Only when I reviewed the images on my laptop did I discover that I had a mountain lion! What would account for the long tails? Had this been faked, I'd suspect the hoaxter would try for a more authentic background. Any Truth Arkansas isnt somewhere that we would generally think of when looking for mountain lions, but they are on the rebound! Jones has never seen a mountain lion, but he thinks they're prowling around. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. Perhaps my Fed Ex driver was simply recalling a rural legend, but he said it was an employee that he knew, and it was a story he heard first-hand. The record size for this species is 8 feet, and it probably weighed 15 to 20 pounds, which shows how exaggerated this claim is. 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. Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". As you can see from the above images it is very difficult to confuse the two if you have a good view. Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. "We've been here 45 years and I've probably been told by people at least 100 times that they've seen a cougar or mountain lion," said owner Vince Hall. Today, we are going to explore the 15 US states that have mountain lions, plus a few others that may have some. Both were a threat to the farmer and family who carved a home in the ancient wilderness of the Poconos. Many have a desire to see some clear-cut evidence. 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. September 21st, 2008, 08:14 PM #74. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail.
Pocono Mountains: Best Things To See And Do - TravelAwaits Note the long, usually thick tail. An escapee is also possible. It's sort of like big foot, some people say they've seen him.". The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. What equipment do we take in the field? He said he'd never forget the sighting, but it was only when he saw another, a few months ago, in daylight, from his cabin, that he decided it was time to tell someone. Everyone else, when reporting, were frustrated as they were told they had seen a bobcat. The agency has declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies ofmountain lions native to North America. Many of those claiming to have encountered a cougar in Pennsylvania take that non-confirmation by the commission as an attack on their veracity and character. This is huge news for conservationists around the country and a sign that cougars may be heading east once again. I am hoping that more and more people will learn of my own interest in this, and will pass on this information and that I'll receive more reports and, hopefully, sometime, a game camera photo that is definitive. "Given the period of time that has passed without verification of even a single eastern puma, the service concludes that the last remaining members of this subspecies perished decades ago," the Fish and Wildlife Service said in a Federal Register notice. A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. In captivity mountain, lions can live to be about 20 years old.
Pocono Record's Micaela Hood moves on to Lehigh Valley Public Media Reports of a mountain lion have come from several residents of Hemlock Farms who were hiking on. After a small population was reintroduced into their historic land, their population has grown to a stable and breeding group of between 200-300 individuals. But no one that I've communicated with had these preconceptions, and seeing what they saw was a complete surprise. (What is meant by "heads" is not clear.). The story behind our new web site. Just take your pick of all these incredible Pocono lake house rentals or just a Pocono cabin for rent, in luxury of course! It is an Italianate Villa home that features authentic Victorian furniture and finishing. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? Biologists who investigate these reports claim that several may, indeed, be mountain lions, but most likely they're animals that have escaped from captivity or have been released by their owners. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. In only one report had an official from the Pennsylvania Game Commision, a local warden, actually agree with the person reporting the sighting. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is always open to review evidence, but to date only hoaxes have crossed the PGC. 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. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. 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. I usually follow-up on these reports and, via email or phone conversations, I receive more details. Oregon has a large, stable breeding population of mountain lions. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. And book one of these Poconos cabins rentals for the best outdoor access to these activities. The photographer had no reason to stage the shot -- indeed, the composition and background was terrible, and not what you'd expect for something staged, but the shot wasn't perfectly clear. Something to consider, even though we all trust the government. 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. 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. Obviously, other pumas must be about, and the series of ridges extending north and east and west from my location could all be included as critical habitat as well. I don't know if a Game Commission authority has actually said this or not, but people I've spoken to have reported this. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. The last known mountain lion in Pennsylvania was killed in Berks County in 1874. Both sheep and young cattle fell prey to wolves, unless they were under constant watch. I hope no one ever shoots a puma to prove their existence here, but I hope someone gets a great photo, of the cat, of a road-kill, of tracks, and that I see it. Mountain lions can live in almost any habitat including forests, prairies, deserts, and swamps. I've know of reports since 1973, in Cooke Forest, the heart of a lot of Pa. wilderness. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. But this one was black, and he knows mountain lions are some variant of brown. Wishful thinking? After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions. Leslie estimated that the first humans making up the Paleo-Indians lived in the upper Delaware valley as early as 11,000 B.C. In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. . In Tennessee, the most likely places you would find them would be in the forest. For many who have believed to have seen a cougar in the wilds of the Poconos, these arguments might be less than convincing. PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. Send it to me at mkuhns@poconorecord.com. I've spoken to PGC personnel, two being friends, and neither believe there are pumas in Pa. One cited how a bobcat's tail can be much longer than you expect, although I've never seen a bobcat tail longer than, at most, twice the size of the tails illustrated above of the bobcat. And when our officers go out to investigate reports of mountain lions, or when our staff reviews photos that are sent to us, often we're able to verify some other animal mistakenly was reported as a mountain lion.". Despite reported sightings throughout the East, including Pennsylvania, and a confirmed mountain lion killed in Connecticut in 2011, there has been no evidence that any of those cats were native to the East. There are, from time to time, eyewitness accounts from hunters or hikers who claim to have seen the cat. Heres What the Data Says. I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one. All rights reserved.
Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? - pennlive.com This animal was undoubtedly a bobcat. The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on average between 75-120 pounds, has long whiskers and a distinctive swooping tail. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". 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. do I get an immediate, 'Oh yeah!' I am bothered by the constricted neck of the cat on the game camera; 2. the tail is curved down, rather than up, but it may have been in mid-swing; 3. the goldenrod-appearing flower, and the background of cars, gives a sense of scale and location. People can manipulate, enhance or combine photos and then create their own stories about the subject's origin, location and even identification. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. "The cougars examined in the Northeast in the past 70 years are likely released or escaped captives. Did they migrate south from Canada? Among those who have investigated the primeval times of the Pocono Plateau and Delaware River valleys and tributaries was the late Vernon Leslie, Ph.D., a Wayne County historian and archaeologist. 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. They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. Hopefully, we'll see the real thing. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. If we don't see it, it doesn't exist.
Controlled hunting of mountain lions is allowed within the state. Murray also has a cross-eyed white tiger named Keisha, who crushed chicken bones with ease but delicately stepped into a metal pool to cool off. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) also reports evidence that humans arrived during the last glaciation or soon after. Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. Encouraged by the bounties, settlers waged war on these perceived beasts. "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. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. The State argues that there is no physical evidence, and no credible photographs. I've read a lot about this, and the usual explanation is the very human desire to see something, to see what someone wants to see, and thus these people are seeing bobcats or brown cats or dogs or foxes and, because they 'want' to see a puma, they do. There are at least 20,000 black bears in Pa., and a small percentage are killed each year, but we're probably not talking about 20,000 pumas in the state. I'm a photographer, yet I've never had a chance to snap a photograph of one of these bears. A typical home range is around 150 square miles for adult males and 50 square miles for adult females in our region. Where they always here as a relic population? Recently, a man I spoke with told me that he was reminded of a sighting he and two friends had 20 years earlier, and after recalling the incident he was motivated to call his college buddies and reflect on their observation. I believe them. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Well, right behind our property lies a mountain ridge, one of several that makes a continuous forest that extends, with little interruption, for scores of miles in three directions. Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on average between 75-120 pounds, has long whiskers and a distinctive swooping tail. This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. My friend was a former hunter and fisherman, and spent a lot of time in the woods, as did I, but neither of us had ever seen a coyote. As the latest hoaxed photo of a mountain lion supposedly killed in Pennsylvania died a slow death on Facebook yesterday, the head of an organization tracking the eastern movements of the big cats was preparing a presentation for a Pennsylvania audience tonight. But Dave "Gadget" Jones, a retired wildlife conservation officer from Lackawanna County, claims he's seen a white bigfoot and a UFO in Pennsylvania, so who knows? Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. 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. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? Only once has anyone later determined that they had misidentified the cat, seeing a bobcat and not a mountain lion. Travis Lau, a spokesperson for the Game Commission, said the state has a "never say never" approach when it comes to mountain lions and acknowledges that Western cats could be moving east. Would my mountain ridge be declared 'Critical Habitat' for the puma? The bobcat wouldn't survive. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? To be fair, I've also spoken with people who, at first, thought they'd seen a puma only to find, to their embarassment, that they were looking at a house cat! And yes, there are people in Pennsylvania who say they exist here. If there were wild cougars in our midst, the Game Commission also pointed out, eventually there would be solid evidence such as a carcass, scat and paw prints that could be verified. Recently the US Fish and Wildlife Service formally declared the Eastern Puma an extinct species, except for the remnant population in Florida. I'll be anxious to learn of your report. Provided by Touchpoints The life cycle then repeats itself.
Mountain Lion Habitat in Tennessee - ArcGIS StoryMaps Woolly mammoth bones were discovered in Bradford County in 1983.
Lions in the Santa Monica Mountains - National Park Service The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. So what? Let me explain this.
