Confirmed Mountain Lion Reports Watch our Mountain Lions in Missouri video to learn why mountain lions are roaming into our state, how we confirm reported sightings, and what to do in the very unlikely event you encounter a mountain lion. We run through the list from mammals to reptiles to insects. "I'm proud to know her," Murray said of the tiger, "but I wish I didn't.". A walking house cat or raccoon would likely fit within the diameter of the tree. 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). Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents have periodically reported big cat sightings to local police, prompting minor scares that can last a few days. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. The Florida panther reached a population low of 20-30 individuals in 1970s, and currently are between 120-200 sub-adults and adults. Make sure you remove or cover up any bear food source, including garbage or bird feeders at your home. Cougars distaste for humans runs so deep that a study found that simply playing talk radio was enough to get these cougars to permanently abandon what they were eating. Murray also has a cross-eyed white tiger named Keisha, who crushed chicken bones with ease but delicately stepped into a metal pool to cool off. They often carry their tails erect, which is rare for cougars and when done clearly has a bow to it; and house cats can have long coats, which is a sharp contrast from the short coat of a cougar. Upperparts are grizzled gray or dark brown to buff, cinnamon tawny, or rufous. I have seen Bobcats. . The track of a cougar found in Michigans Upper Peninsula (photo credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources). 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." 2016. EDITORS: Gary San Julian can be reached at 814-863-0401. You can also identify the venomous snakes of Pennsylvania by their vertical pupils, similar to the pupils in cats' eyes. Pennsylvania's venomous snakes are hard to find. The last wild cougar in Pennsylvania was killed in 1871 and the last cougar born on the East Coast was killed in 1938 in Maine. Sep 16, 2018 at 12:00 am. Mountain Lions do remain in the western states and there is evidence that in 2011, a . The Eastern Cougar Foundation, a clearinghouse for cougar sightings, claims it has received proof that big cats do exist in Missouri, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois and Kentucky, and in Ontario and New Brunswick, Canada. Mountain lions would have inhabited all of what is now Nebraska, roaming the hills and plains as an apex predator, hunting deer, elk and other large game. Then I saw and was like, 'It could be a bobcat, possibly mountain lion,' " Nick Dodge said. Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. Seriously, no mountain lions in Pa? There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. I live in Harrisburg, in the 70s and by Central Dauphin high school there was a creek called Beaver Creek so one day ask someone what are they called Beaver Creek and said there used to be a beaver there till about seven or eight years ago and the last one was killed by some person they named and he was actually bragging up that he killed the last beaver in Beaver Creek. An attack on a 4-year-old near San Diego is just the latest in a string of mountain lion attacks in California. I told her there had now. Mountain lions, also commonly known as cougars, are officially extinct in both Pennsylvania and the United States east of the Mississippi. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. "So the mystery goes on," says Gary San Julian, professor of wildlife resources in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. I went to the rocky site and did not find the cat. There's also a $10k bounty for evidence of anyone illegally re-introducing them to PA. It stopped and looked directly at me. That doesnt stop some from believing mountain lions do exist in the East. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. Their bodies are mainly covered in tawny-beige fur, except for the whitish-gray belly and chest. The cats journey was well documentedboth photographs and genetic samples (fecal matter and hair) were collected along its journey. The cougar is much larger and needs at least four trees to be covered. None of these sightings has been authenticated, and many of them, including a recent, alleged mountain lion picked up on a surveillance camera in Lackawanna County, turned out to be bobcats. (AP FILE PHOTO) A Philadelphia Inquirer story said more and more people in Pennsylvania claim they are seeing mountain . So it's possible that cougars survive. House cats on average are 11lbs and only a foot tall, which is much smaller than a cougar. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A recent rumor of a cougar killed by a vehicle on Interstate 80 attracted some attention at Penn State. Officials with the Pennsylvania Game Commission told WHNT the cat in Clarks Summit could be a bobcat, though they tend to be more active at night. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. To download a high-resolution image, go to http://aginfo.psu.edu/news/august01/lion.tif. The Fort Worth Star-Telegraph reports on a mountain lion sighting in April 2022. 2021. Denise Kunzig, who lives in Orchard Valley on. 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. You should stay calm and back away from the bear. "He doesn't like men too much," said Suzanne Murray, owner of East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue in this south-central Pennsylvania town. Theyre not predators, but if one runs out in front of your moving car it can certainly pose a threat to your safety. 1 Last 365 Days. LaRue, M.A., Nielsen, C.K., Dowling, M., Miller, K., Wilson, B., Shaw, H., Anderson, C.R. You're much more likely to encounter ablack bear than a bobcat. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. All three are pit vipers, which means you can identify them by "facial pits." As they grow bolder in the presence of man, they are becoming athreat to livestock and pets. Black widows are native to the state. Pennlive.com reports trappers kill more than 40,000 of them in Pennsylvania every year. Jones has never seen a mountain lion, but he thinks they're prowling around. The mountain lion sightings locations can help with all your needs. One came to her as the result of an owner's divorce. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 2019 mountain lion in Pennsylvania / definitive proof Joe and Angelika Kelley 12 subscribers Subscribe 91 16K views 3 years ago When something digs up your yard and you film it. Must of been chasing it for quite some time. Females tend to go an average of 18-30 miles, while males travel much farther (45-170 miles). "Over the years, I've received a number of cougar reports, some pretty factual, such as a partly devoured calf left up in a tree, but nobody has ever provided clear proof. Across . A mountain lion named Rocky, at the East Coast Animal Rescue, Tuesday, September 4, 2018. Flickr/Valerie. No wonder I have not seen that many rabbits or squirrels lately. It has been well known that cariabou have migrated from Canada, so why not the mountain lion? 