are there mountain lions in the poconos

I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one. "It was in Worthington State Forest just across the Delaware River from Smithfield Beach). At one time this fact almost resulted in this cat not being protected, since it wasn't a pure strain. Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? So how or why could there be a conspiracy? Mary saw the photo, too, and she immediately agreed, it was a puma. However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? What you wouldn't expect to find here anymore is a mountain lion. The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. The state of Idaho is large, expansive, and full of rocky wilderness. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". DNA collected from the mountain lion killed on a roadway in Connecticut in 2011 showed the animal to have originated in South Dakota. All rights reserved (About Us). 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." A typical home range is around 150 square miles for adult males and 50 square miles for adult females in our region. With the Great Lakes in its way, the cat moved either north or south of the water, and the latter route would have seen it pass through at least some of Pennsylvania. Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. Woolly mammoth bones were discovered in Bradford County in 1983. 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. Most, quite honestly, don't know or can't believe or accept what they saw, they really can't believe their eyes. September 21st, 2008, 08:14 PM #74. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. 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. The same goes for New York and several other eastern states. Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? The mountain lion population in Nevada is essential to the control of deer and rodent populations in the mountainous regions of the state. See also: These cubs are born blind and helpless. 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? Although in captivity, they can live much longer. "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. 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. Among other uses, the tax was levied "for destroying wolves, foxes, heads and crows." Penn State's Nittany Lion hide sampled for DNA sequencing, Mountain lion reports in Pennsylvania popular, but often a hoax, More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. I've read a lot about this, and the usual explanation is the very human desire to see something, to see what someone wants to see, and thus these people are seeing bobcats or brown cats or dogs or foxes and, because they 'want' to see a puma, they do. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. In many regions, the population within the state is actually increasing! Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. In Tennessee, the most likely places you would find them would be in the forest. 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. This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. Scientists debate whether the large prehistoric mammals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age due to over-hunting, or rapid climate warming. Albinos are often very light sensitive, and they certainly are conspicuous, and most do not live very long. Foster said mountain lions and bobcats could not breed. Where can I find Depth of Field reference charts? I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. Archived Questions of the Month 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. Pocono Record sports writer Mike Kuhns wrote a great piece on Oct. 14, "Does the mountain lion roam PA?" The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Many of the reports I receive are extremely credible. There are at least 20,000 black bears in Pa., and a small percentage are killed each year, but we're probably not talking about 20,000 pumas in the state. Let's see a clear photo, or a carcass or something. 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. 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. Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions. 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. Only once has anyone later determined that they had misidentified the cat, seeing a bobcat and not a mountain lion. 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. Penn State's Nittany Lion hide sampled for DNA sequencing, Mountain lion reports in Pennsylvania popular, but often a hoax, More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Reports of a mountain lion have come from several residents of Hemlock Farms who were hiking on. He notes how over the millennia, the region was inhabited by humans, only to be depopulated by migration brought on by the search of food due to a fickle climate, war or epidemic. Did they migrate south from Canada? Leslie estimated that the first humans making up the Paleo-Indians lived in the upper Delaware valley as early as 11,000 B.C. Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). 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). 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. 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. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? "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. 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. Caribou meat apparently was part of their diet. On the other hand, there are probably thousands of game cameras covering water holes and game trails throughout Pennsylvania, and to my knowledge no one has yet recorded a puma. 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. Phineas Teeple of Manchester Township is thought to have killed the last wolf in Wayne County. There also were camels, sloth and hyena, which migrated elsewhere. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. If you see or photograph a puma in the mid-Atlantic states, please email or call me. Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. You would think someone would have a picture on a trail camera or whatever. All rights reserved. Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? Why is bat photography so difficult? Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. Some cats had a South American genetic profile. 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 . Let's say the facts indicate that there have been a lot of 'pet' pumas, and many of these escaped. 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. "While it seems unlikely, it's not impossible that these animals are showing up in PA," said David Foster, a biology professor at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg. Like Arizona, New Mexico is the perfect home for mountain lions. It will happen eventually. 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. Known as the Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania, there are four trails that lead to the cascades from the Bushkill Falls trailhead, each ranging in . Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. This is huge news for conservationists around the country and a sign that cougars may be heading east once again. Best hike for seeing waterfalls. 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. They are there to help us. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. The state of Texas is home to many mountain lion populations, but the numbers are incredibly hard to find. Me? This, after they were told that there were no pumas in Pa. A mastodon's skull was first located in Marshalls Creek, Monroe County, on July 5, 1968. Many have a desire to see some clear-cut evidence. And yes, there are people in Pennsylvania who say they exist here. Mountain lions have a lifespan of about 8 to 13 years old in the wild. Is it the New Best Pack? 