YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Contact Laura Jean Schneider at LauraJean@eacourier.com, Mountain lions leave bloody path in Clifton, {child_flags:featured}Co-existing with nature, -The scientific name given to mountain lions is Puma concolor, meaning cat of one color.. I thought I was nuts for thinking it was a mountain lion, but now not so much. Reported Mountain Lion In Maryland Park Actually A Coyote , Mountain Lion Population (In Each U.S. State) Wildlife , Whiting Ranch remains closed with near-daily mountain lion , Video Evidence of a Cougar or Mountain Lion in Fallston , Confirmed Mountain Lion Reports | Missouri Department of , Mountain lions in little old Maryland? The same spot, just trying to get to my donkeys late at night. Our eyes locked and we were both motionless. Over a period of a year and a half, this mountain lion left DNA evidence in at least four states. In 2014, the mountain lion conservation program was established to coordinate scientific research and population monitoring to inform big game management, species management plans and habitat conservation and protection. Males grow antlers which fall off each winter and grow back in the summer. Already a subscriber to OutdoorNews.com? Case 1 A mountain lion, seen above, was sighted on Ash Street in Webster Sunday. Residents should also report any mountain lion sightings to by calling Fish and Game's Southwest. Around 3 p.m., a. Therres reminds us all that it is very easy to misidentify a mountain lion by providing an example of people constantly misidentifying bald eagles. As it was running I noticed that it was way too large and had a large tail. "It was a cougar," insists the 57-year-old Catonsville woman. The woman reported seeing the animal along a path around 3 p.m. She told U.S. Park Police it was tall enough to come up to her waist, but didn't seem aggressive. If you are not and would like to read this and all the other great . Nov. 11, 2021 - A California Mountain Lion was seen at approximately 4:52 p.m. on Nov. 11 near the University Glen water tanks and on the main part of the campus near Santa Barbara Street and Camarillo Street. Many mountain lion sightings in our state turn out to be cases of mistaken identity, but photos, tracks, hair, scat, and videos are some types of physical evidence used to confirm the presence of a mountain lion. I could not believe my eyes! Confirmed reports of mountain lions in Massachusetts As of Sept. 7, 12 animals have been tagged statewide thus far. Then he realized from the length of its tail and the shape of its body that it was a mountain lion. Case 2 Another sighting was on Storms Ave in Haskell NJ. Five other people also allegedly saw what they thought was a mountain lion in the area, Lefleche said. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. l thought "oh shit" and figured l could try to use my bicycle for protection and dismounted. The oldest tooth-aged mountain lion tagged in 2021 was 10. MassWildlife uses evidence-based criteria for confirming reports of mountain lions. Offer valid thru 3/31/23. Another woman said she was walking her dog in McLean Gardens at the edge of Glover Park when she spotted the large cat last week. Turned its head and looked right at me for several seconds. A debate ensued over whether the animal was a rare and incredible sighting of a cougar (either an extinct eastern cougar or western cougar that traveled a great distance outside of their known range) or just a large domestic house cat that appeared larger than it was due to the weather conditions and perspective. My house, which is located in Hewitt, NJ (West Milford township), faces the woods, which is actually the edge of Wawayanda State Park. I was going to attempt to somehow categorize these sightings, but I find that task overwhelming. Males, also called bucks, are about 20 percent larger than females, which are called does. Mountain lions have a long tail that is usually darker colored at the tip. Copyright 2023Outdoor News. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. The Washington Times - September 25, 2008, 01:00PM, Washington Commanders team name and logo reveal from Fedex Field, Scenes from snow storm that hit Washington, Warriors wanted: Army Green Beret training. However, one must assume that it actually could happen. Residents, especially those in the Rio Vista and Mather Road areas, are reminded to keep pets inside at night, use motion sensor lights to help discourage mountain lions from using their yards, and to let Fish and Game know if they observe a mountain lion. adroll_version = "2.0"; One can easily imagine that they might decide to not report the loss. Shirley Ford took photos of the svelte creature she saw lurking by her home on Ash Street Sunday, The Telegram and Gazette reports. It definitely wasn't a bobcat or a coyote, as I do know what they look like. Turkey vultures return to Ohio a sure harbinger of the coming spring? document.write(year) Possible Mountain Lion Sighting in D.C. Wildlife officers searching for the creature By Michelle Tetu Published October 28, 2011 Updated on October 31, 2011 at 6:09 am A lock icon ( In her post, Lefleche told her friends not to panic. Mike Jacobsen found a dead mountain lion in his Denton-area field on Dec. 19. None of the rumors are true. Wick Communications. Most of Graham County is outside of designated active management areas for mountain lions. (A valid mountain lion pursuit-only permit or a valid, unused mountain lion non-permit tag is required.). Adult males may be more than 8 feet long (from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail), and can weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. (I don't know if it's right, but for me the two terms are interchangeable. It looked so powerful! Photo of a mountain lion taken by a game camera and a kill site of an 80 lb. Rt 206/Lamington Rd. I do have footprint pics in snow from Califon definitely not your usual coyote. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. This is the longest documented travel distance of a mountain lion. By LAURA JEAN SCHNEIDER To me, it was not a dog and then carry itself like a dog. Bobcats are found in the mountains of western Maryland, even in some counties along the Chesapeake Bay and one sighting came from the Eastern Shore. Please give us a call at 928-428-2560, Copyright Luckily it looked healthy and well-fed. I was on my deck at around 10 in the morning. Receive the digital, interactive PDF of the newspaper in your inbox. Many believe mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania. Greenbelt Park is managed by the National Park Service. Heres how to pull big bluegills from Iowas West Lake Okoboji, A look at some other ways to call in a spring gobbler, How to catch and cook whitefish and tullibees, Nows the time to savor the fruits of the hunting experience. It was about 4 feet tall and just walked slowly crossing the highway. 0:11. Someone else reported seeing the cat last February. They vary in size and weight, with males reaching up to 200 pounds and eight feet in length (one-third of their length is the tail). Mistaken reports of Mountain Lions in Massachusetts are most commonly bobcats, the state said. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal . The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in a Randallstown field Tuesday has revived claims that cougars aren't extinct in Maryland. We both stopped. What drew me to it was the seeming paws. -Only California bans regulated harvest of mountain lions, with all other states maintaining regulated hunting seasons for this species. "I'm really positive.". White-tailed deer are the most abundant large animals in the park. Another sighting involved a wild cougar that traveled through New York as it trekked nearly 1,800 miles east from its native population in South Dakota. If your state is not . While the initial video got all of the attention, Soto posted a second video, too, showing a pack of hounds looking for scent in the area when the lion was sighted. It was when the reservoir was really low. .it walked right out downwind of us and broadside to both of us at 25 yards or so. 75-170 pounds. There is no evidence of a reproducing mountain lion population in Massachusetts. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Photo courtesy of Mountain Lion Foundation. Sightings are certainly nothing new in Maryland. "As always, if you leave wildlife alone and respect it, the wildlife will reciprocate," she wrote. The friend showed the photograph to a Baltimore County animal control officer and asked him to identify the animal. It came out of the woods and stopped in the middle of the road right in front of me in the headlights. Have any questions? From AM:Yes, we DO have them in NJ, regardless of whether the state denies it or not. May 2015: Shannon: Citizen reported mountain lion tracks near the Current River, an investigation confirmed the track photos and other sign at the site. l went around a tight right bend and, 100 feet up, walking the same way was a cougar. Suggestions are presented as an open option list only when they are available. The screaming stopped and a few minutes later I spotted it in my backyard. Mountain lions occur across much of the state and bring about a wide range of complex conservation and management challenges. And so does the state. Body coloration can range from tan to gray and cubs are usually covered with blackish brown spots. California has one of the largest mountain lion populations in the country. This page is located more than 3 levels deep within a topic. Needless to say, I'm overwhelmed by the number of people in our state who claim that they have seen a cougar or mountain lion. Use this button to show and access all levels. A regional wildlife biologist with the Department of Natural Resources' Forest, Park and Wildlife Service, he says mountain lions were hunted into extinction by the people who settled Maryland. A pretty severe thunderstorm had just ended so for the afternoon it was quite dark. Shes 18 now. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. This all started in the spring with the report by a woman who swears she and her dog were approached by a cougar in Galloway Township. They can weigh between 50-300 lbs. Mountain lions inhabit the badlands and Missouri River breaks regions of North Dakota. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. 23 in West Milford NJ about 50 yards from the highway a huge cat ran across the trail in front of me maybe 25 feet from my front tire. Eastern Arizona Courier 301 E Highway 70, Suite A, Safford, AZ 85546 | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | The EASTERN ARIZONA COURIER is owned by Wick Communications. After reading your article I'm not so sure, maybe she really did see them. These tracks may have been made by the mountain lion documented in Greenwich, Connecticut on June 5, 2011, and killed by a vehicle six days later. Glenn Therres, a biologist and wildlife specialist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources says, We receive a dozen or two dozen reports a year from citizens who see, hear or find signs of cougars. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. May 2015: Laclede A video posted Tuesday on Facebook of a mountain lion ambling across a dirt road near Edens Red Knolls has snagged a lot of interest, according to social media views and discussion. -Anyone bitten by a mountain lion must immediately seek medical attention for rabies shots unless the biting animal can be captured and tested for rabies. There is no indication of population decline, the department said. Let us know what's going on! l then got to thinking about a description, the color is rather unique. The buzzards returned in late February, and Steve Pollick says you can mark your calendar by these scavengers exploits. Citizen reported a mountain lion jumped through a fence and sent in hairs suspected to be from the lion. -Arizonas first lion management plan took the form of paying a bounty for every lion killed where the pelt was turned over to authorities. Sixty-nine percent of mountain lion kills involved the use of dogs, and the majority of animals were killed in the period between January and March. The last confirmed records of the Eastern Cougar's existence were in 1938 in Maine. Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information. I dont doubt that womans experience in South Jersey one little bit! - U.S. Park Police responded to Greenbelt Park in Prince George's County, Maryland Tuesday after a woman said she saw a mountain lion in the area. With all the deer, geese, and other prey everywhere, why wouldnt they be here!!!! It was bloody and the hair was a mess around its head. 01, 2016, . I had to slam on the brakes so as not to hit it. POCATELLOMountain lions are being sighted throughout Pocatello, according to official reports and social media posts from local residents. In this video we discuss why we have reached our conclusion as well as explaining some natural history about this species.For more information please check out our in depth write up on the subject http://www.susquehannockwildlife.org/2018/06/10/fallstoncougar/#cougar #mountainlion #housecat #harfordcounty #maryland ". Today, their range stretches from the Yukon Territory in Canada along the western coast of the United States, all the way to the Southern Andes in Chile. From TR:l just dug out my NJ Rare Wildlife Report Form of September 14, 2013. l was taking a favorite off and on-road bike ride that l call the Harrisville/Oswego Loop, which starts on Rt 679. Some kitty this is!An outfit known as the Cougar Network (www.easterncougarnet.org) tracks cougar sightings all over the various states where cougar populations are not known to exist. Other people say they have seen these beautiful cats and have also caught them, in the past, on camera in the woods. a graphic depiction of America's mountain lion history. The Connecticut mountain lion is the best documented wild Mountain Lion in New England. They used to roam the entire continent, but have become extinct in most US states. Pearson said people should be vigilant on the Greenbelt, especially between dusk and dawn. It was light brown with a long tail. I KNOW WHAT I SAW and to this day every time I bring up this in conversation nobody believes me. Jeff Mulhollem. All the same, Therres and his colleagues log every report into a database (so far 150 sightings have been entered) and I suppose the wildlife specialists have a good laugh now and then. Some page levels are currently hidden. Suddenly my son stopped on the trail due to a large cat on the trail. . The main habitat requirement for mountain lions is stalking cover to successfully hunt prey. Mountain lion fur is unspotted and tan-brown . Females are typically smaller. If you see a mountain lion, report the sighting immediately to Mission Viejo Animal Services at 949-470-3045 or the Orange County Sheriff's Department at 949-770-6011. The government says they don't exist here. It was ENORMOUS! We had a tree that was partially blown over in a Noreaster creating a lifted-up mound of earth. "We do not have a population of mountain lions." Fishers had been in decline due to development and loss of habitat, but DNR is reporting that their numbers are now increasing and are prevalent. From C:About 15 years ago we were on our motorcycles riding around Delaware NJ by the Gap we went on a gravel road came to a bridge we couldn't cross turned around driving real slow cause we all had Harleys I kept like 10 bike lengths between us because of the dust kicking up and right in front of me crossed a mountain lion no more than 10 feet away from me no way I was mistaken. It was a rumor that State Fish and game stocked mountain lions to take care of it, to this day they deny it but I dont doubt they did. "As always, you should be diligent and cautious with your pets.". They all agree it looks like a mountain lion. "I knew a lot of people wouldn't believe I'd seen it," he says. "It was sitting there looking at the smoke coming out of our chimney.". (WJZ) --A reported mountain lion sightingin a Prince George's County park turned out to be a coyote. . Then in late August, a woman reported seeing a mountain lion on her drive between Millville and Avalon. "I believe that they're there," says a Baltimore County police officer, who claims he saw a cougar in Ruxton in 1980. Delivered right as the newspaper goes to print on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The first one in recent history was in 2008 . It was crossing Clove Rd. We do get photos/videos sent to us