Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. Mountain lions are commonly identified by trail camera photographs, tracks, and feces. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. Black widows are native to the state. Fear of the human super predator reduces feeding time in large carnivores. "Also, pretty sure there is color variation in a bobcats fur color, so what Im thinking is a good-sized, tawny colored bobcat.". A reproducing population of endangered cougars lives in the Everglades, known as the "Florida panthers," and the big cats are so numerous in a number of western states that hunting seasons are allowed. Human-Wildlife Interactions 5(1) 135-158. It has been well known that cariabou have migrated from Canada, so why not the mountain lion? Mountain lions once lived in much of the eastern United States. On Friday July 8, 2022 there was a few reported Mountain Lion sightings the last few days one actually involving an encounter with one's family in their lawn. The only cats still hunting in Pennsylvania are bobcats, according to the state game commission. Images from a homeowner's surveillance camera show a tan cat with a long body, beyond a chain-link fence. Between 1995 and 2021, there have been 34 mountain lion sightings in Iowa," he says. It's only found in thewestern part of the state. If you encounter a bear that hasn't had time to leave, the game commission advises you to make a noise to alert the bear of your presence. Courtesy photo. While it would seem impossible to confuse the two after seeing them in person, Foster said many of the sightings are in the dark, from roadways and trail cams, with bodies half-concealed. In the wild, adult mountain lions can weigh anywhere from 65 to 220 pounds. Because this cat is rarely seen, it is commonly confused with cougars, but there are some key differences between bobcats and cougars (Figure 2). Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents have periodically reported big cat sightings to local police, prompting minor scares that can last a few days. Lion sightings they got. MDC established a Mountain Lion Response Team in 1996 to investigate reports and evidence of mountain lions. It will happen eventually. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. Furthermore, a juvenile female has not been recorded in the Midwest, much less in Pennsylvania, without a change in this trend no breeding populations can be established. Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. Since the policy's inception March 1, 19 mountain lion sightings have been reported. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". What you wouldn't expect to find here anymore is a mountain lion. "Thus a rural legend is perpetuated. This definitely wasnt a bobcat. Cougars are a tawny brown to orange and much larger than bobcats; cougars weigh up to a muscular 220lbs; bobcats are grey to brown with black spots and only weigh on average 25lbs. It was not a fleeting glance, I had to stop my car to let it slowly cross the road in front of me. There's also a $10k bounty for evidence of anyone illegally re-introducing them to PA. 2017. "It's probably a bobcat, but looks like a mountain lion," Nick Dodge told the station. What does the perfect setup look like for spring steelhead? "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. All rights reserved (About Us). Cougars were seen as threats to humans, livestock, and game species, resulting in unlimited harvest and bounties in some states. U.S. FOREST SERVICE PHOTO and Wilmers, C.C. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. Big cats still roam parts of Pennsylvania. I told her I knew what a Maine Coon cat looked like and this was BIG, had short hair and LONG tail. The bobcat wouldn't survive. Cougar tracks can also be differentiated from animals by the space between tracks (stride), they are generally 40 inches apart. Hildreth says the animals are capable of moving long distances across the state. This was yesterday around 5pm 11/6/19. How to find mountain lion sightings near me Open Google Maps on your computer or APP, just type an address or name of a place . The mountain lion sightings locations can help with all your needs. Dashboard for displaying mountain lion reports to the public. Page 3 Pa Mountain Lion. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. Im an avid mature person with a biology degree. Over 1,100 people follow her page. I am not a confirmed believer that they do travel Penns woods, however I would NOT rule it out either. Still, people say they know what they saw out there. 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." All rights reserved. The young adult male was killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011. There are more squirrels in Pa than Mountain Lions, but not by a lot. 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. The abundance of wildlife that thrives in Pennsylvania makes sightings of interesting animals fairly commonplacebears, foxes, coywolves and elk are all within the realm of expectations. This article addresses the history of cougars in Pennsylvania, their extirpation, and that they are now extinct. While there have been many reports of wild cougars returning to Pennsylvania, none of these have been proven to be wild cougars. Are dangerous creatures lurking outside your tent flap or in the woods beyond your backyard if you live in Pennsylvania? Previous Post Dani Moz featured in blockbuster movie trailer With industrial expansion into the heart of Pennsylvania in the 1700s, mountain lion sightings and attacks became more common as habitat destruction pit settlers against native predators. Big Cat, long tail, Mountain Lion past directly in front of my car. Must of been chasing it for quite some time. In one case out of Reading, a sighting of an apparent cheetah turned out to be an African serval that was likely bred and domesticated illegally. No one needs to panic.". 1. In the wild, adult mountain lions can weigh anywhere from 65 to 220 pounds. 