A neighbor scared the animal away before it could finish its meal; the sheeps carcass was used as bait, to catch the big cat. With the Great Lakes in its way, the cat moved either north or south of the water, and the latter route would have seen it pass through at least some of Pennsylvania. One of the important things for any animal is a place to call home. So how or why could there be a conspiracy? Why is bat photography so difficult? It was definitely a mountain lion, and it had a big buck, white-tailed deer in its jaws. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. Depends on who you talk to, I guess. "We should be getting more pictures. If we don't see it, it doesn't exist. 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. 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. Only once has anyone later determined that they had misidentified the cat, seeing a bobcat and not a mountain lion. The reintroduction of mountain lions into South Dakota is one of the great wins of modern conservation. The Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos. The same goes for New York and several other eastern states. 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. Mountain lions that are looking for new breeding areas are known as transient and are almost always males. If we say it ain't so, it ain't so! Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. Just take your pick of all these incredible Pocono lake house rentals or just a Pocono cabin for rent, in luxury of course! Sadly, the hunting guidelines for cougars in Idaho are lax, with 400-600 cats being killed each year. These cubs are born blind and helpless. I love the big cats and devote a huge amount of my field time photographing African lions, leopards, cheetahs, and in 2011, tigers. 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 lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? If it were, it would be listed. As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. However, my friend and I discussed this, and agreed, we saw what we saw, and had it been 40 years ago or four months ago, we knew we saw a coyote. However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? The Golden State has one of the largest populations of mountain lions in the country. 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. Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? Provided by Touchpoints Again, I've been told that some Game Commission personnel have admitted that pumas may exist in Pennsylvania, but they rationalize this by saying that the pumas are not breeding and they are not from original wild stock. This animal was undoubtedly a bobcat. Thank you for reading! Mountain lions have an interesting life cycle that consists of a few different characteristics. Florida is the only state on the east coast with a breeding population of mountain lions. 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. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania No one needs to panic.". All rights reserved. You would think someone would have a picture on a trail camera or whatever. However, if you've seen a mountain lion, or other mystery creature, or evidence of either, in Pennsylvania, contact outdoor writer Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.). 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." 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. 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. I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Mountain Lion Reports 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. 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. The woman, a 66-year-old grandmother, asked not to be identified because she's a senior and didn't want people "bothering" her about it. 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). "It was in Worthington State Forest just across the Delaware River from Smithfield Beach). The agency has declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies ofmountain lions native to North America. While the chances that I'll ever see a puma in Pennsylvania myself are virtually zero, I'm always on the alert -- for the bobcat I've never seen in Pa., for a fisher, bear, deer, red salamander, toad, or snake, and yes, I'm always hoping that I too will become one of those who saw something that officially cannot exist within the state, a puma I know I saw but, of course, could not have! Have some feedback for us? Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? 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. The state of Arizona is home to a large, stable population of mountain lions. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. That's true. The Florida panther is an endemic subspecies of cougar that has lived in the everglades region for a very long time. Here's an example: A man is holding a dead eastern diamondback rattlesnake, which was found in North Carolina and measured more than 9 feet long and weighed 95 pounds. It seems unlikely, considering captives have never shown this trait, but people are reporting big black cats. For many who have believed to have seen a cougar in the wilds of the Poconos, these arguments might be less than convincing. Did they migrate south from Canada? 2023 www.poconorecord.com. 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. Reports of a mountain lion have come from several residents of Hemlock Farms who were hiking on. Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. This is huge news for conservationists around the country and a sign that cougars may be heading east once again. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. A mastodon's skull was first located in Marshalls Creek, Monroe County, on July 5, 1968. In many regions, the population within the state is actually increasing! Several populations of Gray Squirrels scattered around the country are black, and recently I heard of a neighborhood of black Eastern Chipmunks. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? 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. Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more . Martinelli said that if there were mountain lions in Pennsylvania, there would be more sightings of them. I believe that the folks that are reporting, in detail, their sightings are faced with a similar situation. 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? 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. Images from a homeowner's surveillance camera show a tan cat with a long body, beyond a chain-link fence. Mountain lions roamed all of the continent prior to the arrival and westward spread of European settlers, but only the eastern and Florida subspecies were found east of the Mississippi. The story behind our new web site. Mountain lions live in rescue centers like Murray's, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission said a dozen or so people are permitted to possess them. Some outdoor enthusiasts insist they have seen the big cats here and believe them to be naturally occurring, native animals. "I know they're native to this area. Some may also be kept illicitly as pets, which would quickly become a problem as the cat matures. Unfortunately, their web site no longer seems active, and has been taken over by some wacky drug product. I wanted to know if they're here, so I called some people I trust and asked them one simple question: Are there mountain lions in Pennsylvania? Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. With the Great Lakes in its way, the cat moved either north or south of the water, and the latter route would have seen it pass through at least some of Pennsylvania. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. 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? 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). Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. When I first discovered this fresh carcass I examined it for throat punctures, thinking that it may have been killed by a puma. 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. Me? No An official form of the United States government. The sightings were great bear views, but too fast or fleeting to allow me to grab a camera. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Both sheep and young cattle fell prey to wolves, unless they were under constant watch. . Fish and Wildlife Service. I'll be anxious to learn of your report. In books I've read critical or skeptical or down-right dismissive of the idea of pumas in the East, the argument has been advanced that the hopefull puma-dreamer/spotters arguing that the State needs to prove pumas don't exist does not mean that in the State not proving this means that pumas indeed do exist in this state. Something to consider, even though we all trust the government. The name Pocono is derived from the . For our list, we only included US states with a stable breeding population. In this at this distant epoch, archaeologists attempt to clear some of the mists and mysteries of prehistoric times. 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. Confirmed cougar sightings have increased in the Midwest and Great Lakes states in recent years.". Phineas Teeple of Manchester Township is thought to have killed the last wolf in Wayne County. Bobcats tend to be darker brown, with lighter belly fur and spots while mountain lions tend to be more uniform brown, tawny color. That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. Had this been faked, I'd suspect the hoaxter would try for a more authentic background. Like Arizona, New Mexico is the perfect home for mountain lions. But an image captured by one family's. Geologist Dr. John Yolton made the identification. I want to believe they're here, but I'm having some trouble. And book one of these Poconos cabins rentals for the best outdoor access to these activities. "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.