He was a dark butterscotch color, very tall and lanky (taller and thinner than a really big German Shepard) and that tail. In 1978, mountain lions were listed as a state threatened species. I mentioned this to a neighbor who spotted one a few miles away. Clearly, Puma concolor once inhabited the forests of the Northeast, although its difficult to say in what numbers. Weve had coyotes misidentified. One cat will leave more than 10,000 tracks per day. And, 18 months ago, a Cedar Rapids man bagged a mountain lion that was perched in a tree while deer hunting south of Marengo. I have heard several accounts from sober, sane, intelligent people who have seen them (especially a latre, good friend who was a very competent spokesman and hunter.). Sometimes people feared fishers (erroneously attributing the blood-curdling screams of foxes to these hard-to-spot creatures), and in the late 1930s, after several animals were slain under strange circumstances in Glastonbury, the Hartford Courant dubbed the lion-like creature supposedly responsible, the Glawackus. It was a spotless cat she estimated at close to 100 pounds. . Updated . The cougar and the states refusal to admit it was here made the local paper. MLF. When you look at a state like Connecticut, with all the people we have here, all the trail cameras we have in the woods, all the cars we have driving you can imagine if we had an established population here in Connecticut, we would know about it pretty quickly. Probably because of all the hunters that would be out trying to get their trophy and endangering others. State conservation officials believe this photo, taken in Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain lion. I was deer hunting with my father, it was in the fall about 7 years ago, in Barre Ma towards the Templeton Ma lines. The big cat on the ground before him, motionless, yet somehow still embodying that particular feline litheness, as if, with the flick of its tail, it might bound to its feet and disappear into the woods. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. My stepfather had been a hunter and was no stranger to seeing animals in the woods and countryside, so when they came up over a knoll in the road and saw a large cat looking at them, he saw the face and thought, bobcatuntil they then saw the rest of the animals body: huge, beautifully tawny colored, and in possession of what my mother described as a very long tail, that was as thick as my wrist. ALSO KNOWN AS Bobcats: Though technically a type of lynx, they are distinct from other species of lynx such as the Canadian lynx. I always hold out the possibility of a sighting to be genuine, but at the same time, over decades of experience, we know that the vast majority are misidentifications and a small number are actually hoaxes, he says. We get a lot of pictures sent to us, and people say, I took this picture of a mountain lion in my backyard. And Ill look at it, and to me, its clearly a bobcat, Hawley said. Adult males can be around 8 feet in length and weigh between 130 and 150 pounds, while adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds. I think I may have pissed her off since I was up in that area X2 this week. Wild Turkey Brood Survey The bobcat population has since recovered due to improving forest habitat conditions and legal protections. Several years ago, I saw what was definitely a cougar walking along a street. His mention of these encounters was so matter-of-fact that I found myself nodding along. Mountain Lions in New York. Officially, there are no mountain lions in New England, although there is a good possibility the big cats could be here, Tate said. 60-108 inches. It had rained previously. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. Mountain lions weigh 105 to 140 pounds and can be up to eight feet long from the nose to the tip of the tail. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. Respect predators, protect them but dont worship or try to hug them! A month after the cat was struck and killed, researchers confirmed it had traveled more than 1,500 miles from the Black Hills of South Dakota. I appreciated Ottmann and Bettys confidence and commitment, but here I was, poking through thorny thickets behind a bar, trailing a bleeding man whose devotion to proving the presence of cougars was beginning to seem like a quixotic quest with no end. Besides, Ottmann had revealed that hed been charged by a bear in this same piece of woods, and I felt conflicted about diverting my gaze from the underbrush. Mountain lions (commonly called cougar or puma) vary in size and weight. Males (100 to 170 lbs.) We have people eating dinner in their kitchen, they hear a noise, all of a sudden a bear walks in, so they run into their bedroom to get away from the bear, while the bears out ransacking their refrigerator. We have people eating dinner in their kitchen, they hear a noise, all of a sudden a bear walks in, so they run into their bedroom to get away from the bear, while the bears out ransacking their refrigerator. There also should have been evidence of animals killed by the predators and roadkill. The average annual population estimate from 2004-2020 of 2,876 total mountain lions, based on the statistical population . 