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. Pennsylvania would be incredibly difficult for cougars to reach. The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in Georgia happened in 2008 when a hunter was out looking for deer. Their conclusion: Sir, you dont have a mountain lion. A week later the farmer shot the mountain lion. None of these sightings has been authenticated, and many of them, including a recent, alleged mountain lion picked up on a surveillance camera in Lackawanna County, turned out to be bobcats. In 1991 mountain lion tracks were found . 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 Commonwealth and across the East Coast later that century. I was driving to work just before sun rise, Late September 2019. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. "So the mystery goes on," says Gary San Julian, professor of wildlife resources in the College of Agricultural Sciences. "Absolutely bobcat," Taylor said. What you. Juvenile males are the individuals that are seen outside of traditional" cougar range in places like Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Claws are a great way to tell bear tracks apart from cougar tracks: cougar claws can retract their claws and their claws tend to only be extended when on slippery surfaces, on the other paw, bears cannot control their claws and they can be found on every track. Mountain Lion Sighting 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 later on the main part of the campus near Santa Barbara Street and Camarillo Street. "Over the years, I've received a number of cougar reports, some pretty factual, such as a partly devoured calf left up in a tree, but nobody has ever provided clear proof. FAIRFIELD, Pa. An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. 4 . Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Dashboard for displaying mountain lion reports to the public. For more information see Terms and Conditions. i have seen a mountain lion in Hawks Mountain where persons watch hawk migration about 7 to 10 years ago. He saw a cougar and ended up shooting and killing the animal. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. The buzzards returned in late February, and Steve Pollick says you can mark your calendar by these scavengers exploits. An estimated 20,000 of them were roaming across the Commonwealth in 2015. One was spotted late Tuesday in Hamilton near a bus stop. Ablack widow bite is rarely fatal except in the young or elderly, according to the Penn State Cooperative Extension. Although mountain lions were part of Nebraska's native fauna, they were extirpated by the end of the 19th century. Breeding cougars are almost entirely west of the Mississippi in states like South Dakota, Texas, and California (Figure 1). You read it here first: Mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania: Just prior to the start of Pennsylvania's two-week firearms deer season, the volunteers at the Eastern Puma Research Network put out a call to hunters. A 2011 study examined cougar attacks across the US and Canada and found that since 1890, there have been only 29 confirmed fatalities.) The U.S. The only population that survived was the Florida panther (Puma concolor couguar), and it only survived with great help from conservationists. In the winter, cougar tracks maybe up to six inches long. The Game Commission is hiding this information from the public either that or they dont know what a mountain lion looks like. After the male mountain lion was removed from Red Hill Trail on May 11, additional sightings in that area were reported: one on May 16, and two over the weekend of May 19 and 20. The eastern massasauga is endangered in Pennsylvania. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. That's the third-highest rate of any state in the U.S. Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. The report in Greene County is the only one confirmed to be a mountain lion. Days to months after the tick bite, victims can suffer severe headaches, heart palpitations, shooting pains, numbness, dizziness and trouble with short-term memory. This content is restricted to subscribers of OutdoorNews.com. Friends in the area reported having a large long tailed mountain lion run across a road just in front of their truck. Click here to login. Mountain lions, also commonly known as cougars, are officially extinct in both Pennsylvania and the United States east of the Mississippi. Was about 30 feet down the road when it crossed in front of me. Mike Jacobsen was checking his fences near Denton after last month's windstorm when his kids pulled . It's cable reimagined No DVR space. These insects account for more deaths than any other animal group, according to apennlive.com report. But more and more people in Pennsylvania, from the Alleghenies to the Poconos to rolling farmlands in York County, claim they are seeing the big cats here, even though the state's "last" native lion, also known as a cougar or puma, was shot and killed in Berks County in 1871 and the feds have declared the Eastern subspecies extinct. The bite usually results in a blister-like sore that can take six to eight weeks to heal. There have been no "confirmed" reports of mountain lions, AKA Puma concolor, in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s. No An official form of the United States government. Jones has never seen a mountain lion, but he thinks they're prowling around. Hikers saw a mountain lion walking along a hiking trail as it was hunting a deer in Big Bend National Park, Texas. One on Salem Rd and another in the . The very sad news: there was a PGC ear tag on it. at least 1 mountain lion hanging out near a relatively fresh, mostly eaten deer . Tan shading indicates regions where dispersing juveniles have been sighted, but there are no established populations in these areas. This photo of a cougar was taken in Michigans Upper Peninsula (photos obtained by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources). You can also identify the venomous snakes of Pennsylvania by their vertical pupils, similar to the pupils in cats' eyes. Some attacks of humans have been reported in the United States, according to the U.S. Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Coyotes are also confused for cougars (Figure 2). The last promising scat turned out to be from a large coyote that had eaten a lot of meat. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". A recent rumor of a cougar killed by a vehicle on Interstate 80 attracted some attention at Penn State. " No humans were injured, but the mountain lion was apparently injured and stunned. (The fear of cougars is unfounded. If a cougar were to make it to Pennsylvania, it is illegal to harm. Across . A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. All three are pit vipers, which means you can identify them by "facial pits." It had recently killed a buck and was dragging it across the road. PA game commission are nothing but liers they lie to the people all the time we need to do away with them turn it over to the government I do not trust our government but the game commission lies more, what appears to be very large lion tracks the PGC says photos were of a large dog I disagree I have a deer feeder and I think that is why they are all around my house, it seems every time my cousin mason and his buddies go camping they encounter oro see a mountian lion he says he swares the the cougar stalks them when they start walking through the woodsthey live in the northern part of pa in an little mountian town of treemont in schuylkill county we know there is mountian lions up there. 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. She says she was on Route 347 just after 230am when she saw . Until recently, whenever the sighting of a mountain lion was reported in PA, the intial response from the PGC was to say the sighting was a misidentification. 4.7K views 3 years ago Scott describes his mountain lion / cougar sighting in western Pennsylvania (Indiana County) in October, 2019 in this interview. UPDATE: An alert reader took this photo late September, 2008, from his trail camera near Plummer, PA. UPDATE: An alert reader sent this photo of a mountain lion taken about three weeks ago (September 2009) near Farmington, Pa, in Fayette County. "They are very strong animals," she said. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. . "But we believe that the likely source is an illegally released animal.". In January, the U.S. 82 Confirmed Reports Since 1994 I called the game commission and they told me there have been no mountain lions reported in PA. We heard the fox screaming multiple times before we saw it. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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). The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. If you see a bobcat or mountain lion, you can report the sighting to the DEC by calling (518) 357-2158. "I hear rumors all the time about mountain lion sightings," said Brian Anderson, deputy game protector for Northumberland County. 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. Female cougar territories (25-150 square miles) tend to be smaller and can overlap with other females territories. Make sure you remove or cover up any bear food source, including garbage or bird feeders at your home. I have seen a lion twice in Sussex County. "A cougar or puma is like a UFO with four feet." Ok, so they may have been extinct for some time, but if people are sighting them, has anyone considered migration? Much of the prime habitat in the West is already occupied by larger more dominate males, so juvenile males make long journeys to disperse to setup a new territory or find an area where they can push out the dominate male. They will not find a female in these areas, so they eventually make their way back to the western range or die in the attempt. 3 Last 10 Years. Fish and Wildlife Service thinks cougars wereprobably wiped out in the 1930s in the eastern United States. I saw a Mountain Lion chasing a fox in Perryopolis Pa. If cougars are out there, why hasn't one ever been killed on a highway or shot? The nearest breed population of cougars is in Nebraskas Niobrara River Valleynearly 1,000 miles from Pennsylvanias eastern border (Figure 1). Iowa DNR prepares for egg-collection netting season, Randy Claramunt vows to turn challenges into opportunities as Michigans new fisheries chief, WI Daily Update: The scoop on ice shanties, MN Daily Update: Permanent ice house dates, All-time great pro bass angler Kevin VanDam to retire following 23 season. Lion sightings they got. Union and Huntingdon , Pa. .. One doesn't think about big cats being in this eastern part of the . UPDATE: Well, you cant believe everything you read on the internetturns out this was not in PA: There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. The DNR maintains mountain lion sightings using a system to receive, record and review mountain lion reports. A report in 1981 found that it would be impossible to restore cougars to Adirondack Park in New York because there were too many humans. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. What is the fascination in Pennsylvania that they always want to kill a mountain line if they find one theyre indigenous they belong there just leave the damn things alone. Contact a location near you for products or services. More than half of California is mountain lion habitat and mountain lions generally exist wherever deer are found. Cougars were extirpated from Pennsylvania before the 1900s and exterminated from the entire East Coast by the 1930s (aside from the Florida panther). There have been two mountain lion sightings this week in western Montana. Cougars distaste for humans runs so deep that a study found that simply playing talk radio was enough to get these cougars to permanently abandon what they were eating. House cats and raccoons can also be confused for cougars. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, feline predators such as the eastern cougar, which is also known as the mountain lion, are "extirpated," meaning they're all but wiped out in the northeastern United States. The state has an estimated1.5 milliondeer, about 30 per square mile. That's significant because, in states where mountain lions live, they're often struck by vehicles or otherwise found dead. Based on its extensive research, the Service concluded this subspecies of big cats had disappeared from the east by the 1930s. Since May 21, three other lion sightings were reported in the Chubbuck and Pocatello areas and one in Inkom. 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