claiming to have witnessed a mountain lion but it is almost always a bobcat or sometimes even a house cat. Saw one in Warren County in 2007 & 2008 while camping. Dozens more come forward with sightings, The latest Bigfoot sighting in New Jersey photo & video, Death count rises: 5th dolphin turns up dead on a New Jersey beach, Horrible smelling chicken guts spill over NJ highway in crash, Beloved NJ diner employee dies after being hit by vehicle on walk to work, What dreams are made of: Look at this $15.7M Avalon, NJ beach house, On-the-job discipline of gunman led to NJ councilmans shooting, prosecutor says, Another Republican politician shot dead in NJ in the past week, Great New Jersey stores that we loved that are closed forever, School bus stolen in Livingston, NJ alarmed cops caution parents, Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and EEO Report. From JK:I had a mountain lion bounding across Weldon Road Jefferson Township Morris County about 75 yards in front of me. This is especially true of western Maryland. From TM:Hey Joe. I live in Holland Township NJ. Officers will patrol the neighborhood Friday. Diana Marchibroda and her miniature schnauzer froze in their tracks when the mountain lion stepped out of the woods last May. Genetic analyses confirmed the hair was from a male mountain lion and the propbable population of origin was Colorado. A valid hunting license is required except in the case of depredation (killing of livestock). "It ran right in front of my truck a few weeks ago," said Kenneth Basler, a town official who said he saw the large cat around Stevens Pond . Mountain Lion Sighting. Please limit your input to 500 characters. Over the past 25 years, dozens of Maryland residents have reported cougar encounters, even though wildlife officials insist that mountain lions haven't roamed the state for at least a century. Admission is $6 for ages 16 and over, $2 for kids 6 to 15 years old, and free for . It was late October and leaves were mostly down on our 500+ acre site. Saw one in my backyard in Mercer County in 2018. One said his father swore he had seen one, and their guess was it was an escapee from Great Adventure. It was tan and the most amazing part of this animal was its tail. The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in a Randallstown field Tuesday has revived claims that cougars aren't extinct in Maryland. There are hundreds more throughout the East Coast, he and other naturalists believe. A man named Jacob Soto said that he and a co-worker filmed the lion; they work at farms in the area. Cars do not kill or injure cougars crossing roads. (#08) We just wanted to inform you all that during our trip to the Snowshoe ski resort in West Virginia we sighted a mountain lion at a nearby field. In Zone J, area 24A, which is close to the border of Graham and Gila counties, a 2-year-old lion, a 3-year-old lion and one of indeterminate age were killed in 2021. In windy or mountainous areas, Elbroch says air horns are great tools to throw off a cat's focus and deter them from . In the '70s, Jungle Habitat was located here in West Milford. My cousin and her boyfriend, who own 40 acres in Mansfield Twp NJ saw one on their property as well. It was about 4 feet tall and just walked slowly crossing the highway. In March 2011, DCR forester Steve Ward photographed a track trail in the snow near the Gate 8 boat launch area of Quabbin Reservoir. An adult male mountain lion can have a home range greater than 100 square miles. One neighbor described the creature as larger and wider than a deer, with the long tail of a cat. Meanwhile, if mountain lion sightings are on your wish list, go to Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, even California, to mention some of the western states where the American panther is in good supply. Please use caution. I went home to look it up to ensure I was correct - Mountain Lion. GREENBELT, Md. We will use this information to improve this page. Yet this young male traveled about 1,800 miles. And, if. The mountain lion was about 50 yards to the left of my house and was walking up the side of the mountain. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Bobcats are found in the mountains of western Maryland, even in some counties along the Chesapeake Bay and one sighting came from the Eastern Shore. It doesn't make sense to me that they wouldn't be in those areas considering anything prevents them from crossing state lines especially since they can swim and the Delaware river is often shallow enough to walk across in a lot of spots. However, he did say (off the record) that he believed us - he was a hunter and had seen evidence of them in and around our area of the state. ; track sets or photos of track sets; other tangible physical evidence verified by qualified professionals. On we go with just some of the reports I've received in the last few days: From RB:I've been reading your stories about mountain lion sightings, I too have seen a mountain lion; this was during the early spring or late winter of 2021. If youre still curious, read on to brush up on your mountain lion knowledge. Mountain lions were classified as a game species by the Nebraska State Legislature in 1995, mandating the Commission to set hunting seasons only if the lion population was large enough to sustain a harvest. Cougars (Puma concolor) are a large cat that goes by many names: panther, catamount, puma, and mountain lion, just to name a few of their over forty common English names.They were once a common predator in Pennsylvania until a combination of range-wide habitat loss, prey loss (mainly white-tailed deer and elk), and predator eradication programs in the 1800s drove them to extinction in the . Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The USDA's Forest Service Wildlife Genetics Laboratory found that the animal came from South Dakota. About 10 years ago I saw one crossing a narrow, rural road in Chester Township, NJ. Coyotes have also been mistaken for Mountain Lions. The mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, or puma. I had made calls to many different agencies and either I was told I was wrong or no one would return my calls. In comparison to our GSD, I estimated it to be around 70lbs. From ED:Im a believer. I'm completely convinced fish and game are well aware they are still here and said they are extinct to calm the public outcries. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. There was a long tall cat with a long tail. For the smooth consistently colored short hair l came up with a greyish tint to a deers summer color. There have been only two caseswhere evidence supports the presence of a mountain lion in Massachusetts. It was about 6 or 7 years ago. In 1996 MDC established a Mountain Lion Response Team (MLRT) with specially trained staff to investigate reports and evidence of mountain lions. 12 Reply catvideomaniac 4 yr. ago That is just some newly divorced woman in her back yard. I was driving on a dark and stormy night about 9 years ago on Rt-515 just off of Rt-23. For a solid four seconds, Marchibroda watched as a large, sleek cat standing about three feet tall with a long, curled tail crossed Skyline Drive near Gavel Springs Gap less than 100 feet in front of them. Both off of Carrs Mill Rd before the cement bridge (for those of you that may be familiar) Forget Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster. I was driving on a dark and stormy night about 9 years ago on Rt-515 just off of Rt-23. Hikers saw a mountain lion walking along a hiking trail as it was hunting a deer in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Updated: Jul. Some of these photos have taken on urban legend status. About 4 years ago I saw the whole mountain lion. It was heading northeast toward Peapack, NJ. Advertisement Rauch said the bobcat probably traveled down the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal from. I was told to call animal control. Big Tech minions could compromise Americas Intelligence community. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. Youd think that with the distinctive white head and tail of adult eagles no one could foul up on it, but Therres says, We receive reports of bald eagles that turn out to be ospreys, hawks, black-backed gulls and even pigeons.. PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. Both labs confirmed the sample came from a mountain lion. This still from a local video clip of a mountain lion taken Tuesday morning shows a big cat crossing a ditch before he disappears into the cotton field. MassWildlifecannot investigate or confirm mountain lion reports without any evidence. They told me they would investigate and let me know, but I never received a callback. There have been no reports of injuries associated with this creature. I slowed down and when slowed down it took off really fast into the woods. The cat, which she believes is a mountain lion, ran off into some nearby woods. And was almost as long as its body! "I couldn't believe my eyes. My husband also sighted one while driving to go hunting many years ago in Wawayanda State Park. For the last few days, my email account has been continuously pinging from people sharing information about their sightings. One year just a few years ago I was driving down the road and a good half mile up the road from me after coming around the S bends on Hesstown Road. I was amazed I told everyone I knew and it was like I was crazy or a liar. 24K views 4 years ago #cougar #mountainlion #maryland On May 31, 2018 an interesting video of an animal walking across a field was captured in the Fallston area of Harford County, Maryland. In Maryland, what inquiring minds want to know is whether big cats are prowling suburbia. See Alex Hunter's Sigma Delta Chi award-winning editorial cartoons. Wisconsin - Mountain lion sightings in Wisconsin are rare but there have been confirmed sightings within this state. . in Montague, Sussex County, east from the swampy area of High Point Golf Club west down behind the Vet's office on Millville Rd. No indication of a captive animal. I told some people but Im not sure anyone believed me. Read more about the status of Mountain Lions in Alabama here. Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. There are occasional reports of people who think they saw one, maybe they even took a blurry picture, but those are most likely bobcats. Our wildlife research team decided to help take the mystery out of the sighting by going to the location and comparing the size of the animal to stationary objects in the frame as well as a human subject. Maryland - There have been many sightings of mountain lions and a lot of debate about the existence of mountain lions in Maryland. var today = new Date() People even report House Cats as mountain lions in a surprising number of cases. The next thing we see is this cat. 13507065_10205364039255335_8657515368052999240_n.jpg. I know bobcats and it definitely wasnt one especially having a 3+ foot tail that was quite thick. In the Washington region, sightings have been reported in rural areas of Maryland and Virginia.