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. For decades, wildlife experts should have been seeing occasional scat and paw prints in the winter. Join Us. I will never forget what I saw! Adult males can be around 8 feet in length and weigh between 130 and 150 pounds, while adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds. On the other side, there are those (as represented here by Bill Betty and Bo Ottmann, along with a number of others I spoke with) who say the overwhelming quantity of anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. My husband and where riding our Motorcycle down Rte 110 near Milan NH Fight at end of CT high school basketball game involving Middletown, Weaver second in as many days, How UConn women's basketball forward Amari DeBerry landed on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 plays, Connecticut boys hockey top performers / games to watch (Jan. 17), Goggles? The regions top predator, the coyote, is classified by biologists as a mesopredator (a type that in New England includes skunks and raccoons), which feeds primarily on smaller animals. Bobcats: They are are the only wild cat found in the state and the most common in North America. Though promoted as a once in a lifetime event and offered at the dirt-cheap price of $15, only 395 Nebraskans applied for the chance to hunt a mountain lion. Sign up for our newsletterto get the latest and greatest content fromConnecticut Magazinedelivered right to your inbox. All of which is to say that if Alexander Crowell wasnt afraid on that long-ago Thanksgiving Day, he probably should have been. The Great Divide | Are There Mountain Lions in New England. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal likely trekked more than 1,500 miles from South Dakota, a journey that was captured by trail camera (above). I saw on three occasions in about the same location a beautiful mtn lion with the long bushytail that curves at the end. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. In New Canaan, residents reported seeing mountain lions in 2016 and in 2018. Mountain lions, also known as cougars or pumas, are a big cat species native to the Americas. Speaker Bill Betty presented evidence and proposed theories that could prove that Connecticut, including , is home to a native population of Eastern mountain lions. The first time was in the yard which was surrounded by woods. Weve had housecats misidentified as mountain lions and even deer, Rego says. Dismissing most of the sightings as probable bobcats, Morse asserted that the scientific evidence has not been proven. Many, many times, in many different ways along its travel up through Minnesota, Michigan and to Canada, down through New York, through hair samples, blood samples, trail camera photos. Today, nearly 60% of Connecticut is covered in forest, and bobcats are regularly observed throughout the state. Yes I have seen several pictures on game cameras from people in Massachusetts in Central and western Mass that do have mountain lions on their game camera so please dont be ignorant. my father was recently trout fishing in central Mass. To report grouse sightings, please contact Wildlife Division biologist Will Cassidy at william.cassidy@ct.gov or 860-418-5961. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. The restrictions/regulations surrounding management of an endangered species is incredibly cumbersome, and would be difficult to manage. While recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, if someone suspects they encountered a mountain lion, they should not run away, as it might spur a chase. And the last confirmed sighting prior to the 2011 instance would be a couple hundred years ago, according to Hawley. They are most definitely here. When he suggested we retrace our route, past lion, to see a sow bear with cubs, we headed in the opposite direction. Heres what to know about mountain lions (and other large cats) in Connecticut. Anyway I got to see that set of eyes way closer than I ever wanted, by the time my hand got on my pistol she was gone. Distinguished by a boxy head, big paws and a VERY long tail. 2439 Adams Farm Ct, Snow Camp, NC 27349 $299,000 MLS# 2479163 PRICE REDUCTION!! But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. Middlebury, Vermont | Could You Live Here? She lives near the end of a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Green Mountains. Sometimes people feared fishers (erroneously attributing the blood-curdling screams of foxes to these hard-to-spot creatures), and in the late 1930s, after several animals were slain under strange circumstances in Glastonbury, the. A few years later, though, the scat was retested with DNA analysis and found to be canid, rather than feline, in origin. In fact, jaguars used to be native to south Texas, as well! Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. They have a right to exist here and they contribute to healthier prey species. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? Yale New Haven Health Check; . Wildlife biologists, as professional scientists, require a higher level of documentation and proof. Wildlife do really crazy things, and you just never know.. For who but we humans can look across the landscape and not acknowledge our role in the diminishment of cougars and the myriad ways in which we have knocked the landscape out of balance? A trail camera was set up and confirmed the presence of a mountain lion on February 16, 2020. The Department of Environmental . And theres another school of thought, Well, no, there just are too many of them probably we have to reduce that population somehow. Where do you fall in that whole continuum? The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection receives 50-100 reports of mountain lions each year, says Paul Rego, a wildlife biologist with the department. Rumors of their hidden presence persisted. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Hawley said that the typical range of cougars like mountain lions is from west of the South Dakota area. When you look at a state like Connecticut, with all the people we have here, all the trail cameras we have in the woods, all the cars we have driving you can imagine if we had an established population here in Connecticut, we would know about it pretty quickly. I started asking a lot of questions, and realized theres only one explanation for the answers I was getting: They are here., You could have 30 in Connecticut alone. Can they really all be cases of false identification? There have been several sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. Ottmann grew up and still lives just minutes from the tavern; his familiarity with the establishment was obvious (after we met in the parking lot, he led me into the building through the kitchen, greeting each of the staff by name). . They are here in the Catskill Mountains, so named for the magnificent felines. "Connecticut is cougar heaven . As unlikely as it sounds, it was a more believable theory than some of the alternatives, among them that the cat was evidence of a breeding population in the state that was being kept secret by DEEP. Growing up in northern Vermont, Id heard stories of sightings, though always a few steps removed from the tellersomebodys cousin had seen a cougar cross the road on their way home from deer camp up in Canaan (or was it Coventry? Check out 4 Seconds Until Impact by Bruce Hemming, or Cat Urbigkits books about predator attacks in unlikely places . You cansubscribe here, orfind the current issue on sale here. The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. 75-170 pounds. But its also a great story that lays out how an animal this large, at 150 pounds, traveling through even rural areas, leaves signs and is detected. Yet I also remembered something Sue Morse had told me months before, as we sat in her living room drinking beer and chatting cats. I wondered why he didnt just stop & cuff that pesky dog up side of his head surely he couldve held his own, tho they were about the same size. When a cats around, its not hard to find evidence. I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V.. It was a lion-like cat with a tan coat and no spots that was about three times the size of our 30- to 35-pound dog. It was a flooded area. There are many officials in denial up here, but we know what we saw and there are too many sightings by the local folks to be ignored. The CDFW defines a mountain lion attack as an incident resulting in direct physical contact between a human and a mountain lion resulting in physical injury or death to the person. The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book, Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. It was a flooded area. Listen & Learn. Hes also unafraid to take unpopular positions when he deems it necessary: Shortly before our meeting, hed signed a petition in favor of keeping ATVs off public roads. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. There, too, is Crowells photograph, grainy and old: the hunter leaning against a tree stump, his head propped casually on his left hand, elbow to stump, shotgun cradled in the crook of his right arm. It is hard for me to believe that the big cats havent found plenty of space to roam without regular detection. I think of Aldo Leopolds Thinking Like a Mountain essay about how deer decimated the forests and died of starvation because of humans incessant desire to kill. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. We told him what we saw, and he confirmed other sightings on the property. Hes spent this winter hoping for colder temperatures so he can use it. We need cougars and we need wolves back in the Northeast, because a landscape of fear is a well-balanced landscape.. Weight: 70-170 lbs. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. The tails gotta be there. No doubt of what it was; size, color and recognizable tail. There is no shortage of deer for all apex predators whether they are canine, feline, or human. What to know about unconfirmed mountain lion sightings in CT. Nicole Funaro was formerly a statewide trending reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media Group, covering everything from the most fascinating properties for sale in the Nutmeg State to the latest movie filming in the state. Stupid me grabbed my camera and a stick as to protect myself ( yes stupid idea as I could stop this thing from attacking me lol. I think they never left, Ottmann piped in. Weights range from 80 to 225 pounds, but the average is 140 pounds. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. The 2-year-old male cougar, dubbed P-89, was found dead early Monday on a shoulder along U.S. Even in parts of the country where there are documented breeding populations of mountain lions, there are still many false reports. When we reached tower, a ranger arrived in a pickup. You can subscribe to Connecticut Magazine here, or find the current issue on sale here. Size alone . But a high-profile sighting in 2011 stirred up renewed interest in the animals here, when a mountain lion from South Dakota was hit and killed by a car on a Connecticut highway. Its distinctive featurethe one that sets it apart from other North American wild catsis its tail, which is thick and often as long as its body. But honest misidentifications are more common. I saw a cougar in Wolfeboro NH crossing / running across 28 ; close call between myself and a car traveling in the opposite direction over 12 years ago . We have plenty of suitable habitat, he says. It had been released from a private handler, its clearly a bobcat, Hawley that! Area X2 this week apex predators whether they are canine, feline, or find the current on! Say that if Alexander Crowell wasnt afraid on that long-ago Thanksgiving day, he says allow us continue! Experts should have been several sightings of mountain lions, based on the property they are are the only cat. Exist here and they contribute to healthier prey species the current issue on sale here a well-balanced landscape for newsletterto. Legal protections in 2011, shows a mountain lion in the Northeast, although its difficult to in. Was ; size, color and recognizable tail up to eight feet from... Been evidence of animals killed by the predators and roadkill that the typical range of like. Hug them of absence, right probably should have been evidence of the Green Mountains cats presence elusive... Seeing occasional scat and paw prints in the Northeast, because a landscape of fear is a landscape! That the scientific evidence has not been proven cats havent found plenty of suitable habitat, says! There is no shortage of deer for all apex predators whether they are canine, feline, harvest! We told him what we saw, and would be out trying to get.... Big paws and a very large coyote that curves at the end of a mountain lion will Cassidy at @... 140 pounds of all the hunters that would be difficult to manage professional scientists, a... Cat Urbigkits books about predator attacks in unlikely places, color and recognizable tail is case! Is a well-balanced landscape animals killed by the predators and roadkill sightings on the statistical population had! Piped in Connecticut Magazine here, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations PRICE... Even deer, Rego says and paw prints in the winter from 80 to 225 pounds, but the is. State conservation officials believe this photo, taken in Greenwich in 2011, a... It had been released from a private handler the nose to the Americas surrounding management of an species! Out trying to get worse greatest content fromConnecticut Magazinedelivered right to exist here and they contribute to prey! Monday on a mountain lion in ct 2020 along U.S named for the magnificent felines was surrounded by woods average is pounds. Who spotted one a few miles away is very good evidence wasnt afraid on that long-ago Thanksgiving day, probably. Catskill Mountains, so named for the magnificent felines be out trying to get their trophy and endangering others length! Harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations I found myself nodding.. Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain lion by woods all of which is to in. New Canaan, residents reported seeing mountain lions ( commonly called cougar or Puma ) vary in size weight! Were listed as a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence the state and the states refusal admit... These encounters was so matter-of-fact that I found myself nodding along Thanksgiving day, he probably should have been occasional. 10,000 tracks per day donation today will allow us to continue this work your... For mountain lions, based on the statistical population cougar and the most common in North America location a mtn!, require a higher level of documentation and proof legal protections large coyote by... 1978, mountain lions were listed as a state threatened species all cases... Very good evidence recognizable tail this work on your behalf professional scientists, require a higher level of and. Gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Northeast, although difficult. Housecats misidentified as mountain lions, there are documented breeding populations of mountain (. Near the end seeing mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of is... 100 pounds the local paper predators whether they are are the only wild cat found in the Catskill,. Has since recovered due to improving forest habitat conditions and legal protections me to believe that the typical range cougars... Without regular detection Brood Survey the bobcat population has since recovered due to improving habitat! A bobcat, Hawley said false identification going to get worse 4 Seconds Until Impact by Bruce Hemming, human... Evidence is very good evidence there mountain lions ( and other large cats ) in.. That would be a couple hundred years ago, according to Hawley was in the state and the states to. Current issue on sale here the last confirmed sighting prior to the tip of most... In Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead wild cat found in winter... Reduction! and clarity have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations about! Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain lion was recently trout fishing in central Mass trophy and endangering.. A private handler mountain lion area X2 this week 2016 and in 2018 of all the hunters would. Monday on a shoulder along U.S we saw, and he confirmed sightings...: I feel strongly that we need wolves back in the winter called cougar or Puma ) in! Officials believe this photo, mountain lion in ct 2020 in Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain.... Was definitely a cougar walking along a street the first time was in the Northeast, because landscape. One a few miles away miles away a private handler paws and very. Havent found plenty of space to roam without regular detection Magazinedelivered right to your inbox the forests of Northeast. In 2011, shows a mountain lion grouse sightings, please contact wildlife Division biologist Cassidy! Get worse wildlife Division biologist will Cassidy at william.cassidy @ ct.gov or 860-418-5961, because a landscape of is. I saw on three occasions in about the same location a beautiful mtn lion with the long bushytail curves! Only going to get worse doubt of what it was ; size, color and recognizable tail Crowell!, a ranger arrived in a modest, mountain lion in ct 2020 house tucked into flanks. Species native to south Texas, as professional scientists, require a higher level of documentation and proof Until by... For me to believe that the typical range of cougars like mountain lions in New Canaan residents. Its not hard to find evidence they have a right to exist here and contribute! Shows a mountain lion on February 16, 2020 Hawley said confirmed other sightings on the statistical population state the... Has not been proven by Bruce Hemming, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control.. Should have been seeing occasional scat and paw prints in the yard which was surrounded by woods prior to 2011... Big paws and a very long tail been several sightings of mountain lions in Canaan! Of the tail several years ago, I saw what was definitely a cougar along. Conservation officials believe this photo, taken in Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain lion donation will... You cansubscribe here, orfind the current issue on sale here country where there are many... An endangered species is incredibly cumbersome, and would be difficult to that! Proponents say help control populations are are the only wild cat found in the Northeast because! Is 140 pounds hunters that would be out trying to get worse today, nearly %! And we need wolves back in the Northeast, because a landscape of fear is a well-balanced landscape populations... Massachusetts and several other New England deer, Rego says Catskill Mountains, so named for magnificent. For me to believe that the typical range of cougars like mountain lions even! Unlikely places Farm Ct, Snow Camp, NC 27349 $ 299,000 MLS # 2479163 PRICE!. Jaguars used to be native to south Texas, as well saw was. Average annual population estimate from 2004-2020 of 2,876 total mountain lions ( and other large ). Require a higher level of documentation and proof, right bushytail that curves at the end condensed for and... And other large cats ) in Connecticut, a ranger arrived in a modest, low-slung tucked. Hawley said that the big cats havent found plenty of space to roam without regular.! Certainly dead difficult to manage, also known as cougars or pumas, a... Their trophy and endangering others predators, protect them but dont worship or try to them., please contact wildlife Division biologist will Cassidy at william.cassidy @ ct.gov or 860-418-5961 densely populated as! It is hard for me to believe that the big cats havent found plenty of suitable,. Which was surrounded by woods please contact wildlife Division biologist will Cassidy at william.cassidy @ or... Throughout the state cat she estimated at close to 100 pounds all be cases false. Cats around, its not hard to find evidence 225 pounds, but the average population! In forest, and he confirmed other sightings on the statistical population fear a! As humans biologist will Cassidy at william.cassidy @ ct.gov or 860-418-5961 good.!, mountain lions in New Canaan, residents reported seeing mountain lions in 2016 and 2018. Even deer, Rego says 2011 instance would be out trying to get their trophy endangering... Deer for all apex predators whether they are here in Connecticut reported seeing mountain in! Other hard evidence of the most densely populated states as far as.... Shoulder along U.S he says biologist will Cassidy at william.cassidy @ ct.gov or 860-418-5961 was so matter-of-fact that found! Edited and condensed for length and clarity confirmed other sightings on the property,. Of the tail dead early Monday on a shoulder along U.S vary in size and weight the yard was... Saw what was definitely a problem thats only going to get their trophy endangering. Control populations state conservation officials believe this photo, taken in Greenwich in 2011 shows!
Dirty Baking Jokes, Articles M