Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. A Mountain Lion Cover Up 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. Obviously, other pumas must be about, and the series of ridges extending north and east and west from my location could all be included as critical habitat as well. One man, in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, had seen one, at night, about 25 years ago. With that in mind, lets break down how we classified the states. Currently, there are only 15 states that meet that qualification. 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. Erosion from glacial melt and violence glaciers did to the land left a. 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. What would account for the long tails? The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos / p o k n o z /, are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania.They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the north, Wyoming Valley and the Coal Region to the west, and the Lehigh Valley to the south. Can so many people be wrong? Newspapers carried stories in 1956 about hunters supposedly seeing and killing wolves in Pike and Monroe Counties. 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. September 21st, 2008, 08:14 PM #74. 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. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. 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. These creatures lurking in Pa.'s woods can hurt or kill you I don't believe someone's imagination could stretch a six inch long tail to three feet! Mt Lions in WV, NY, and PA - Hoot Hollow If so, what would happen to the hunting industry in all of these states? The state of Texas is home to many mountain lion populations, but the numbers are incredibly hard to find. She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. Is it the New Best Pack? There is a big community of mountain lion enthusiasts across the Northeast convinced that the animals still exist in breeding populations. I've looked in the PGC game laws booklet and saw nothing on this, which I guess you could conclude means a puma would not be legal to shoot. The 'look' is from my I asked our Game officials about evidence, and they cite no road kills. I love the big cats and devote a huge amount of my field time photographing African lions, leopards, cheetahs, and in 2011, tigers. Only when I reviewed the images on my laptop did I discover that I had a mountain lion! But this one was black, and he knows mountain lions are some variant of brown. Hunting is legal in the state, but it is heavily controlled and restricted. Pocono beasts: Mastodons, wolves, cougars once abundant in region Thank you for reading! All rights reserved. Biologists who investigate these reports claim that several may, indeed, be mountain lions, but most likely they're animals that have escaped from captivity or have been released by their. Have all of those who have seen a puma really seen a bobcat? Imagination? Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). "The day will come," he said, "when someone will pull the trigger on a mountain lion.". Mountain lions roamed all of the continent prior to the arrival and westward spread of European settlers, but only the eastern and Florida subspecies were found east of the Mississippi. I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". The last known mountain lion in Pennsylvania was killed in Berks County in 1874. 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. A brief look, yes, but no question we saw a coyote. I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? 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. More common critters co-existed with early Native Americans in the Poconos, including two species long since removed: the wolf and mountain lion (also known colloquially as panthers and cougars). 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. If we don't see it, it doesn't exist. A neighbor scared the animal away before it could finish its meal; the sheeps carcass was used as bait, to catch the big cat. Local outlets carried reports of cougar encounters at least into the 1910s. "While it seems unlikely, it's not impossible that these animals are showing up in PA," said David Foster, a biology professor at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg. Did they migrate south from Canada? What equipment do we take in the field? Their are two web sites I know of that dealt with eastern pumas, with the one, the Eastern Puma Research Network, concentrating on sightings in the east. Mary saw the photo, too, and she immediately agreed, it was a puma. This one streaked across the road in the early evening, and fortunately, it stopped when it climbed a hill on the other side where I had another view from my side of the truck. "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. 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." "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. My friend was a former hunter and fisherman, and spent a lot of time in the woods, as did I, but neither of us had ever seen a coyote. 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. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. By the time he returned the vehicle was gone, and so was the cat, and no mention was ever made of this road kill in a radio or newspaper report. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. Are Mountain Lions in Missouri Making a Comeback? For many who have believed to have seen a cougar in the wilds of the Poconos, these arguments might be less than convincing. 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. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. The image in the Upper Left was from a Game Camera, sent to me by a friend. 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. He also noted that if the cat was here, wouldn't they be reproducing and increasing in population by now? No An official form of the United States government. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? Two different people told me that they, or a close relative, had seen pumas on more than one occasion. (570) 325-3229. The mountain lion population in Nevada is essential to the control of deer and rodent populations in the mountainous regions of the state. What does a Puma (Mountain Lion) look like on a Game Camera? In the forests of Kenya, however, they do occur. Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. I'll be anxious to learn of your report. 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. Melanism is the reverse, where there is an abundance of dark or black pigmentation. "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. The other two clans were the Turtle and Turkey. "Likewise, I'm not aware of any escapes from captive facilities in my time here. You be the judge. Then there is Rocky. Reports of a mountain lion have come from several residents of Hemlock Farms who were hiking on. With healthy populations and strong conservation programs, however, they seem to be pushing back east. PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. The first settlers kept sheep to supply their household with wool. After all, skeptics often suggest that puma sightings are just deer sightings, so it would be logical to worry that a hunter might shoot an endangered puma, mistaking it for a brown deer. Many people have claimed to see them, and this writer chronicled numerous such reports in the local press from the mid-1990s to the 2010s. So what? (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. All rights reserved. Both sheep and young cattle fell prey to wolves, unless they were under constant watch. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. Kross only saw the animal for a second, but it made a believer out of him. ARE THERE MOUNTAIN LIONS IN PA? - Page 8 - Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. About six months ago I posted the question, Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? I've read a lot about this, and the usual explanation is the very human desire to see something, to see what someone wants to see, and thus these people are seeing bobcats or brown cats or dogs or foxes and, because they 'want' to see a puma, they do. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, with about 50,000 to 80,000 acres of suitable land currently being used by the cat. In his 1973 book "Faces in Clay" Leslie lays open the archaeological treasures of stone arrow or spear points and tools lost long ago by a succession of native peoples. They ponder rare fossil evidence unearthed and seek to make sense of stratified geology, both fleeting in the face of what we call progress. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Because the neck bothered me, I decided to do some Photoshop on the puma in the lower left, moving his head higher up and changing the image to a contrasty black and white - to give a silhouette for comparision. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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 large, undeveloped interior filled with rocky habitats perfect for mountain lions allows them to safely live and breed. It was decided that this shouldn't influence the decision and, in fact, an infusion of new genes produces a hybrid vigor, lessening the chance of in-breeding. There are at least 20,000 black bears in Pa., and a small percentage are killed each year, but we're probably not talking about 20,000 pumas in the state. The Cascade Mountains are an important habitat for mountain lions in the region, and a stable population lives within the state. A tiny population of Florida cougars persists in the southeastern corner of the United States. Any Truth However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? The Poconos is a mountain area in northeastern Pennsylvania.It is 2,400 square miles of wooded mountains and valleys full of beautiful lakes, rivers, forests and wildlife. 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. Find cabins in the Poconos, PA near places like Bushkill Falls, Camelback Mountain Resort, and more. Mountain lions have a lifespan of about 8 to 13 years old in the wild. They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, where they can freely roam 50,000 to 80,000 acres of land. Flying over the area, I've looked down and commented upon the amount of habitat that would be available for a puma, if only they existed. An animal's coat can stray far from the norm. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Pocono Record's Micaela Hood moves on to Lehigh Valley Public Media A mastodon's skull was first located in Marshalls Creek, Monroe County, on July 5, 1968. 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 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 Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) also reports evidence that humans arrived during the last glaciation or soon after. 10 Stunning Mountains In Pennsylvania - AZ Animals Puma vs Mountain Lion: Is There a Difference? the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. Mountain lions live in rescue centers like Murray's, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission said a dozen or so people are permitted to possess them. Unfortunately, their web site no longer seems active, and has been taken over by some wacky drug product. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. Joseph Pugliese 2.2K views 7 years ago Beautiful Bobcat in our yard as our. One man sent me a game camera photo that was blurry but looked like a mountain lion, or puma, as I like to call them. The mountains and isolated forests of the state allow these large cats to live their lives without encountering humans very often. If you see or photograph a puma in the mid-Atlantic states, please email or call me. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. This animal was undoubtedly a bobcat. 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. As the latest hoaxed photo of a mountain lion supposedly killed in Pennsylvania died a slow death on Facebook yesterday, the head of an organization tracking the eastern movements of the big cats was preparing a presentation for a Pennsylvania audience tonight. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are no wild, breeding cougar populations in this state anymore. Outdoor adventures abound, and so do our fabulous shopping and restaurants. 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. ? The next day, another friend, who works for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, called me to ask if I had seen the photo of a Pocono mountain lion with a deer in its jaws. 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. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. In prior interviews with the Game Commission, the suggestion was made to this writer that what many people may actually be seeing is a bobcat, perhaps in less than ideal circumstances. 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. Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. I'll offer my own little anecdote. They often would catch sheep in broad daylight. I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. But even without that second look there was no question that we'd seen a coyote. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? A law was passed March 10, 1806, requiring the county to pay the person producing the scalp of a full-grown wolf or cougar, $8, and for the scalp of a young whelp or cub, $4. Images from a homeowner's surveillance camera show a tan cat with a long body, beyond a chain-link fence. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. Ashley Catherine Fontones, Pocono Record. So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. 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. A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. "If there was mountain lions in Pennsylvania), I think we'd be getting reports from farmers and people with pets that there were attacks on their animals," Martinelli said. Continuing with that thought, if that were so, then it'd be possible, if not very likely, that the Eastern puma would be an Endangered Species. Can so many people be so wrong? "With all of that said, though, there's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania. 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? 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. Bushkill Falls Trail. Why is bat photography so difficult? 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. I used to archery hunt for deer, and I spent a lot of time (way too much time) sitting silently in a tree stand waiting for deer. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! Let's see a clear photo, or a carcass or something. Now, forty years ago coyotes were rare or almost nonexistent in Pennsylvania, and had had that same sighting back then, when coyotes were thought not to exist within the state we would have had the 'facts' to doubt what we saw. After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. (What is meant by "heads" is not clear.). It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. There are also big swaths of thick of forests in parts of the state. Instead, the person usually pauses, sometimes with a sheepish or embarrassed expression on his face, and seems reluctant to continue. In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. Mountain Lion Habitat in Tennessee - ArcGIS StoryMaps So how or why could there be a conspiracy? Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. This is actually a good thing, as genetic isolation generally weakens a species. "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. Where can I find Depth of Field reference charts? In Tennessee, the most likely places you would find them would be in the forest. 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. ", (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence, including in a reported Berks County sighting on January 8. I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. DNA collected from the mountain lion killed on a roadway in Connecticut in 2011 showed the animal to have originated in South Dakota. 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. If mountain lions are discovered in PA anytime soon they'll either be big foot's pets or genetically engineered and released by the DCNR to cull the orangu-bear population. While there have been no confirmed occurrences of mountain lions in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s, dozens . Me? Would a puma then qualify as a native species? It had been captured in Florida, and was to be released. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? Encouraged by the bounties, settlers waged war on these perceived beasts. Florida is the only state on the east coast with a breeding population of mountain lions. Known as the Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania, there are four trails that lead to the cascades from the Bushkill Falls trailhead, each ranging in .
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