are there mountain lions in the poconos

The bobcat wouldn't survive. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. years are available through this link. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. I've done this myself once, in Tanzania, when I saw a black house cat that I thought was a black leopard! 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. The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. 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. 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. This ideal habitat allows for a large population of 2,000 mountain lions to thrive. The state of Idaho is large, expansive, and full of rocky wilderness. I Googled "Pocono mountain lion" and there it was the same photo, except the caption claimed that it was taken in Oklahoma, not Pennsylvania, and various posted comments asserted that the photo was manipulated. (What is meant by "heads" is not clear.). Now consider: If it was confirmed that there was a breeding population of endangered pumas on the mountain ridge behind my house, if the USFWS recognized the existence of this endangered species, what might happen? "It's one of those things where I'll believe it when I see it," said Jason Farmer of Pocono Summit, my hunting partner for the last eight years. Images from a homeowner's surveillance camera show a tan cat with a long body, beyond a chain-link fence. "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. This is only hearsay, however, since I'm only going on their stories. ", (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. If you're interested in this, please pass on this link, and if you see a cat, please let me know! The record size for this species is 8 feet, and it probably weighed 15 to 20 pounds, which shows how exaggerated this claim is. Would that declaration close that ridge to hunting? Reports of a mountain lion have come from several residents of Hemlock Farms who were hiking on. I'll offer my own little anecdote. Although a large proportion of the Lenape Nation was dispersed far from their ancestral homelands in the 18th century, colonial settlers and their descendants struggled to live in this region with wolves and cougars inhabiting the forests. This is huge news for conservationists around the country and a sign that cougars may be heading east once again. For example, one man I interviewed said he saw a 'black' puma, and this should disqualify his sighting as a black puma has never been recorded. Yet, except for Florida, which has about 100 of them "Florida panthers"), no eastern state has a verifiable population of these large 100- to 200-pound cats that were extirpated 100 years ago. Mountain lions have a lifespan of about 8 to 13 years old in the wild. 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. Mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week, along with other smaller prey as the opportunity arises. 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). You would think someone would have a picture on a trail camera or whatever. "I thought I had a sighting in the late '90s," Delaware Water Gap National Recreation park ranger Chris Kross said. Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? At one point, there was debate whether that cat should be protected, since its genes were diluted from escapees or released pumas that originated in South America or our West. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. 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. Find cabins in the Poconos, PA near places like Bushkill Falls, Camelback Mountain Resort, and more. I don't believe someone's imagination could stretch a six inch long tail to three feet! Biologists traced it. They have almost been killed off a few times, but conservation efforts have helped to keep their numbers stable. I've seen hoaxes, of pumas carrying deer shot with game cameras, but these were of western cats. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Asa Packer Mansion Jim Thorpe. 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. Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . 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. Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? Arkansas isnt somewhere that we would generally think of when looking for mountain lions, but they are on the rebound! Mountain lion populations struggle to outpace the high hunting limits. 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. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. 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. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. 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. the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. Some have even reported seeing a "black panther," a near-impossibility because of the rarity of that recessive gene. Recently, a man I spoke with told me that he was reminded of a sighting he and two friends had 20 years earlier, and after recalling the incident he was motivated to call his college buddies and reflect on their observation. A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. 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. 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. If youve done any research on your own, you may have noticed that we didnt include a lot of states that have had cougar sightings, especially in the last few years. If it were, it would be listed. 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. Something to consider, even though we all trust the government. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. ? The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. 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. During this time, male mountain lions will travel in search of females. There's a saying that "things aren't always what they appear to be." 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. That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. The hunting policy of the state may be the cause of the dropping population, and pressure on the Fish and Game Commission has increased. What would account for the long tails? Joseph Pugliese 2.2K views 7 years ago Beautiful Bobcat in our yard as our. Here's 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. The agency has declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies ofmountain lions native to North America. I think it is possible that recognizing the existence of pumas in the East could jeopardize this industry and an entire economy. The name Pocono is derived from the . Who knows? Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. Is it the New Best Pack? 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 one cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. 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. Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. Activities Milford Things To Do Hotels Map Of Activities Delaware Water Gap Hotels Bushkill Lake Harmony Hawley Skytop Tannersville Pocono Mountains Counties About the Poconos Pocono Mountains History Weather Area Services . Mountain Lion Reports He's sitting in a plastic doghouse, paws crossed, amber eyes locked on the two men ticking him off by their mere presence out beyond the fence. So what? Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions. I haven't seen any reports like that.". (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. In books I've read critical or skeptical or down-right dismissive of the idea of pumas in the East, the argument has been advanced that the hopefull puma-dreamer/spotters arguing that the State needs to prove pumas don't exist does not mean that in the State not proving this means that pumas indeed do exist in this state. The bones were found perfectly preserved. On a recent stifling morning in Adams County, the 290-pound mountain lion with perfect bone structure is ignoring the raw chicken breast and pork chops a handler tossed into his pen. Certainly it is a romantic notion, but I've always held out the hope that pumas still roamed the east. This happens usually around the 18-month mark. DCNR gave the following as examples: the saber-tooth cat; a small, three-toed horse; the Pleistocene beaver, and the mastodon. "Given the period of time that has passed without verification of even a single eastern puma, the service concludes that the last remaining members of this subspecies perished decades ago," the Fish and Wildlife Service said in a Federal Register notice. If pumas do exist in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, could they all be released cats or escapees? 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. RelatedBigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know. Claws 'N' Paws Animal Park in Lake Ariel has two. In the map above, I collected data from the state and on the federal level to find state parks . There also were camels, sloth and hyena, which migrated elsewhere. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? He's a hunter, a woodsman, and he's seen a lot of game, so I can believe he saw a back-lighted puma. I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. But an image captured by one family's. At one time mountain lions, or more properly puma (Puma concolor), enjoyed the widest geographic range of any New World mammal, and were found throughout all of the contiguous United States. At the end of the last Ice Age, many animals in Pennsylvania died out. (National Park Service). Archived Questions of the Month Recently the US Fish and Wildlife Service formally declared the Eastern Puma an extinct species, except for the remnant population in Florida. Never has this been more accurate than in today's digital, computerized world. The State cites that there are no road-kills, and in a heavily trafficed state like Pennsylvania there should be kills. If we don't see it, it doesn't exist. I'll be anxious to learn of your report. a high priority. One man, in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, had seen one, at night, about 25 years ago. The Game Commission concluded they were coyotes. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. I have three observations here: 1. Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? An animal's coat can stray far from the norm. All of the above are Mountain Lions, or Pumas, or Cougars. One of the important things for any animal is a place to call home. Can so many people be wrong? Leslie estimated that the first humans making up the Paleo-Indians lived in the upper Delaware valley as early as 11,000 B.C. Caribou meat apparently was part of their diet. "They are very strong animals," she said. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. There is a big community of mountain lion enthusiasts across the Northeast convinced that the animals still exist in breeding populations. The first is the mating season which can occur during the late to early spring months. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. I've never seen or heard of a verified black puma anywhere, whether wild or captive, so I'd be inclined to dismiss reports of truly black big cats as misidentifications, even when a group of guys all see the same thing. I receive about one email or phone call a month, on average, from people that I do not know who are contacting me because their sighting compelled them to do a Google search on puma sightings, and they found my site and previously posted questions. The states beautiful wilderness and mountainous terrain are prime mountain lion habitats. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. 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. They regularly join the camp of those angrily claiming the commission has introduced the big cats back into Pennsylvania as a control measure against the state's huge deer population. . A few could, perhaps, be mistaken idenity. If so, what would happen to the hunting industry in all of these states? 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. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? 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). I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. Fish and Wildlife Service. 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? 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? Hunting is legal, but the use of dogs was banned in 1996. Wishful thinking? Would a puma then qualify as a native species? Bobcats, feral cats and domestic dogs may be misidentified as mountain lion. Had this been faked, I'd suspect the hoaxter would try for a more authentic background. The State argues that there is no physical evidence, and no credible photographs. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. Only once has anyone later determined that they had misidentified the cat, seeing a bobcat and not a mountain lion. If we continue to be bombarded with manipulated photos and untrue claims in most cases by people who just want to get attention then we may be very resistant to accepting the "real McCoy" if or when) one finally arrives. Woolly mammoth bones were discovered in Bradford County in 1983. 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. Let me explain this. Phineas Teeple of Manchester Township is thought to have killed the last wolf in Wayne County. Where they always here as a relic population? Mountain lions can live in almost any habitat including forests, prairies, deserts, and swamps. Melanism is the reverse, where there is an abundance of dark or black pigmentation. But even without that second look there was no question that we'd seen a coyote. Interesting, too, are the reports I've heard from people who were told that they would be in big trouble if they shot a puma. The sightings were great bear views, but too fast or fleeting to allow me to grab a camera. All rights reserved (About Us). 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. An escapee is also possible. Mountain lions (cougars, pumas, and more) are among the top predators that live in the United States. Recently, on a back road in Pennsylvania, a friend and I had our first sighting of a coyote in Pennsylvania. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. Mountain lions were once widespread across North America, but their range shrunk dramatically as they were pursued through unregulated hunting and by farmers aiming to protect their livestock, and moved off the landscape by habitat fragmentation. Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. 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. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Then there is Rocky. All of these forests are, with few exceptions, open to hunting, and hunting is a very important industry in Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. 