are there mountain lions in the poconos

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. These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. Of course, the writer's comments were hearsay, but it does make sense. 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. There's a whole world to learn about and Colby is content to spend his life learning as much as he can about it! Unfortunately, their web site no longer seems active, and has been taken over by some wacky drug product. There isnt an official estimate on mountain lions in the state. As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! 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? 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. 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. Over the last few months several people have responded to this question with reports of their own. When I first discovered this fresh carcass I examined it for throat punctures, thinking that it may have been killed by a puma. And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. 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. The state of Arizona is home to a large, stable population of mountain lions. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! (National Park Service). 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. Same story as 'black panthers' across the country, because of course there, scientifically, can be no such thing. "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. 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.". 2023 www.poconorecord.com. This animal was undoubtedly a bobcat. I've seen so many examples of these distortions, exaggerations and lies over the last couple of years that I've grown very dubious about anything I see on a computer. About six months ago I posted the question, Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? Outdoor adventures abound, and so do our fabulous shopping and restaurants. "Likewise, I'm not aware of any escapes from captive facilities in my time here. Over 1,100 people follow her page. Currently, there are only 15 states that meet that qualification. Where they always here as a relic population? They're common in the rural areas of the Lehigh Valley but are moving into more populated areas as evidenced by a 600-pound specimen (pictured) that was tranquilized in March after neighbors in. You've got a mountain lion story or photo? Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. Not only do hunting licenses support the various state game commissions, and in some states the acquisition and maintenance of public hunting lands, but hunters are a huge boon to local economies each fall, with purchases of food, lodging, hunting equipment, etc. While there have been no confirmed occurrences of mountain lions in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s, dozens of sincere reports of sightings and tracks and even more hoaxed reports emerge across the state each year. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. They know what they saw, regardless of what the facts say, and they know they saw a puma. If there were wild cougars in our midst, the Game Commission also pointed out, eventually there would be solid evidence such as a carcass, scat and paw prints that could be verified. During this time, male mountain lions will travel in search of females. Then there is Rocky. Thank you for reading! I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. The bobcat wouldn't survive. Would that declaration close that ridge to hunting? Other states have had sightings, especially as mountain lion populations begin to explore and look to expand. 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. September 21st, 2008, 08:14 PM #74. Everyone is familiar with albinism, the absence of pigmentation that results in a white, essentially pigment free animal, defined by pink skin and pink eyes. Looking for things to do in the Poconos? Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. "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. Depends on who you talk to, I guess. What would account for the long tails? About half of the state of Montana is ideal for mountain lions, primarily in her western and central regions. 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. There are, from time to time, eyewitness accounts from hunters or hikers who claim to have seen the cat. The same goes for New York and several other eastern states. Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . Mary saw the photo, too, and she immediately agreed, it was a puma. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. An animal's coat can stray far from the norm. At one time this fact almost resulted in this cat not being protected, since it wasn't a pure strain. This is huge news for conservationists around the country and a sign that cougars may be heading east once again. Can so many people be wrong? 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. Kross only saw the animal for a second, but it made a believer out of him. In only one report had an official from the Pennsylvania Game Commision, a local warden, actually agree with the person reporting the sighting. As they get older, the cubs begin to leave the den and explore. ? The story behind our new web site. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. Are there pumas, or mountain lions, in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic States? 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. Florida is the only state on the east coast with a breeding population of mountain lions. They often would catch sheep in broad daylight. It has long been popular with honeymooners, but today the Poconos are a popular destination for families, skiers, adventure seekers, NASCAR fans, and those from urban areas around New England, New York City, Philadelphia . In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. Bushkill Falls Trail. A Mountain Lion Cover Up "He doesn't like men too much," said Suzanne Murray, owner of East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue in this south-central Pennsylvania town. 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 this at this distant epoch, archaeologists attempt to clear some of the mists and mysteries of prehistoric times. The earliest wave arrived at the end of the last Ice Age; the last wave is the Lenape or Delaware Tribe, which made contact with colonial settlers in the 1600s. At the end of the last Ice Age, many animals in Pennsylvania died out. 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. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. 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. Would these ridges be declared off-limits for hunting? Two other reports went, in detail, on what they saw, the size, the length of tail, etc. "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. I'd love to hear of any reports you have. Mountain lions have an interesting life cycle that consists of a few different characteristics. Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? 