats before, this wasnt a bobcat. And its a lose-lose situation, because theres really not a whole lot you can tell them in most cases thats going to change their mind.. This is part of the cougar business. 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. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows. It was a bright sunny summer day. 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 range of a Mountain Lion may cover 25 to 785 square miles. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. It seems humans just cant resist destroying these animals and either dont realize or dont care what damage we have done to our natural environment over the centuries. Rego says that the way bobcats stride when they run, often times a rear leg is kicked up in the back and that could be mistaken for a long tail.. I reported it to Connecticut DEEP, only to be told there are no cougars in Connecticut. September 16, 2020. in Bethlehem, Environment, News, Towns. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. Whenever I drive up and through my home state of Vermont, I look into the hills that surround me that have no sign of development for miles and miles. 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. Finally, in the third camp, there are the true believersthe cougar truthers, if you willthe men and women for whom the only logical conclusion (often reached after a significant investment of time, thought, and sometimes money) is that right here, right now, cougars live among us, feeding and breeding and rearing their young, and that suggesting otherwise is sheer ignorance, willful denial, or part of a mosaic of conspiracy. The Department of Environmental . 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. Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. 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. Its distinctive featurethe one that sets it apart from other North American wild catsis its tail, which is thick and often as long as its body. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. Matthew Johnson/Vermont Historical Society. Morse, 70, comports herself in a friendly and no-nonsense manner. By Cameron Arcand October 3, 2021 at 2:07pm. Dogos have been DOCUMENTED killing mountain lion / wolf. We know that the closest established breeding population is in either the Everglades of Florida theres a small population down there and then out in South Dakota and Nebraska. Mountain Lion Update - May 8, 2020, by Sam Wilson, Furbearer and Carnivore Program Manager. Hawley said the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in the state was one that was killed on the Merritt Parkway in 2011 when a car struck the animal near Exit 55. They have been absent from this state since the late 1800s; however, there have been a few isolated sightings. I was driving to work in Greenfield heading south on 10 and had just taken a right hand turn at the junction when the big cat crossed the road in front of me. Of course no dash cam or accessible phone camera at the time! July 20, 2022. They can subsist on one deer a week, though they will also hunt coyotes, raccoons, rodents, elk, feral hogs, and even porcupines.. In 1978, mountain lions were listed as a state threatened species. Bobcats top out at about 40 pounds (most are much lighter than that) and are only. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. When you look at a state like Connecticut, with all the people we have here, all the trail cameras we have in the woods, all the cars we have driving you can imagine if we had an established population here in Connecticut, we would know about it pretty quickly. Heres what to know about mountain lions (and other large cats) in Connecticut. Height at shoulder: 25-30 in. Length of body. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. One day I most certainly watched him/her being chased up and down our chain link fence by a neighbors large dog who was barking insanely and couldnt quite catch the cougar, who finally made it away from the fence to escape the determined dog whod had him trapped up against it. 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. Just like we dont need any slimy humans on earth period. Our hunter friend was hunting in central NH when they came upon an adult deer carcass way up in a tree. They are much larger than bobcat and lynx, young adults can still have spots too. So why does the conspiracy theory that theyre here in significant numbers persist? Then in June 2011, there were reports of a mountain lion in Greenwich and, for the first time, a photo. Not really, Rego says. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. He is a consummate storyteller, and he wears on his sleeve his affection for the region and the hard-working, commonsense people who inhabit it. We hadnt seen a cougar, nor any evidence to suggest a cougar had traveled these woods recently. 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. Ive seen tracks (Downeast Maine) and others have seen them, plain as day. Colorado and California have the highest estimated populations of mountain lions in the United States. 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? 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. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. 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. Were getting more and more home entries every year. Yet I also remembered something Sue Morse had told me months before, as we sat in her living room drinking beer and chatting cats. 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. N.H.'s Fish and Game Weve got a growing bear population. Harrigans interest in cougars was sparked in the late 70s, after he took ownership of The Coos County Democrat and began noticing the steady influx of reported sightings. After 20 minutes or so, we turned and stumbled our way back to the parking lot. Ottmann and I walked farther. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. It was his great coolness and daring (either that, or fear) that enabled Crowell to shoot the animal at a distance of one rod only (roughly 16 feet), first hitting it in the leg with his shotgun, then dispatching it with a bullet to the head from a borrowed rifle. A harvest is kind of twofold. I couldnt tell you how happy I would be if mountain lions were actually recolonizing the state of Connecticut, Hawley says, but its just not happening., Hawley spoke about bobcats, mountain lions and bears on The Colin McEnroe Show: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators.. 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. A trail runner in Utah experienced a terrifying encounter with a mother mountain lion that stalked him on a trail for six minutes, lunging him at least three times . They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. Ive heard some biologists say it is not a distinct subspecies. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. How to Report a Possible Mountain Lion Sighting. I must have looked doubtfulwe were within spitting distance of a heavily trafficked road and only 12 miles from downtown Hartfordbut both Ottmann and Betty told me that cougars actually prefer more populated areas, since thats where deer tend to congregate. They take down boats, bulls, etc. Morse has been tracking cougars for 45 years, mostly in the mountains of the West, where their existence is not in doubt. Mountain lions, however, arent seen much in the Nutmeg State, even though several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. The one thing that jumped out at her the tail. At the time, a specialist from the Iowa Department of Natural. Published: Dec 17, 2022 SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom issued the below statement today after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that mountain lion P-22 has been humanely euthanized following a comprehensive medical evaluation that found severe injuries and chronic health problems. 