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? The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. The Pocono Mountains are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. 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? 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. Hunters I've spoken with said they've been told you can't kill a puma, which they felt was ironic since the same official told them pumas don't exist in Pa. Imagine my surprise. Although in captivity, they can live much longer. A Mountain Lion Cover Up Some cats had a South American genetic profile. If you see a puma (mountain lion-cougar), contact me. Perhaps my Fed Ex driver was simply recalling a rural legend, but he said it was an employee that he knew, and it was a story he heard first-hand. The question is just like in the story of the boy who cried wolf) if that day ever arrives, how will we believe those first, true sightings after so many hoaxes have been perpetrated on the public? 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. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! 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. Most of my original Questions of the Month for the last several With that in mind, lets break down how we classified the states. The 2,400-square-mile area has long been a popular outdoor recreation area boasting hunting, fishing, skiing, and more. These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. Best hike for seeing waterfalls. The coat can be spotted or solid. Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". There's a whole world to learn about and Colby is content to spend his life learning as much as he can about it! In the wild, adult mountain lions can weigh anywhere from 65 to 220 pounds. These powerful, majestic creatures once lived across much of the country but have since been killed or pushed out of most of it. Ashley Catherine Fontones, Pocono Record. There are controlled hunting laws in the state of Oregon. Note the long, usually thick tail. There is no known estimate of the number of mountain lions inhabiting Texas. The Pocono Mountains are . Instead, the person usually pauses, sometimes with a sheepish or embarrassed expression on his face, and seems reluctant to continue. 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. original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might Michelle LaRue, executive director of the Cougar Network and a research ecologist at the University of Minnesota, will discuss the eastern expansion of cougars from their core range in the western U.S. at 7 p.m. in Moravian College's Haupert Union Building, Bethlehem. In January, the U.S. He knows and was familiar with bobcats, and it was not a weird house cat that he and his friends misjudged in size. There are deserts, mountains, and swamps in the state of Utah, all of which are suitable for mountain lions. "I know they're native to this area. "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. Recently, on our Arizona Hummingbird and Bat Photo Shoot, I found a deer that had been hit by a car and had moved off to die beside a stream just 200 yards upstream from our lodge. Furthermore, a different set of photos showed a "mountain lion" dragging a deer into the woods in Bradford County. Have some feedback for us? The same goes for New York and several other eastern states. "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. In 2015, a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was placed near the site where the mastodon was found. However, if you've seen a mountain lion, or other mystery creature, or evidence of either, in Pennsylvania, contact outdoor writer Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.). Bushkill Falls Trail. The mountains and isolated forests of the state allow these large cats to live their lives without encountering humans very often. Mountain lions thrive there due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. 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. As you can see from the above images it is very difficult to confuse the two if you have a good view. Both sheep and young cattle fell prey to wolves, unless they were under constant watch. Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. 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. This animal was undoubtedly a bobcat. Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more . Provided by Touchpoints 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. So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one. One came to her as the result of an owner's divorce. Geologist Dr. John Yolton made the identification. A tiny population of Florida cougars persists in the southeastern corner of the United States. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. A total of 32 mountain lions have been struck and killed by vehicles in the study area since 2002. Illinois can also now be added to this list a mountain lion was found on the outskirts of Chicago. Leap transferred ownership rights to the state. Some outdoor enthusiasts insist they have seen the big cats here and believe them to be naturally occurring, native animals. Mountain lions live almost everywhere in the state of Washington. Other states have had sightings, especially as mountain lion populations begin to explore and look to expand. At one time this fact almost resulted in this cat not being protected, since it wasn't a pure strain. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. 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. Currently, mountain lions seem to be making a comeback in regard to their historic range. They ponder rare fossil evidence unearthed and seek to make sense of stratified geology, both fleeting in the face of what we call progress. Discover the Little-Known U.S. River Gorge That's, The 9 Best Books About National Parks for Travelers, mountain lions seem to be making a comeback. Every year we receive a few similar reports from hikers, hunters or other outdoor enthusiasts. On that, I've had emails sent with game trail photo attachments, or killed pumas, supposedly shot in Pennsylvania, but these were hoaxes. I'm thinking of the solution often suggested for pesky endangered species out west, namely wolves and grizzly bears. Martinelli said that if there were mountain lions in Pennsylvania, there would be more sightings of them. Additionally, California banned the hunting of cougars back in 1972, encouraging population growth. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. One might argue that the eastern puma is extinct, but that does not mean that there are not pumas (mountain lions, cougars) in the east. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". However, recently I saw a photo of a melanistic bobcat, as black as could be, with bright yellow eyes. In 2011, a confirmed mountain lion was killed by a vehicle in Connecticut and which had been determined that it had wandered east from the Mid-West. Goodrich said he once saw a mountain lion spring from a thicket and kill a sheep on a public road. Contrary to popular belief, there are no black panthers in North America; no one has ever captured or killed a black Mountain Lion. Murray said Rocky was emaciated and chained when she found him at a private zoo.

Largest Company In Transnistria, Articles A