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. The agency has declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies ofmountain lions native to North America. Contrary to popular belief, there are no black panthers in North America; no one has ever captured or killed a black Mountain Lion. I haven't seen any reports like that.". The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. Are the various States guilty of essentially the same thing? Erosion from glacial melt and violence glaciers did to the land left a. There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. Ashley Catherine Fontones, Pocono Record. How do I deal with shaving weight for carrying my gear? A dark brown puma, backlighted by a strong sun, could appear all black, or very dark, and he accepted that. Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. With that in mind, lets break down how we classified the states. 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. 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. 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. It had been captured in Florida, and was to be released. Any Truth They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. 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. 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. In the map above, I collected data from the state and on the federal level to find state parks . For information on predator tracks, check out this guide: https://www.wildliferemoval.com/animal-track-identification-guide/, Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Hunting is legal in the state, but it is heavily controlled and restricted. The 'look' is from my 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. While the chances that I'll ever see a puma in Pennsylvania myself are virtually zero, I'm always on the alert -- for the bobcat I've never seen in Pa., for a fisher, bear, deer, red salamander, toad, or snake, and yes, I'm always hoping that I too will become one of those who saw something that officially cannot exist within the state, a puma I know I saw but, of course, could not have! 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. 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. I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. And this genetic mix has been recognized, and the Florida puma is still protected. There are also big swaths of thick of forests in parts of the state. You be the judge. 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. 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. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. There is a small breeding population in the state, despite being killed off in the 1920s. Encouraged by the bounties, settlers waged war on these perceived beasts. Recently, on a back road in Pennsylvania, a friend and I had our first sighting of a coyote in Pennsylvania. 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. He also noted that if the cat was here, wouldn't they be reproducing and increasing in population by now? Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). This one streaked across the road in the early evening, and fortunately, it stopped when it climbed a hill on the other side where I had another view from my side of the truck. Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. It seems unlikely, considering captives have never shown this trait, but people are reporting big black cats. A tiny population of Florida cougars persists in the southeastern corner of the United States. It was definitely a mountain lion, and it had a big buck, white-tailed deer in its jaws. Who knows? Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? Check out the tails of the two! The record size for this species is 8 feet, and it probably weighed 15 to 20 pounds, which shows how exaggerated this claim is. As the latest hoaxed photo of a mountain lion supposedly killed in Pennsylvania died a slow death on Facebook yesterday, the head of an organization tracking the eastern movements of the big cats was preparing a presentation for a Pennsylvania audience tonight. "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. I don't know if a Game Commission authority has actually said this or not, but people I've spoken to have reported this. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. 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. Puma vs Mountain Lion: Is There a Difference? the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. See also: Imagine my surprise. Many of the reports I receive are extremely credible. They ponder rare fossil evidence unearthed and seek to make sense of stratified geology, both fleeting in the face of what we call progress. 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. And yes, there are people in Pennsylvania who say they exist here. 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. One of the important things for any animal is a place to call home. Like Arizona, New Mexico is the perfect home for mountain lions. 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? 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? I think it is possible that recognizing the existence of pumas in the East could jeopardize this industry and an entire economy. This, after they were told that there were no pumas in Pa. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. Goodrich said he once saw a mountain lion spring from a thicket and kill a sheep on a public road. 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. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. Both sheep and young cattle fell prey to wolves, unless they were under constant watch. Of interestRamapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization. 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. 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. 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! They are there to help us. There are deserts, mountains, and swamps in the state of Utah, all of which are suitable for mountain lions. 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. So what? It is almost safe to say that the panther has in these parts become extinct, Goodrich wrote. 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. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. 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. What do I think of the Canon 1D Mark IV? 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. There had been 17 other mastodon finds in Pennsylvania up to 1968, but all were fragmentary. 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. Joseph Pugliese 2.2K views 7 years ago Beautiful Bobcat in our yard as our. Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. I have three observations here: 1. Among other uses, the tax was levied "for destroying wolves, foxes, heads and crows." In the area around the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia there are mountains and deep caves that contain some of the coal mines that were a major part of the state's industry in the early part of the 19 th century. Most of my original Questions of the Month for the last several For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. 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.

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