I spend a lot of time outdoors, and I've seen about 10 black bears in Pennsylvania, and all within ten miles of my home. The Pocono Mountains are . On the second night, a mountain lion passed by, apparently drawn by the smell but put off by the stench, as the cat did not visit the kill. Imagination? One man, in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, had seen one, at night, about 25 years ago. But many others believe wild mountain lions are traveling from Western states, where as many as 30,000 could exist, and across the Midwest to Pennsylvania seeking new territory. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? - pennlive.com I believe that the folks that are reporting, in detail, their sightings are faced with a similar situation. Features Writer Micaela Hood is signing off with the Pocono Record after five years of covering arts, culture, entertainment and sports in northeastern . I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". After a small population was reintroduced into their historic land, their population has grown to a stable and breeding group of between 200-300 individuals. 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. I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one game camera image that still looks very credible to me. Although unconfirmed, mountain lions continue to be reported in many spots across Pennsylvania, including several reports in the past couple months. They once inhabited the entire United States, but were killed off and pushed west. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. By the mid-1900s pumas were eliminated from almost all of the eastern states, and by mid-century were officially extinct east of the Mississippi, except for a remnant population in southern Florida. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? Like Arizona, New Mexico is the perfect home for mountain lions. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. And book one of these Poconos cabins rentals for the best outdoor access to these activities. Jones has never seen a mountain lion, but he thinks they're prowling around. Where they always here as a relic population? Eyes are normal and are not light sensitive, and the over-all color, generally black, is usually not detrimental and may actually be of benefit. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. Does the mountain lion roam Pa? - Pocono Record The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. Pocono Mountains - Wikipedia Most of the native mountain lions live in Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, but humans rarely ever see them due to their secretive nature. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? 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." Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. A typical home range is around 150 square miles for adult males and 50 square miles for adult females in our region. Mountain lions thrive there due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. Compare any game camera image with the shots above, or this game camera image, to confirm your identification. Best hike for seeing waterfalls. And again, while they may have been mistaken, they certainly were completely convinced that they had seen a puma. . The 'look' is from my Pocono Record sports writer Mike Kuhns wrote a great piece on Oct. 14, "Does the mountain lion roam PA?" with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. Have all of those who have seen a puma really seen a bobcat? "We've been here 45 years and I've probably been told by people at least 100 times that they've seen a cougar or mountain lion," said owner Vince Hall. Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions - AZ Animals Bushkill Falls Trail. Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic States? That's true. Provided by Touchpoints Fish and Wildlife Service. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. Here in central Pennsylvania we live on the outskirts of what one puma-tracking website has as almost the high point of sightings, extending from north-central Pennsylvania in a southwestern diagonal that extends into the mountains of West Virginia. The mountains and isolated forests of the state allow these large cats to live their lives without encountering humans very often. "The day will come," he said, "when someone will pull the trigger on a mountain lion.". Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. That may be true, or was once true, but even a declawed puma, if it can survive off rabbits and squirrels, and breeds, its offspring would be fully equipted to survive. But more importantly, he also said that regardless of color, he saw a big cat, with a tail that looked to be about 4 feet long! Mountain Lion Habitat in Tennessee - ArcGIS StoryMaps Many of those claiming to have encountered a cougar in Pennsylvania take that non-confirmation by the commission as an attack on their veracity and character. The coat can be spotted or solid. I wanted to know if they're here, so I called some people I trust and asked them one simple question: Are there mountain lions in Pennsylvania? Can so many people be wrong? Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? Arkansas isnt somewhere that we would generally think of when looking for mountain lions, but they are on the rebound! Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? But an image captured by one family's. There is no known estimate of the number of mountain lions inhabiting Texas. Sadly, the hunting guidelines for cougars in Idaho are lax, with 400-600 cats being killed each year. Known as the Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania, there are four trails that lead to the cascades from the Bushkill Falls trailhead, each ranging in . It had been captured in Florida, and was to be released. "I know they're native to this area. (What is meant by "heads" is not clear.). Are There Mountain Lions In Pa? - CLJ If pumas do exist in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, could they all be released cats or escapees? Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? Woolly mammoth bones were discovered in Bradford County in 1983. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! We hope you enjoy this foray into the most weird and wonderful our beloved Pocono Mountains have to offer. There are deserts, mountains, and swamps in the state of Utah, all of which are suitable for mountain lions. In 2016, a trail cam photo in South Jersey was later determined to show a house cat. One sighting I give complete belief in was from a friend who told me a puma crossed right in front of their vehicle, and paused on the berm for a few seconds, at a distant of ten yards or less. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. Pocono Mountains - Travel guide at Wikivoyage 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 owners. So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. Noted Wayne County historian Phineas Goodrich recorded in his 1880 book on local history that the common gray wolf was much more common in this area than the cougar. Ironically, I almost deleted the image, as on the small camera LCD monitor the cat was small and I thought that it was just another deer that moved along the stream. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. John Leap of East Stroudsburg's Lakeside Peat Humus Co. and an employee, Paul Strauser, found the bones in a peat bog off Route 209. All rights reserved. Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. Foster said mountain lions and bobcats could not breed. You would think someone would have a picture on a trail camera or whatever. This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. You've got a mountain lion story or photo? After all, how many people have pumas? Can so many people be so wrong? In July and August I received seven different reports, and everyone involved had done a search of some type to compare images of bobcats and pumas. (National Park Service). Mountain lions have an interesting life cycle that consists of a few different characteristics. Mountain lions that are looking for new breeding areas are known as transient and are almost always males. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. But this one was black, and he knows mountain lions are some variant of brown. The other site, The Cougar Network, is still active, and is reporting the cats expanding range from the West, but offers little about the phenomenon of Pennsylvania cats. For our list, we only included US states with a stable breeding population. That summer, a team from the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg excavated the nearly complete skeleton of the ancient elephant, the first of its kind found in the Commonwealth. A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. DNR: Fish & Wildlife: Mountain Lion It has the color of a mountain lion, but the long tail appears to be missing. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. I'm thinking of the solution often suggested for pesky endangered species out west, namely wolves and grizzly bears. I've know of reports since 1973, in Cooke Forest, the heart of a lot of Pa. wilderness. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. Both sheep and young cattle fell prey to wolves, unless they were under constant watch. 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. Some have even reported seeing a "black panther," a near-impossibility because of the rarity of that recessive gene. In Michigan, there has been multiple sightings of 'black panthers,' animals that were thought to be mountain lions, or pumas, except that they were black. 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. They ponder rare fossil evidence unearthed and seek to make sense of stratified geology, both fleeting in the face of what we call progress. Phineas Teeple of Manchester Township is thought to have killed the last wolf in Wayne County. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? He also published a follow-up on Oct. 15 with the same mountain lion-deer hoax photo, as well as personal stories from several local residents who claim they've seen mountain lions in the Poconos. But even without that second look there was no question that we'd seen a coyote. Many have a desire to see some clear-cut evidence. I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. This is actually a good thing, as genetic isolation generally weakens a species. Lions in the Santa Monica Mountains - National Park Service 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. I've seen about 20 mountain lions, or pumas, in the field, but all but 2 were in Chile. Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". Biologists traced it. 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. An animal's coat can stray far from the norm. For many who have believed to have seen a cougar in the wilds of the Poconos, these arguments might be less than convincing. Suppose, instead of declaring the puma, or Eastern mountain lion, extinct, the USFWS actually recognized the existence of the cat as a wild, breeding species. If you can figure out how to travel far back in time for even a day, get lots of wildlife photos, as the rest of us might never believe your story. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. An assessment list for Lower Smithfield Township in 1761 when it was part of Northampton County (Monroe having not yet been created) taxed "three pence per pound and shillings per head" laid on the land and inhabitants. 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. Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. So, couldn't that same argument apply to pumas in the Northeast? Depends on who you talk to, I guess. There had been 17 other mastodon finds in Pennsylvania up to 1968, but all were fragmentary. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. I believe them. In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. DCNR gave the following as examples: the saber-tooth cat; a small, three-toed horse; the Pleistocene beaver, and the mastodon. The 6 best hikes in the Poconos Mountains - Lonely Planet redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) - Texas 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Me? Would a puma then qualify as a native species? When I first discovered this fresh carcass I examined it for throat punctures, thinking that it may have been killed by a puma. A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. A placard affixed to the fence outside Rocky's pen states that "cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans." Send it to me at mkuhns@poconorecord.com. So many of these sightings have been proven wrong misidentified bobcats, coyotes or even house cats) that it would be irresponsible for a biologist to accept any of them as fact without absolute physical evidence hair, droppings, tracks or a road-killed animal. "When I started telling people, most of them didn't believe me, but I will never forget that huge face staring right at me," said a Montgomery County woman who says she saw a lion last summer in Limerick Township while walking her dog. The Cougar Network, working with state agencies, have documented multiple mountain lions as far east as Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan in recent years, as well as that cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. The first is the mating season which can occur during the late to early spring months. For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. And how many would let them go, or provide an opportunity for escaping? I haven't seen any reports like that.". Martinelli said that if there were mountain lions in Pennsylvania, there would be more sightings of them. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. Over the last few months several people have responded to this question with reports of their own. Many of the reports I receive are extremely credible. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. This animal was undoubtedly a bobcat. Since mountain lions are the top predators (unlike most other states with grizzly bears), they have a well-developed population. If we say it ain't so, it ain't so! Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. 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. Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania - Hoot Hollow Are Mountain Lions in Missouri Making a Comeback? Would that declaration close that ridge to hunting? State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is always open to review evidence, but to date only hoaxes have crossed the PGC. Leap transferred ownership rights to the state. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? Is there a Puma conspiracy? Packer Hill Ave. Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. Here it is: I still couldn't get the big head/little neck, and the body is a bit stouter/shorter, but a striding cat might be stretched out a bit. Do elk live in Pennsylvania? I think it is possible that recognizing the existence of pumas in the East could jeopardize this industry and an entire economy. Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. One of the important things for any animal is a place to call home. He wrote that not being a roving animal, the mountain lion was much sooner destroyed than the wolf, and he said that if there were any left, it would have to be in the most desolate places in the county. What does a Puma (Mountain Lion) look like on a Game Camera? "Hunters are always saying they see mountain lions, and the Game Commission always says there aren't any," said Robert Hale, owner of Buffalo Gap Outfitters in Dillsburg. 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. Pa Mountain lion, cougar, or big cat in bucks county Pennsylvania (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? Erosion from glacial melt and violence glaciers did to the land left a great litter of boulders, rocks, clay and lakes covering today's landscape. Puma vs Mountain Lion: Is There a Difference? However, recently I saw a photo of a melanistic bobcat, as black as could be, with bright yellow eyes. It is almost safe to say that the panther has in these parts become extinct, Goodrich wrote. Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. 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. Archived Questions of the Month Viewers can never be certain that what they're seeing on a computer is actually what it's purported to be. 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. Other states have had sightings, especially as mountain lion populations begin to explore and look to expand. As they get older, the cubs begin to leave the den and explore. 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 name Pocono is derived from the . Mountain Lion Population (In Each U.S. State) - Wildlife Informer I have three observations here: 1. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. The skeleton was reassembled at the State Museum, where it has been on display ever since. 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. All of the above are Mountain Lions, or Pumas, or Cougars. Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? No evidence has ever been produced to support those charges. Editor's note: The Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent have collaborated for a series of stories called Mountain Beasts: Pocono cryptids, legends and lore. September 21st, 2008, 08:14 PM #74. Then there is Rocky. I could fill pages recounting the eye-witness reports I've heard, and for every report critics could certainly say 'but there's no physical evidence!' "Likewise, I'm not aware of any escapes from captive facilities in my time here. What is the Kiboko backpack? Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more . The other two clans were the Turtle and Turkey. When he isn't distracted by his backyard birdfeeder, you can find him camping, exploring, and telling everyone around him about what he's recently learned. The Game Commission concluded they were coyotes. I've spoken to PGC personnel, two being friends, and neither believe there are pumas in Pa. One cited how a bobcat's tail can be much longer than you expect, although I've never seen a bobcat tail longer than, at most, twice the size of the tails illustrated above of the bobcat. However, my friend and I discussed this, and agreed, we saw what we saw, and had it been 40 years ago or four months ago, we knew we saw a coyote. Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. Everyone else, when reporting, were frustrated as they were told they had seen a bobcat. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. In some areas, entire populations of a species exhibit this trait, for unlike albinism, which results in a conspicuous white color and light-sensitive pink eyes, there are no ill effects with melanism. See also: The Pocono Mountains are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. A neighbor scared the animal away before it could finish its meal; the sheeps carcass was used as bait, to catch the big cat. Well, right behind our property lies a mountain ridge, one of several that makes a continuous forest that extends, with little interruption, for scores of miles in three directions. Despite reported sightings throughout the East, including Pennsylvania, and a confirmed mountain lion killed in Connecticut in 2011, there has been no evidence that any of those cats were native . An article in last year's New York State Conservationist magazine about mountain lions concluded that none exists in that state, even in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Mountain wilderness. Interestingly, the US Fish and Wildllife Service has declared the Eastern Puma extinct, except for the Florida population known as the Florida panther. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. (National Park Service). years are available through this link. "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. The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. To be fair, I've also spoken with people who, at first, thought they'd seen a puma only to find, to their embarassment, that they were looking at a house cat! Where can I find Depth of Field reference charts? "They preyed upon the caribou, and probably the mastodon," Leslie wrote of these large animals flourishing on the grasses and cold-climate flora that sprouted following the glacier's retreat. Although there was no evidence that the 2011 mountain lion ever set foot in Pennsylvania, DNA evidence confirmed that it had been both west and east of the state.