Florida is the only state on the east coast with a breeding population of mountain lions. It is almost safe to say that the panther has in these parts become extinct, Goodrich wrote. No An official form of the United States government. Mountain Lion Reports 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. Accounts abound concerning interaction between these great beasts and people in northeast Pennsylvania, with wolves into the early 19th century and in the case with cougars, well into the early 20th century. Foster said mountain lions and bobcats could not breed. The Pocono Mountains are . She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. Here's a glimpse at what long-gone Pocono beasts the region's very first wave of residents may have seen, and the wild things that followed up to as late as the early 20th century. The image in the Upper Left was from a Game Camera, sent to me by a friend. 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! Hopefully, we'll see the real thing. Perhaps one or more of these Pocono sightings represent early pioneers reclaiming their former territories. No evidence has ever been produced to support those charges. 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. 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. 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. DCNR gave the following as examples: the saber-tooth cat; a small, three-toed horse; the Pleistocene beaver, and the mastodon. Bobcats, feral cats and domestic dogs may be misidentified as mountain lion. 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. Only when I reviewed the images on my laptop did I discover that I had a mountain lion! The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. In captivity mountain, lions can live to be about 20 years old. 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.). What would account for the long tails? Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. The rounded ears, Over 1,100 people follow her page. The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. The 2,400-square-mile area has long been a popular outdoor recreation area boasting hunting, fishing, skiing, and more. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. September 21st, 2008, 08:14 PM #74. Ironically, I almost deleted the image, as on the small camera LCD monitor the cat was small and I thought that it was just another deer that moved along the stream. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. Recently, on our Arizona Hummingbird and Bat Photo Shoot, I found a deer that had been hit by a car and had moved off to die beside a stream just 200 yards upstream from our lodge. Mountain lions are well-established in 14 western states and have also recently been confirmed in 10 Midwestern states: Nebraska, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. All of the above are Mountain Lions, or Pumas, or Cougars. Check out the tails of the two! I asked our Game officials about evidence, and they cite no road kills. 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. Something to consider, even though we all trust the government. Here's more about mountain lions in Pennsylvania: If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. If you see a puma (mountain lion-cougar), contact me. With healthy populations and strong conservation programs, however, they seem to be pushing back east. "With all of that said, though, there's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania. "It's one of those things where I'll believe it when I see it," said Jason Farmer of Pocono Summit, my hunting partner for the last eight years. 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. Biologists traced it. There is a big community of mountain lion enthusiasts across the Northeast convinced that the animals still exist in breeding populations. I believe Kross fully, but I wanted to hear more. Some may also be kept illicitly as pets, which would quickly become a problem as the cat matures. At one time mountain lions, or more properly puma (Puma concolor), enjoyed the widest geographic range of any New World mammal, and were found throughout all of the contiguous United States. Currently, mountain lions seem to be making a comeback in regard to their historic range. They once inhabited the entire United States, but were killed off and pushed west. Today, we are going to explore the 15 US states that have mountain lions, plus a few others that may have some. the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. In 2015, a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was placed near the site where the mastodon was found. 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. 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. The Game Commission concluded they were coyotes. Only once has anyone later determined that they had misidentified the cat, seeing a bobcat and not a mountain lion. It's sort of like big foot, some people say they've seen him.". A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. The name Pocono is derived from the . 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. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more . That summer, a team from the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg excavated the nearly complete skeleton of the ancient elephant, the first of its kind found in the Commonwealth. Two weeks ago, a friend of mine who teaches in one of the Monroe County school districts called to tell me he was sending me a photo of a mountain lion taken by one of his students in the Poconos. 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. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. The state of Arizona is home to a large, stable population of mountain lions. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. There's a whole world to learn about and Colby is content to spend his life learning as much as he can about it! They're common in the rural areas of the Lehigh Valley but are moving into more populated areas as evidenced by a 600-pound specimen (pictured) that was tranquilized in March after neighbors in. 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. In August, Amy Walters said her 12-year-old son was spooked by a mountain lion in Forest County in northwest Pennsylvania while riding his dirt bike. Encouraged by the bounties, settlers waged war on these perceived beasts. Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? Packer Hill Ave. Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. So how or why could there be a conspiracy? He also published a follow-up on Oct. 15 with the same mountain lion-deer hoax photo, as well as personal stories from several local residents who claim they've seen mountain lions in the Poconos. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? Mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week, along with other smaller prey as the opportunity arises. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. Certainly it is a romantic notion, but I've always held out the hope that pumas still roamed the east. Colorado has a large number of mountain lions within its borders, mostly due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. The Cougar Network, working with state agencies, have documented multiple mountain lions as far east as Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan in recent years, as well as that cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. The life cycle then repeats itself. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? In many regions, the population within the state is actually increasing! 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? However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? Penn State's Nittany Lion hide sampled for DNA sequencing, Mountain lion reports in Pennsylvania popular, but often a hoax, More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. It will happen eventually. 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. The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. How, Who, and Why? 2023 www.poconorecord.com. And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. 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? If youve done any research on your own, you may have noticed that we didnt include a lot of states that have had cougar sightings, especially in the last few years. Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. Some have even reported seeing a "black panther," a near-impossibility because of the rarity of that recessive gene. Any Truth 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. "Hunters are always saying they see mountain lions, and the Game Commission always says there aren't any," said Robert Hale, owner of Buffalo Gap Outfitters in Dillsburg. Where they always here as a relic population? 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. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. There's a saying that "things aren't always what they appear to be." The State cites that there are no road-kills, and in a heavily trafficed state like Pennsylvania there should be kills. Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? Nevertheless, I put up a MOULTRIE game camera -- a brand that I've had tremendous satisfaction with -- at the carcass, hoping that scavengers would visit. Some experts predict that this wide-ranging predator, which can travel 600 miles in search of a territory, will surely reach our eastern states sometime in the next few decades. See also: But many others believe wild mountain lions are traveling from Western states, where as many as 30,000 could exist, and across the Midwest to Pennsylvania seeking new territory. And this genetic mix has been recognized, and the Florida puma is still protected. If it were, it would be listed. Kross only saw the animal for a second, but it made a believer out of him. "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. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. Of interestRamapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization. On that, I've had emails sent with game trail photo attachments, or killed pumas, supposedly shot in Pennsylvania, but these were hoaxes. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are no wild, breeding cougar populations in this state anymore. The record size for this species is 8 feet, and it probably weighed 15 to 20 pounds, which shows how exaggerated this claim is. 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.". Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". 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. Best hike for seeing waterfalls. I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? Scientists debate whether the large prehistoric mammals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age due to over-hunting, or rapid climate warming. Hunting is legal in the state, but it is heavily controlled and restricted. They regularly join the camp of those angrily claiming the commission has introduced the big cats back into Pennsylvania as a control measure against the state's huge deer population. Albinos are often very light sensitive, and they certainly are conspicuous, and most do not live very long. Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. Newspapers carried stories in 1956 about hunters supposedly seeing and killing wolves in Pike and Monroe Counties. 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! The Cascade Mountains are an important habitat for mountain lions in the region, and a stable population lives within the state. Most, quite honestly, don't know or can't believe or accept what they saw, they really can't believe their eyes. Interestingly, the US Fish and Wildllife Service has declared the Eastern Puma extinct, except for the Florida population known as the Florida panther. Pocono Record sports writer Mike Kuhns wrote a great piece on Oct. 14, "Does the mountain lion roam PA?" On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. The last known mountain lion in Pennsylvania was killed in Berks County in 1874. 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. 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. They often would catch sheep in broad daylight. The 'look' is from my Each year, over tha past five, I've spoken with at least one person who swears they personally saw a puma in this state. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. 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). Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! It had been captured in Florida, and was to be released. I love the big cats and devote a huge amount of my field time photographing African lions, leopards, cheetahs, and in 2011, tigers. Not only do hunting licenses support the various state game commissions, and in some states the acquisition and maintenance of public hunting lands, but hunters are a huge boon to local economies each fall, with purchases of food, lodging, hunting equipment, etc. The bounty for adult wolves and cougars was raised on March 16, 1819 to $12. Do elk live in Pennsylvania? These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. If you see or photograph a puma in the mid-Atlantic states, please email or call me. do I get an immediate, 'Oh yeah!' Some cats had a South American genetic profile. Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled, Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. Everyone is familiar with albinism, the absence of pigmentation that results in a white, essentially pigment free animal, defined by pink skin and pink eyes. PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. Where reports dating that far back from escapees? Cougar vs Mountain Lion What Are the Differences? Woolly mammoth bones were discovered in Bradford County in 1983. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. This, after they were told that there were no pumas in Pa. A tiny population of Florida cougars persists in the southeastern corner of the United States. 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. As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! I've seen about 20 mountain lions, or pumas, in the field, but all but 2 were in Chile. These cubs are born blind and helpless. Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is always open to review evidence, but to date only hoaxes have crossed the PGC. Confirmed cougar sightings have increased in the Midwest and Great Lakes states in recent years.". He saw his cat at very close range -- 20 yards or less, and when I pointed out to him that pumas are never black he said that perhaps it was the light. original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might Two other reports went, in detail, on what they saw, the size, the length of tail, etc. Is there a Mountain Lion Conspiracy? I receive about one email or phone call a month, on average, from people that I do not know who are contacting me because their sighting compelled them to do a Google search on puma sightings, and they found my site and previously posted questions. I haven't seen any reports like that.". They are there to help us. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. "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. The other site, The Cougar Network, is still active, and is reporting the cats expanding range from the West, but offers little about the phenomenon of Pennsylvania cats. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Penn State's Nittany Lion hide sampled for DNA sequencing, Mountain lion reports in Pennsylvania popular, but often a hoax, More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. 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. In Tennessee, the most likely places you would find them would be in the forest. I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? No projectile points or spearheads were found with the remains, indicating the animal may have died naturally rather than killed by native hunters. There also were camels, sloth and hyena, which migrated elsewhere. There are also big swaths of thick of forests in parts of the state. Possibly, but it seems unlikely that enough would have been released or had escaped to make for a viable population. The state of Texas is home to many mountain lion populations, but the numbers are incredibly hard to find. In Yellowstone, definite puma country (perhaps not ideal habitat, but pumas are found in every section of Yellowstone), I've spoken to guys on road crews and with rangers, each with 20 years of field or road experience in Yellowstone, and the ranger had only seen 2 (both road kills and together) and the road crew guys two or three in all their years. Although in captivity, they can live much longer. A mastodon's skull was first located in Marshalls Creek, Monroe County, on July 5, 1968. Erosion from glacial melt and violence glaciers did to the land left a. I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one game camera image that still looks very credible to me. "I know they're native to this area. I've seen hoaxes, of pumas carrying deer shot with game cameras, but these were of western cats. One of the important things for any animal is a place to call home. Puma vs Mountain Lion: Is There a Difference? I can't dismiss the eye-witnesses I've interviewed. Features Writer Micaela Hood is signing off with the Pocono Record after five years of covering arts, culture, entertainment and sports in northeastern . In Michigan, there has been multiple sightings of 'black panthers,' animals that were thought to be mountain lions, or pumas, except that they were black. What the Lenape Indians never did, the European colonists and their descendants did swiftly eradicate the wolf and cougars viewed as a menace to their families and livestock. The Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos. I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. 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. However, many of my reports were at distances that people knew, and as you look at the images of the puma there really is a big difference in color and shape between a puma and a house cat. Among other uses, the tax was levied "for destroying wolves, foxes, heads and crows." Phineas Teeple of Manchester Township is thought to have killed the last wolf in Wayne County. 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. Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? "From three really reliable sources who are always around the woods from Monroe County to Bradford, there is no doubt that there are mountain lions in Pennsylvania," East Stroudsburg University football team offensive coordinator and avid hunter Mike Terwilliger said. Caribou meat apparently was part of their diet. When I first discovered this fresh carcass I examined it for throat punctures, thinking that it may have been killed by a puma. chaz owens mother, kronos valvoline employee login,
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