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 large tracts of untouched rocky land and bighorn sheep populations make for pristine mountain lion habitat. A Game Commission vehicle was there, and the Fed Ex driver, after reaching the bottom of a long hill, turned back to check on what he saw. 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.). The rocky habitat that covers much of the state is perfect for these ambush predators, especially since humans dont inhabit much of the land. In his 1973 book "Faces in Clay" Leslie lays open the archaeological treasures of stone arrow or spear points and tools lost long ago by a succession of native peoples. Each year, over tha past five, I've spoken with at least one person who swears they personally saw a puma in this state. 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. However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? Kross only saw the animal for a second, but it made a believer out of him. There is a big community of mountain lion enthusiasts across the Northeast convinced that the animals still exist in breeding populations. "The day will come," he said, "when someone will pull the trigger on a mountain lion.". Two different people told me that they, or a close relative, had seen pumas on more than one occasion. One of these days, though, I'll get one that won't be, and I hope that will be soon. Since mountain lions are the top predators (unlike most other states with grizzly bears), they have a well-developed population. I usually follow-up on these reports and, via email or phone conversations, I receive more details. . Would that declaration close that ridge to hunting? Again, I've been told that some Game Commission personnel have admitted that pumas may exist in Pennsylvania, but they rationalize this by saying that the pumas are not breeding and they are not from original wild stock. 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. 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. It's sort of like big foot, some people say they've seen him.". Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. 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. 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? Provided by Touchpoints The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. 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. 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. 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. 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. Bobcats tend to be darker brown, with lighter belly fur and spots while mountain lions tend to be more uniform brown, tawny color. During this time, male mountain lions will travel in search of females. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Mountain lions roamed all of the continent prior to the arrival and westward spread of European settlers, but only the eastern and Florida subspecies were found east of the Mississippi. This happens usually around the 18-month mark. The agency has declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies ofmountain lions native to North America. Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. The life cycle then repeats itself. Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). Imagination? About half of the state of Montana is ideal for mountain lions, primarily in her western and central regions. The state of Arizona is home to a large, stable population of mountain lions. 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 . 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. Cougar vs Mountain Lion What Are the Differences? 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. 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. And, some may be escaped or illegally released pets. 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. 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? Heres What the Data Says. Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? 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. 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. Would these ridges be declared off-limits for hunting? 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. No projectile points or spearheads were found with the remains, indicating the animal may have died naturally rather than killed by native hunters. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. So, couldn't that same argument apply to pumas in the Northeast? a high priority. But many others believe wild mountain lions are traveling from Western states, where as many as 30,000 could exist, and across the Midwest to Pennsylvania seeking new territory. The mountains and isolated forests of the state allow these large cats to live their lives without encountering humans very often. Geologist Dr. John Yolton made the identification. Interestingly, the US Fish and Wildllife Service has declared the Eastern Puma extinct, except for the Florida population known as the Florida panther. I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. Only once has anyone later determined that they had misidentified the cat, seeing a bobcat and not a mountain lion. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are no wild, breeding cougar populations in this state anymore. And this genetic mix has been recognized, and the Florida puma is still protected. ? Something to consider, even though we all trust the government. Hunting is legal in the state, but it is heavily controlled and restricted. One man, in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, had seen one, at night, about 25 years ago. Interestingly, almost all of the people I've spoken to who claim to have seen a puma have not seen a bobcat, an animal that is common enough in Pennsylvania to support a legal trapping season! A Mountain Lion Cover Up Depends on who you talk to, I guess. Let's say the facts indicate that there have been a lot of 'pet' pumas, and many of these escaped. Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. RelatedBigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know. "They are very strong animals," she said. Of interestRamapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. (National Park Service). The same goes for New York and several other eastern states. The rounded ears, Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. That's significant because, in states where mountain lions live, they're often struck by vehicles or otherwise found dead. An animal's coat can stray far from the norm. Contrary to popular belief, there are no black panthers in North America; no one has ever captured or killed a black Mountain Lion. A typical home range is around 150 square miles for adult males and 50 square miles for adult females in our region. 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. The Cascade Mountains are an important habitat for mountain lions in the region, and a stable population lives within the state. 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. Goodrich said he once saw a mountain lion spring from a thicket and kill a sheep on a public road. Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. Where they always here as a relic population? Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. The bones were found perfectly preserved. Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. 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. Claws 'N' Paws Animal Park in Lake Ariel has two. 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? 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 thought I had a sighting in the late '90s," Delaware Water Gap National Recreation park ranger Chris Kross said. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? 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. If you see a puma (mountain lion-cougar), contact me. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Bobcats, feral cats and domestic dogs may be misidentified as mountain lion. If we say it ain't so, it ain't so! This is not a Pennsylvania puma! 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 . This is not a Pennsylvania puma! The story behind our new web site. When I first discovered this fresh carcass I examined it for throat punctures, thinking that it may have been killed by a puma. What does a Puma (Mountain Lion) look like on a Game Camera? No one needs to panic.". The cat is known to live in the western U.S. and Florida, South America and Canada. 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.". 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. Fish and Wildlife Service. How, Who, and Why? Mountain lions that are looking for new breeding areas are known as transient and are almost always males. A total of 32 mountain lions have been struck and killed by vehicles in the study area since 2002. I believe that the folks that are reporting, in detail, their sightings are faced with a similar situation. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. "He doesn't like men too much," said Suzanne Murray, owner of East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue in this south-central Pennsylvania town. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. 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. "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. Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. Then there is Rocky. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Some cats had a South American genetic profile. The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. What equipment do we take in the field? Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. So what? Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. 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. 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 could fill pages recounting the eye-witness reports I've heard, and for every report critics could certainly say 'but there's no physical evidence!' Scientists debate whether the large prehistoric mammals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age due to over-hunting, or rapid climate warming. Is there a Puma conspiracy? There had been 17 other mastodon finds in Pennsylvania up to 1968, but all were fragmentary. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? 1.8 miles, 2 hours, moderate. Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? 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. Two other reports went, in detail, on what they saw, the size, the length of tail, etc. 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. It has the color of a mountain lion, but the long tail appears to be missing. "While confirmed cougar sightings have occurred recently in the wild in the East, there is currently no scientific or physical evidence documenting the continued existence of a population of wild eastern cougars," according to the U.S. The name Pocono is derived from the . The hunting policy of the state may be the cause of the dropping population, and pressure on the Fish and Game Commission has increased. But no one that I've communicated with had these preconceptions, and seeing what they saw was a complete surprise. I believe them. 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. 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. "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 am hoping that more and more people will learn of my own interest in this, and will pass on this information and that I'll receive more reports and, hopefully, sometime, a game camera photo that is definitive. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. 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. Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. 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. One came to her as the result of an owner's divorce. Oregon has a large, stable breeding population of mountain lions. Some have even reported seeing a "black panther," a near-impossibility because of the rarity of that recessive gene. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. 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. Everyone else, when reporting, were frustrated as they were told they had seen a bobcat. 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." The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. I asked our Game officials about evidence, and they cite no road kills. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? Where they always here as a relic population? 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. Many of the reports I receive are extremely credible. The Asa Packer Mansion, built in the year 1861, is a historic house museum. 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. 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. 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. I've done this myself once, in Tanzania, when I saw a black house cat that I thought was a black leopard! 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. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". 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. And book one of these Poconos cabins rentals for the best outdoor access to these activities. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? I've seen hoaxes, of pumas carrying deer shot with game cameras, but these were of western cats. I have not spoken with a Game Commission officer personally, so I don't know whether anyone killing a puma in Pennsylvania could do so without legal repercussions. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. By the time he returned the vehicle was gone, and so was the cat, and no mention was ever made of this road kill in a radio or newspaper report. One of the three branches or clans of the Lenape Tribe at the end of the 17th century was known as the Wolf (Minsi). I hope no one ever shoots a puma to prove their existence here, but I hope someone gets a great photo, of the cat, of a road-kill, of tracks, and that I see it. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. 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. Furthermore, a different set of photos showed a "mountain lion" dragging a deer into the woods in Bradford County. There is a small breeding population in the state, despite being killed off in the 1920s. The cat was far enough away that I couldn't get a size reference, and I believed the cat was further away than it actually was. The image in the Upper Left was from a Game Camera, sent to me by a friend. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. Me? 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. 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.". At the end of the last Ice Age, many animals in Pennsylvania died out. Suppose, instead of declaring the puma, or Eastern mountain lion, extinct, the USFWS actually recognized the existence of the cat as a wild, breeding species. Instead, the person usually pauses, sometimes with a sheepish or embarrassed expression on his face, and seems reluctant to continue. 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. with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. 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. They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. One sighting I give complete belief in was from a friend who told me a puma crossed right in front of their vehicle, and paused on the berm for a few seconds, at a distant of ten yards or less. You've got a mountain lion story or photo? I'll offer my own little anecdote. 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. 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. What do I think of the Canon 1D Mark IV? Although in captivity, they can live much longer. Certainly it is a romantic notion, but I've always held out the hope that pumas still roamed the east.
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