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. I want to believe they're here, but I'm having some trouble. After all, how many people have pumas? Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? They include a reported attack on horses at a farm near Dillsburg, York County, that Foster thinks may be legitimate. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. After all, skeptics often suggest that puma sightings are just deer sightings, so it would be logical to worry that a hunter might shoot an endangered puma, mistaking it for a brown deer. Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Ramapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization, Bigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. In captivity mountain, lions can live to be about 20 years old. "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. Looking for things to do in the Poconos? 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). 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. Geologist Dr. John Yolton made the identification. Very, very rarely, when I ask someone who would be a likely candidate (a hunter, someone who owns a camp in the deep woods, travels likely routes often, foresters), 'Have you ever seen a mountain lion?' Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . Still, these resilient animals reside in secluded areas across the United States, with current data suggesting they may even be returning to their historical regions! Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. Depends on who you talk to, I guess. An escapee is also possible. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? You've got a mountain lion story or photo? Just take your pick of all these incredible Pocono lake house rentals or just a Pocono cabin for rent, in luxury of course! Encouraged by the bounties, settlers waged war on these perceived beasts. Have all of those who have seen a puma really seen a bobcat? (National Park Service). For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. It was definitely a mountain lion, and it had a big buck, white-tailed deer in its jaws. Instead, the person usually pauses, sometimes with a sheepish or embarrassed expression on his face, and seems reluctant to continue. While there have been no confirmed occurrences of mountain lions in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s, dozens . He saw a big cat. 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.". Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. He's a hunter, a woodsman, and he's seen a lot of game, so I can believe he saw a back-lighted puma. 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. Let me explain this. I don't believe someone's imagination could stretch a six inch long tail to three feet! 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. There are, from time to time, eyewitness accounts from hunters or hikers who claim to have seen the cat. 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. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. RelatedBigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know. "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. Note the size of the tail, the pointed ears, the speckled coat, the basic lack of white underneath. 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. 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. When he told me this, he commented on how an experience like the one he and his friends had just is not forgotten. 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. 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. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on average between 75-120 pounds, has long whiskers and a distinctive swooping tail. Now, forty years ago coyotes were rare or almost nonexistent in Pennsylvania, and had had that same sighting back then, when coyotes were thought not to exist within the state we would have had the 'facts' to doubt what we saw. What would account for the long tails? Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. 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. 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. Periodically, via Google searches, I receive reports from people who believe they had seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania, or in other mid-Atlantic states. 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 Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos. Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. In the wild, adult mountain lions can weigh anywhere from 65 to 220 pounds. Where they always here as a relic population? "The cougars examined in the Northeast in the past 70 years are likely released or escaped captives. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. There is a small breeding population in the state, despite being killed off in the 1920s. 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. 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. 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 live almost everywhere in the state of Washington. No evidence has ever been produced to support those charges. It has the color of a mountain lion, but the long tail appears to be missing. If we say it ain't so, it ain't so! State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. And when our officers go out to investigate reports of mountain lions, or when our staff reviews photos that are sent to us, often we're able to verify some other animal mistakenly was reported as a mountain lion.". 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. How do I deal with shaving weight for carrying my gear? Are there pumas, or mountain lions, in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic States? Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". During this time, male mountain lions will travel in search of females. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! Hunting is legal, but the use of dogs was banned in 1996. Here's an example: A man is holding a dead eastern diamondback rattlesnake, which was found in North Carolina and measured more than 9 feet long and weighed 95 pounds. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. 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. She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. On that note, I was speaking with a Fed Ex driver recently who told me that one of his colleagues had seen what he swore was a dead mountain lion on the side of a road. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Is there a Mountain Lion Conspiracy? I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. 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. ", (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. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. One man, in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, had seen one, at night, about 25 years ago. Images from a homeowner's surveillance camera show a tan cat with a long body, beyond a chain-link fence. The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. And this genetic mix has been recognized, and the Florida puma is still protected. Ashley Catherine Fontones, Pocono Record. He knows and was familiar with bobcats, and it was not a weird house cat that he and his friends misjudged in size. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. 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.

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