Ottmann and I walked farther. Sign up for our newsletter to get our latest and greatest content delivered right to your inbox. His mentor, Aldo Leopold, a prominent wildlife biologist, also believed this, but felt if people learned about these populations, they would be hunted to extinction. The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. 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. And thats a surprisingly complex question, because it hinges on numerous factors: policy and politics, culture and conditioning, habitat and, frankly, hubris. But that was OK. Bo Ottmann knew they were out there. There is no shortage of deer for all apex predators whether they are canine, feline, or human. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. Thats only a fraction of the supposed sightings. It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. July 20, 2022. A harvest is kind of twofold. It may not surprise you to learn that I was quite intrigued by this third group. As I rushed to meet her in the woods, she told me what she had seen. I think I may have pissed her off since I was up in that area X2 this week. Indeed, one of her steadiest sources of funding for Keeping Track is a presentation on cougars that has been known to draw more than 500 audience members. Distinguished by a boxy head, big paws and a VERY long tail. Dogos have been DOCUMENTED killing mountain lion / wolf. They are there and thriving!!!! Its length varies from five to . There was one photographed on a porch in Greenwich, CT, looking in the patio window that made national news a decade ago. Up to several inches of snow expected for northern CT, NWS says, Passenger in car that nearly hit FBI agents in CT gets 3 years, Police: CT man hiding in back seat tried to rob female driver, Yale police investigating false report of active shooter, NY man charged with CT car theft extradited, state trooper says, CT advocates resume push for aid-in-dying bill, Wilton Police Chief John Lynch announces retirement, RTM narrowly votes to accept voting infrastructure grant, Milford changes rules on accessory dwellings, Termination upheld for CT fire lieutenant in drug scandal, several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month, one that was killed on the Merritt Parkway in 2011, U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service, mountain lions became extinct in Connecticut in the 1800s, UConn athletics operated at $53 million deficit following Kevin Ollie payment. We hadnt seen a cougar, nor any evidence to suggest a cougar had traveled these woods recently. The discussion of whether federal lands should be a place to subsidize cattle ranching is another question. 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. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. Were getting more and more home entries every year. Got a question or comment? While other states have their Bigfoot and sea monster sightings, in Connecticut, and throughout much of the Northeast, we see mountain lions even when were told such sightings are unlikely, if not outright impossible. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . Its not a bear, not a dog, not a deer, not a bobcat. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. Hawley: Yeah. Ive seen bobcats before, this wasnt a bobcat. And its a lose-lose situation, because theres really not a whole lot you can tell them in most cases thats going to change their mind.. The mountain lion is believed to have had an encounter with a family on their lawn. 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. Honestly, leaving this out of your article would seem to perpetuate the notion that there is a conspiracy to keep us all in ignorance. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. 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. TOLLAND A local woman reported Friday that she saw a mountain lion in the area of Sand Hill Road, . Harrigan nodded. Colorado and California have the highest estimated populations of mountain lions in the United States. It was a spotless cat she estimated at close to 100 pounds. Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. Mountain lions are solitary animals, traveling alone except during mating season or when a female is supporting young. A trail camera was set up and confirmed the presence of a mountain lion on February 16, 2020. The photos were time-stamped December 7, 2020. Betty, for instance, has presented on Eastern cougars more than 300 times, gathering many hundreds of sighting reports in the process. Probably because of all the hunters that would be out trying to get their trophy and endangering others. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. Yes, of course they are here, transients. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Mountain lions also have tails that can grow up to 3 feet. Or at least theyre not supposed to be. So, traffic had been slowed from both ends for a good 3-5 minutes. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. Additional samples were collected and are pending DNA analysis. 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? At least once a year thered be a story from somewhere, but I only ran the absolute best, he told me. So its this gathering storm. My neighbors have seen several over the last 15-20 years. Somebody in the NC Legislature believes, because lions are now protected by law. Our hunter friend was hunting in central NH when they came upon an adult deer carcass way up in a tree. 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. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Height. Our wildlife biologists and enforcement agents are mostly political bureaucrats who dont often venture more than 100yards from the truck. Neither resemble a cougar! For helpful information on identifying mountain lion tracks and more, visit the Missouri Department of . Had trouble sleeping last night cause that was to close and I think she may have stalked me from where I was in the woods. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. They were also reluctant to certify that turkey and moose had returned the Quabin reservoir lands for many years after locals reported seeing them. In the first, there are those such as myself, whove maybe heard a few second- or third- or fourth-hand stories as well as official denials from state agencies or professional biologists, and therefore find themselves betwixt and between, neither believing nor disbelieving. I also know of someone who said they showed F&G a photo of one from a game camera in NH. There were caribou antlers mounted above the front doors, and the interior walls were covered in row upon row of books; a long table was piled high with still more books in seemingly random arrangements. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. Fish and Wildlife Service unofficially declared the Eastern cougar extinct. The females are where its at, she said. Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators., Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. What we do not have is a secure predator corridor.. Within six weeks, he continued, I was getting off the plane in Jackson Hole for a national mountain lion conference. If you have a worldview in which the government is conspiring to do weird stuff, than thats what youre going to see, and all the evidence is going to point to exactly what you believe, he says. Hawley, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says data dont support a breeding population of mountain lions in Connecticut. Theres also the lack of visual evidence, more glaring each passing year as so many hikers and hunters now carry phones with cameras. In 2011, the U.S. They set the stage for the exotics to move in, and this has a huge impact on our ecology, he said. And so we come to the great divide over cougars in New England. I was outdoor with my two pugs and quickly scooped them up and brought them in the house. And so when they come to him with a sighting, hes prepared to believe. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. 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. Bobcats and a possible mountain lion have been mentioned within the past few weeks. So theres fresh mud. 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. Im not surprised that various state officers deny the presence of cougars in new England. There was a tin of American Spirit tobacco on the table (Ottmanns), a laptop (Bettys), a notebook (mine), and a tumbler of Bacardi and Coke (Ottmanns again). Mountain Lions:They can have similar coloring and their tails can look alike, which has lead to some house cats being mistaken for them, even though mountain lions are much, much bigger. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. THAT is a mountain lion! They also want to foster the formation and protection of migration pathways for them and other animals to enter new states. We told him what we saw, and he confirmed other sightings on the property. He wore red suspenders and a baseball cap. Out & About | Best New England Holiday Events for 2019. Habitat. The truth is, I was by this point dubious. They are most definitely here. He drove me out to the spot. Part of this belief is rooted in his journalistic experience, which across the decades has cultivated his nose for sincerity. Lizzie Post Would Like Your Attention. In 1994, scat collected after a sighting in Craftsbury, Vermont, was found to contain cougar hair (the animals are prone to ingesting their hair while grooming), and the commissioner of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department circulated a memo with the following line: Harrigans interest in cougars was sparked in the late 70s, after he took ownership of, Perhaps, then, the ultimate question isnt whether cougars are among us, but rather how we can encourage them to settle here, After 20 minutes or so, we turned and stumbled our way back to the parking lot. 90th Annual New Haven Register All-State Football First Team. Here are some things to keep in mind if you come across or see a big cat like a mountain lion: Be mindful of . But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. Thats a reasonable assertion. The tail, I said. Theyll say, Hey, you can see in the picture that it has a long tail, and when I look at the picture, I say, I see how you would see that because they way these cats walk, theyll kind of stand and trail their rear leg. Females ranges are much smaller so it will take reintroduction or a few savvy wildlife biologist in the dead of night. Wildlife do really crazy things, and you just never know.. We met for lunch on a Sunday morning in early March, and it didnt take long for me to understand why Harrigan is such a popular columnist. Zillow has 20 photos of this $299,000 3 beds, 2 baths, -- sqft single family home located at 2439 Adams Farm Ct, Snow Camp, NC 27349 built in 1999. Here in southern Utah, lions have been known to occupy home ranges as large as 513 square miles. 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. DEEP believes their numbers have increased in recent years. So theres fresh mud. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. The department has said it receives reports every year of. , located in the golf course community of Coyote Lakes. The mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, or puma. Have a question or comment? Peter Yankowski is a breaking news reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. There was the vaguest of trails, crisscrossed by deadfalls and a sharp-thorned bush that soon drew blood from Ottmanns right hand. Instead, the responsne I heard were nonchalant, Oh, yes, lots of people have seen that mountain lion around here; pretty isnt it?. Weights range from 80 to 225 pounds, but the average is 140 pounds. Mountain lions weigh 105 to 140 pounds and can be up to eight feet long from the nose to the tip of the tail. The main habitat requirement for mountain lions is stalking cover to successfully hunt prey. Even though the experts say there arent any mountain lions in CT, there are. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. Wildlife biologists, as professional scientists, require a higher level of documentation and proof. A full-sized mountain line was photographed on the campus of the Brunswick School in Greenwich on Sunday, along with a matching paw print and a 9-inch lion dropping that seals the scientific deal. 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. To Betty and Ottmann, the dominant narrative of the occasional itinerant cougar from the West is not particularly relevant to the facts on the ground. [The catamounts] movements were so noiseless that Mr. Crowell found himself in this dangerous proximity before he was aware of it, and it was only by great coolness and daring that he severely wounded the animal and perhaps saved his own life, reads a placard attached to the display case. The size of a lion's territory depends on the availability of food and habitat quality. We strolled across the tavern parking lot and ducked into the forest, where Ottmann maintains a portion of his $15,000 worth of wildlife recording equipment (hes had no luck capturing a cougar on camera, though, despite more than a decade of trying). Morse, 70, comports herself in a friendly and no-nonsense manner. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. Respect predators, protect them but dont worship or try to hug them! However, the population declined in the early 1900's due to unregulated hunting and bounties were placed on mountain lions until 1966. Body coloration can range from tan to gray and cubs are usually covered with blackish brown spots. Mrgunsngear (Mr. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. He knew it was only a matter of time. Once at dusk driving in the Berkshires, he saw what he initially thought was a cat-like creature that was far bigger than a bobcat leap across the road. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. According to the Connecticut DEEP, the bobcat is the only wild cat found in Connecticut. When we reached tower, a ranger arrived in a pickup. In some versions, state officials dont want to alarm people about the feline predators in their midst. And the clincher, What would you say was the most distinguishing feature? Ive seen tracks (Downeast Maine) and others have seen them, plain as day. In 2011, genetic testing confirmed that a mountain lion originated in South Dakota and traveled more than 1,500 miles before being struck by a car on the Merritt Parkway, according to Reuters. A threat to livestock, they were hunted out of the state and driven to parts more wild. Body length: 5 - 8 feet Ear length: 3 - 4 inches Tail length: 21 - 35 inches Weight: 90 - 160 pounds Behavior: Mountain lions are solitary animals except during the breeding season or when females are raising kittens. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) That's not to say that pits are not formidable dogs, they are. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. Young pumas dispersing from Western habitats are being killed at the source, compromising the Easts critical opportunity for ecosystem health and the return of an apex carnivore., Regardless of where they are found, or whether people want to hunt or protect them, people are enchanted by mountain lions. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. Theyre here. As they watched in amazement, the cat casually moved off and disappeared into the surrounding woods. Hawley, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says data dont support a breeding population of mountain lions in Connecticut. Even in parts of the country where there are documented breeding populations of mountain lions, there are still many false reports. There also should have been evidence of animals killed by the predators and roadkill. Mountain lions inhabit the badlands and Missouri River breaks regions of North Dakota. You dont even have to go out and look for it.. One one occasion she had two little ones with her so their den must have been sort of closeby. But you are talking Pacquiao (Pit) vs. Tyson (Dogo) in their prime. 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. Verified Mountain Lion-Human Attacks. If this habitat can support them, it should. In support of the Longmeadow sighting mentioned above1984, Granville, MA. Perhaps, then, the ultimate question isnt whether cougars are among us, but rather how we can encourage them to settle here. Advocates of the proposed Aid in Dying bill made an emotional plea to state legislators in Hartford on Wednesday to approve the legislation, introduced 15 separate times in Connecticut since 1994. The key to Morses assertion can be found in the term breeding population. Although the fact that cougars have traveled through New England is irrefutable (a DNA-confirmed roadkill is hard to deny), Morse believes its unlikely that they have settled here and created a self-sustaining population. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? Connecticut Public Radio | Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. He points out that when there was a real mountain lion in the state in 2011, his office publicized it immediately. Another possibility is to use the dosdude1 patcher to upgrade the MacBook to Sierra, this being generally possible on any unsupported machines mid-2008 or later. Connecticut In the 37 years Ive been working, things have changed in ways Id never have predicted. Adult mountain lions can be 7-8 feet long, including their tails. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. Yale New Haven Health Check; . And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. Osage County leads the list with seven, followed by Cimarron County with six. This isnt to say she believes none of these animals has stepped foot on New England soil over the past century. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Tim Abbott, the regional land conservation and greenprint director for the Housatonic Valley Association, says that during a lecture on mountain lions last winter at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, when the speaker asked if anyone had seen a mountain lion, half of the roughly 400 people in attendance raised their hands. Well, I KNOW there was at least one mountain lion in NE because years ago (maybe 35 or so) I lived in Longmeadow, MA. The MPD Animal Care and Control Unit's report includes a fact sheet about mountain lions, which has many common names, including "puma, catamount and panther.". Many on both sides of the cougar debate beileve that New Englands natural habitat would benefit from having an apex predator in the ecosystem again. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, DEEP confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. Sue Morse, the founder and science director of Keeping Track, a Vermont-based organization dedicated to protecting wildlife habitats, has studied mountain lions over her career as a naturalist, and says the majority of cougar sightings in the Northeast are misidentifications. By 1825, only 25% of Connecticut was forested due to deforestation from agricultural activities and other uses of timber. Pictured is an image shared earlier this month on Facebook of what was claimed to be a mountain lion sighting this past fall in Prairie du Rocher. To answer these and other questions about sightings of mountain lions, I turned to DEEPs Rego, who has investigated many purported cougar sightings over the past three decades. [An overabundance of deer] means our forests are getting older and older and not being replaced. He also points to the influx of invasive plant species in New England as evidence of an out-of-control deer population. Guns n' Gear), whose first name is Mike, is a United States Air Force and Army Veteran who uses his "experience on a . Check out 4 Seconds Until Impact by Bruce Hemming, or Cat Urbigkits books about predator attacks in unlikely places . Harold Davis just bought a new snowplow. Hawley said the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in the state was one that was killed on the Merritt Parkway in 2011 when a car struck the animal near Exit 55. Not a bobcat 100% mountain lion and anybody that tries to think a bobcat as any resemblance to a mountain lion clearly has no idea about wildlife there are a lot of false reports because of this however they are without a doubt in part of New England and fish and game has as usual covered up despite coming out and following mountain lion tracks in the snow through the woods in Central Mass and finding a deer carcass 20 feet up in a tree and said to the landowner yep you probably have a mountain lion passing through and asked for the homeowner not to speak much about it furthermore DNA confirmation of a horse that was attacked in Petersham Massachusetts in the last several years and also the Quabbin Reservoir DNA were mountain lion without a doubt they are here. As I looked at my daughter and then turned to follow the direction she was looking, I saw the animal in my side mirror. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. An Arkansas woman captured a big cat on her doorbell camera that she believes is a mountain lion or cougar. Hawley: Yeah. They have a right to exist here and they contribute to healthier prey species. Earlier in the year, Id attended one of these presentations, and even in the tiny village of Woodbury, Vermont, on a stiflingly hot summer evening, nearly 100 people showed up to hear her speak and see her photographs (Morse is a magnificent wildlife photographer). It was huge! 02:02. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. It was a bright sunny summer day. We witnessed a mountain lion stalking a herd of deer. What are the chances of wolves coming back to Vermont? 2439 Adams Farm Ct, Snow Camp, NC 27349 $299,000 MLS# 2479163 PRICE REDUCTION!! Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Nowhere in New England is the matter definitively settled. Officially, the last mountain lions were hunted to extinction here in the late 1800s. The first time was in the yard which was surrounded by woods. The arrival of a real mountain lion in the state reframed the discussion in Connecticut surrounding the animal. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This setting should only be used on your home or work computer. ), or someones coworkers mother had seen one from the back porch of a summer camp back in 07 or maybe 08, and shed tried to get a picture but this was before she got her first iPhone, and by the time shed retrieved her camera from the living room, the cat was long gone. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. 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