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. "Mountain lions are considered extinct in the northeast." Bobcats are not uncommon in Connecticut, according to the state, although their population is limited throughout the state, with the. Anyone who encounters a Mountain lion should file a report with CPW online or by calling CPW Headquarters in Denver at (303) 297-1192, or the Northeast Region Office (also in Denver) at (303) 291 . Weight. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. It has a long, black-tipped tail and black . And even the home entries are kind of changing. Bobcats are plentiful across Connecticut and are between 18 and 35 pounds. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an, on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. Indeed! Kim Royar, a biologist at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, told me she receives 40 to 50 reports annually, and although she believes that few, if any, are actual cougar sightings, she doesnt dismiss the possibility that someday someone will happen upon the real deal. Thats only a fraction of the supposed sightings. Theres something in human nature to overestimate the size of wild animals we see, especially if we get a brief glance and if the animal is moving. He adds, Bobcats can get pretty large and some people believe they should have pretty visible spots and very often theyre pretty uniform in color. This is especially true in the summer, when my wifes sighting occurred. Betty was quiet, and I wondered if even he, a man who does not doubt the presence of these cats in our midst and who himself claims multiple sightings, thought Ottmann was exaggerating. Im always amazed at the sheer volume of people who are interested in cougars, more even than wolves, she says. 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. Description. I will never forget what I saw! 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. 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. 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. There was one photographed on a porch in Greenwich, CT, looking in the patio window that made national news a decade ago. 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. I had been the first vehicle in a line held up by one lane traffic on a bridge reconstruction. 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. The last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut occurred in 2011. Action Alerts. What would motivate DEEP officials to do this isnt clear. 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? 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With all the thousands of trail cameras in the woods of New England, one would think that there would be at least one picture taken of a catamount. There are no mountain lions in Connecticut, so why do we keep seeing them? To date, no footage of a mountain lion has surfaced. You dont even have to go out and look for it.. Mrgunsngear (Mr. CT Style. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. The second occasion was on the way to work when I saw the cougar/catamount crossing Route 44. Now, ocelots are critically endangered and jaguarundis might be completely gone. Photos of the cat did nothing to convince DEEP the cat was here. You cant mistake the long tail. 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. We need cougars and we need wolves back in the Northeast, because a landscape of fear is a well-balanced landscape.. 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. About six years ago, my mother and step-father were traveling some back roads down to New Boston, NH to visit my sister where she lived in an extended care facility. On November 22, about 20 miles north of Rowlett there was another . When I shared their story with the staff at the center where my sister lived, I expected surprise and interested. The big cat sighting is the third in the past month in New Canaan, and close to the previous one, Aug. 8, on White Oak Shade Lane.. Abbott believes it is possible that more mountain lions such as the one that was killed in Milford in 2011 could migrate here. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. We told him what we saw, and he confirmed other sightings on the property. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Its extremely rare for a person to see a wild animal and to underestimate its size. 2439 Adams Farm Ct, Snow Camp, NC 27349 $299,000 MLS# 2479163 PRICE REDUCTION!! (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) Especially when pictures are blurry which happens a lot in trail cameras or youll get pictures taken at night or something on Ring cameras that hind leg really does often look like a tail kind of curling up behind the animal.. Its closest living relative is the cheetah. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. They reside in all eight counties, however, they exist in greatest number in the northwestern corner of the state. Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. 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.". His bicycle was later found with the chain unbroken, but off the sprockets. We strolled across the tavern parking lot and ducked into the forest, where Ottmann maintains a portion of his $15,000 worth of wildlife recording equipment (hes had no luck capturing a cougar on camera, though, despite more than a decade of trying). I came across a dead adult deer carcass high up in an oak tree. I saw one yesterday in Windsor Cty Vermont. There also should have been evidence of animals killed by the predators and roadkill. 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. Peter Yankowski is a breaking news reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. Males (100 to 170 lbs.) The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. But, yes, thats exactly what it was. Black panthers, which are not found in the U.S., are actually black jaguars or leopards. In the decades that followed, many cougar enthusiasts came to share Wrights conclusions, at least at first. Once at dusk driving in the Berkshires, he saw what he initially thought was a cat-like creature that was far bigger than a bobcat leap across the road. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. Mountain Lion Historically, mountain lions (Puma concolor) occurred throughout South Dakota and were considered numerous in the Black Hills. Today marks the date of our inception. "There's no evidence of breeding pairs," he said. Snowy winter AM just before us neighbor kids were heading to catch the bus, we (myself, my dad and neighbor) all watched a large cat cross the yard and leave huge prints and a distinct tail drag mark in the snow! Police Chief. Anyway I got to see that set of eyes way closer than I ever wanted, by the time my hand got on my pistol she was gone. And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. According to the Smithsonians National Zoo, bobcats are part of the lynx genus, which means they are related to other cats like the Canadian lynx, Iberian lynx and Eurasian lynx. For decades afterward, there were reported sightings of the mythical creature prowling the woods around town. Much as I liked Ottmann and Betty, and much as I found some of their evidence compelling, I was struggling to reconcile their more provocative claims with the restraint expressed by the many other experts Id spoken with. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. Bill Betty of Matunuck, a mountain lion expert who spoke at the South Kingstown Land Trust barn Oct. 30, thinks there is ample evidence pointing to the existence of a mountain lion in Matunuck. No doubt of what it was; size, color and recognizable tail. We dont have extra money to do secret projects, he says. The Great Divide | Are There Mountain Lions in New England. 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. Check out 4 Seconds Until Impact by Bruce Hemming, or Cat Urbigkits books about predator attacks in unlikely places . Honestly, leaving this out of your article would seem to perpetuate the notion that there is a conspiracy to keep us all in ignorance. I think they never left, Ottmann piped in. I knew it was a cat track because the tracks were in a straight line and no signs of claws like you would see with a coyote track.
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