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. 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. Mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week, along with other smaller prey as the opportunity arises. Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. 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. But even without that second look there was no question that we'd seen a coyote. Would my mountain ridge be declared 'Critical Habitat' for the puma? 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. He said he'd never forget the sighting, but it was only when he saw another, a few months ago, in daylight, from his cabin, that he decided it was time to tell someone. Every year we receive a few similar reports from hikers, hunters or other outdoor enthusiasts. 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. Would that declaration close that ridge to hunting? A brief look, yes, but no question we saw a coyote. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. I believe that the folks that are reporting, in detail, their sightings are faced with a similar situation. It was definitely a mountain lion, and it had a big buck, white-tailed deer in its jaws. ? 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. Others would like to see some scientific proof. Recently the US Fish and Wildlife Service formally declared the Eastern Puma an extinct species, except for the remnant population in Florida. Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. There is no known estimate of the number of mountain lions inhabiting Texas. Accounts abound concerning interaction between these great beasts and people in northeast Pennsylvania, with wolves into the early 19th century and in the case with cougars, well into the early 20th century. Although in captivity, they can live much longer. In the map above, I collected data from the state and on the federal level to find state parks . And, some may be escaped or illegally released pets. Imagine my surprise. A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. Would these ridges be declared off-limits for hunting? 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. One of these days, though, I'll get one that won't be, and I hope that will be soon. Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. Among those who have investigated the primeval times of the Pocono Plateau and Delaware River valleys and tributaries was the late Vernon Leslie, Ph.D., a Wayne County historian and archaeologist. 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. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. Why is bat photography so difficult? As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! The Golden State has one of the largest populations of mountain lions in the country. 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.). This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. 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. Where they always here as a relic population? ? 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. They often would catch sheep in broad daylight. Wishful thinking? 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. Two other reports went, in detail, on what they saw, the size, the length of tail, etc. 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. "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. Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. Mountain Lions - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service) NPS.gov Park Home Learn About the Park Nature Animals Mammals Mountain Lion Mountain Lion Last updated: May 4, 2018 Was this page helpful? That's true. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? Still, people say they know what they saw out there. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. The State Museum of Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, displays a taxidermy mount of a mountain lion in glass case, with the notation, "This lion, found near Hawk Mountain in Berks County around 1871, is the last native mountain lion known to have been shot in Pennsylvania.". Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. 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. Can so many people be wrong? Illinois can also now be added to this list a mountain lion was found on the outskirts of Chicago. 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. I'm wondering, then, if the complete dismissal of sightings of Eastern pumas (other than the acknowledgement of released or escaped pets) isn't motivated by economics. A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. It is an Italianate Villa home that features authentic Victorian furniture and finishing. 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). There's a saying that "things aren't always what they appear to be." The Florida panther is an endemic subspecies of cougar that has lived in the everglades region for a very long time. Conversely, an outdoor writer I know told me that when Pa. enacted a menagerie permit law years ago, 'a lot of mountain lions suddenly died,' as the owners of these cats, rather than going through the paperwork, simply released their pumas and claimed that they had died. I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". Some experts predict that this wide-ranging predator, which can travel 600 miles in search of a territory, will surely reach our eastern states sometime in the next few decades. Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. 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. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. That's significant because, in states where mountain lions live, they're often struck by vehicles or otherwise found dead. Over 1,100 people follow her page. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. Armand Martinelli isn't only the mayor of East Stroudsburg, he's also a hunter who is connected with plenty of people in the area. Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? "We should be getting more pictures. Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. While it would seem impossible to confuse the two after seeing them in person, Foster said many of the sightings are in the dark, from roadways and trail cams, with bodies half-concealed. 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. 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. Mountain lions that are looking for new breeding areas are known as transient and are almost always males. With that hope in mind, I have, for years, asked outdoors people if they ever heard of a mountain lion, or puma, in their area -- with my questioning limited to people in my home state of Pennsylvania. 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. 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. More conclusive evidence is needed: Keep your cameras handy. The mountains and isolated forests of the state allow these large cats to live their lives without encountering humans very often. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". This is actually a good thing, as genetic isolation generally weakens a species. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. On that, I've had emails sent with game trail photo attachments, or killed pumas, supposedly shot in Pennsylvania, but these were hoaxes. Outdoor adventures abound, and so do our fabulous shopping and restaurants. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. Because the neck bothered me, I decided to do some Photoshop on the puma in the lower left, moving his head higher up and changing the image to a contrasty black and white - to give a silhouette for comparision. All rights reserved. Bobcats, feral cats and domestic dogs may be misidentified as mountain lion. Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . 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. 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. In August, Amy Walters said her 12-year-old son was spooked by a mountain lion in Forest County in northwest Pennsylvania while riding his dirt bike. There are also big swaths of thick of forests in parts of the state. Their are two web sites I know of that dealt with eastern pumas, with the one, the Eastern Puma Research Network, concentrating on sightings in the east. "From people that I trust have had visual sightings, they've seen mountain lions.". Known as the Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania, there are four trails that lead to the cascades from the Bushkill Falls trailhead, each ranging in . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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! I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one. 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. The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. . 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! The same goes for New York and several other eastern states. The first settlers kept sheep to supply their household with wool. The rounded ears, Did they migrate south from Canada? 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. 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. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. The next day, another friend, who works for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, called me to ask if I had seen the photo of a Pocono mountain lion with a deer in its jaws. Mountain lions can live in almost any habitat including forests, prairies, deserts, and swamps. 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. If you see a puma (mountain lion-cougar), contact me. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? 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. I've seen scores of leopards in the grasslands and deserts of East Africa and I've never seen, nor spoke with anyone, who has seen a black leopard there.