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. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. That said there have been numerous sightings of them over the years. 3 Last 10 Years. In January, the U.S. They're common in the rural areas of the Lehigh Valley but are moving into more populated areas as evidenced by a600-pound specimen (pictured) that was tranquilized in March after neighbors in Forks Township and Easton's College Hill section called authorities. If you are not and would like to read this and all the other great content OutdoorNews.com has to offer, click here . "We have lots of remote areas where people seldom go," he says, "and our high deer population would offer them bountiful food. If you think you see a predatory cat ready to pounce, you're likely mistaken. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. For more information see Terms and Conditions. Juvenile females do not disperse like males, which limits cougar range expansion. No An official form of the United States government. Let us know. Black bear can be easily told apart from cougars: black bears have five toes to cougars four and their footpads are more elongated. Thousands of deer. i have seen a mountain lion in Hawks Mountain where persons watch hawk migration about 7 to 10 years ago. "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. "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. The farther a male must travel the more likely they are to die. "I have been in this business long enough not to doubt what people say they have seen," says San Julian, "but I think most sightings are escaped pets or animals released by people.". In January, the U.S. Dashboard for displaying mountain lion reports to the public. If you are already an OutdoorNews.com subscriber, you can log in here. Friends in the area reported having a large long tailed mountain lion run across a road just in front of their truck. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. Recent confirmed sightings of mountain lions in North Dakota are about 20-40 per year. Fear of the human super predator reduces feeding time in large carnivores. 4 . Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. In many places, the habitat hasn't changed much in hundreds of years. The tail of the cat is an excellent identification tool: cougars have two- to three-foot-long wiry tails with a black tip, and bobcats have a short bobbed tail that is only three to eight inches long. I am not a drinker and dont di drugs. Coyotes are much smaller, and they have shorter fluffier tails, a pointed face, and large triangular ears. It can be difficult to tell how large an animal is in a photo, so it is best to use a known object as a scale. Hildreth says the animals are capable of moving long distances across the state. "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. If you have an encounter with a mountain lion, contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays: CPW Headquarters (Denver): (303) 297-1192. Am 74 years old, of very sound mind usually pretty skeptical, but i saw this animal and after much consideration have concluded it could only be a mountain lion or cougar. But Dave "Gadget" Jones, a retired wildlife conservation officer from Lackawanna County, claims he's seen a white bigfoot and a UFO in Pennsylvania, so who knows? Coyoteseat wildlife including mice, voles, deer, rabbits and woodchucks. Much of the prime habitat in the West is already occupied by larger more dominate males, so juvenile males make long journeys to disperse to setup a new territory or find an area where they can push out the dominate male. Bobcats tend to be darker brown, with lighter belly fur and spots while mountain lions tend to be more uniform brown, tawny color. Evanitsky, M.N., George, R.J., Johnson, S., Dowell, S., and Perry, G.H. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. Remember this post from February 28, 2005. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Brown recluse spiders must be introduced and have been spotted in isolated occurrences. "I hear rumors all the time about mountain lion sightings," said Brian Anderson, deputy game protector for Northumberland County. Already a subscriber to OutdoorNews.com? "A cougar or puma is like a UFO with four feet." With industrial expansion into the heart of Pennsylvania in the 1700s, mountain lion sightings and attacks became more common as habitat destruction pit settlers against native predators. Haven't seen anything like this before, so it's new.". There is no doubt this was a mountain lion. But after consultations with biologists inside and outside the university, he determined it was an unusual bear track showing just four toes and no claws. Eastern mountain lions lived in central Pennsylvania until the late 1800s, according to Foster. Michael Tanenbaum Murray said Rocky was emaciated and chained when she found him at a private zoo. The mountain lion ( Puma concolor) is sometimes called cougar, puma, catamount, and panther. Travis Lau, a spokesperson for the Game Commission, said the state has a "never say never" approach when it comes to mountain lions and acknowledges that Western cats could be moving east. Im an avid mature person with a biology degree. There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. What is the fascination in Pennsylvania that they always want to kill a mountain line if they find one theyre indigenous they belong there just leave the damn things alone. House cats tails and fur are also another excellent way to tell them from cougars. 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. Almost all the reported sights have been other animals like bobcats (Lynx rufus), coyotes (Canis latrans), raccoons (Procyon lotor), or large domestic cats (Felis catus). "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. Adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between . Ablack widow bite is rarely fatal except in the young or elderly, according to the Penn State Cooperative Extension. It is possible for a cougar to escape captivity and be seen in the wild, but an escaped individual likely would not survive long or be able to establish a breeding population. The report says 58 people suffered allergic reactions and died from stings in Pennsylvania between 2001-13. That's not to say that there is not a mountain lion in the wild," he explains. Jr. 2012. Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. Three sightings, in fact, are considered credible and have some backing to them. Mountain Lion. 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