Mysterious big cat caught on security camera in Clarks Summit, Pa. 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. Known as the Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania, there are four trails that lead to the cascades from the Bushkill Falls trailhead, each ranging in . A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. Archived Questions of the Month One of the important things for any animal is a place to call home. 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! Packer Hill Ave. Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. If so, what would happen to the hunting industry in all of these states? Good luck, and let me know! I could fill pages recounting the eye-witness reports I've heard, and for every report critics could certainly say 'but there's no physical evidence!' These experiences are still available, but the reality is there is so much more for the mature traveler to enjoy in the Pocono Mountains. Conversely, an outdoor writer I know told me that when Pa. enacted a menagerie permit law years ago, 'a lot of mountain lions suddenly died,' as the owners of these cats, rather than going through the paperwork, simply released their pumas and claimed that they had died. A few could, perhaps, be mistaken idenity. The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. So how or why could there be a conspiracy? Who knows? She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. I've looked in the PGC game laws booklet and saw nothing on this, which I guess you could conclude means a puma would not be legal to shoot. Unfortunately, their web site no longer seems active, and has been taken over by some wacky drug product. (National Park Service). So many of these sightings have been proven wrong misidentified bobcats, coyotes or even house cats) that it would be irresponsible for a biologist to accept any of them as fact without absolute physical evidence hair, droppings, tracks or a road-killed animal. A mastodon's skull was first located in Marshalls Creek, Monroe County, on July 5, 1968. One of these days, though, I'll get one that won't be, and I hope that will be soon. Albinos are often very light sensitive, and they certainly are conspicuous, and most do not live very long. Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada.
Big cats in Pennsylvania: mountain lions or bobcats? - Pocono Record Now consider: If it was confirmed that there was a breeding population of endangered pumas on the mountain ridge behind my house, if the USFWS recognized the existence of this endangered species, what might happen? No An official form of the United States government. Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. We hope you enjoy this foray into the most weird and wonderful our beloved Pocono Mountains have to offer. 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. Mountain lion populations struggle to outpace the high hunting limits. Eyes are normal and are not light sensitive, and the over-all color, generally black, is usually not detrimental and may actually be of benefit. Mountain lions thrive there due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges.
Pocono Mountains - Wikipedia Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. On that, I've had emails sent with game trail photo attachments, or killed pumas, supposedly shot in Pennsylvania, but these were hoaxes.
The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. 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. The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. Mountain lions have a lifespan of about 8 to 13 years old in the wild. 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. 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. Note the size of the tail, the pointed ears, the speckled coat, the basic lack of white underneath. Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. Furthermore, a different set of photos showed a "mountain lion" dragging a deer into the woods in Bradford County. Hunters I've spoken with said they've been told you can't kill a puma, which they felt was ironic since the same official told them pumas don't exist in Pa. Cougar Network tracks mountain lion expansion from the western U.S. to the east. 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. Features Writer Micaela Hood is signing off with the Pocono Record after five years of covering arts, culture, entertainment and sports in northeastern . About six months ago I posted the question, Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? Imagination? Who knows? Joseph Pugliese 2.2K views 7 years ago Beautiful Bobcat in our yard as our. They're seeing an animal they don't know or recognize, and while some may be watching a smaller bobcat about 35 pounds), some believe they've actually spotted a cougar. All rights reserved. Foster said mountain lions and bobcats could not breed. Despite reported sightings throughout the East, including Pennsylvania, and a confirmed mountain lion killed in Connecticut in 2011, there has been no evidence that any of those cats were native . Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Perhaps one or more of these Pocono sightings represent early pioneers reclaiming their former territories.
Things to Do in the Poconos | Attractions & Outdoors - Pocono Mountains More conclusive evidence is needed: Keep your cameras handy. I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? Michelle LaRue, executive director of the Cougar Network and a research ecologist at the University of Minnesota, will discuss the eastern expansion of cougars from their core range in the western U.S. at 7 p.m. in Moravian College's Haupert Union Building, Bethlehem. It has the color of a mountain lion, but the long tail appears to be missing. The Pocono Mountains are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week, along with other smaller prey as the opportunity arises.
"If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. The bones were found perfectly preserved.
The 'look' is from my "There hasn't been one solid piece of proof to believe they are here. 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. Ramapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization, Bigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. I believe Kross fully, but I wanted to hear more. 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. The mountains and isolated forests of the state allow these large cats to live their lives without encountering humans very often. Although unconfirmed, mountain lions continue to be reported in many spots across Pennsylvania, including several reports in the past couple months. That's significant because, in states where mountain lions live, they're often struck by vehicles or otherwise found dead. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. "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. About half of the state of Montana is ideal for mountain lions, primarily in her western and central regions.