"They are very strong animals," she said. 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. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) 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. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are no wild, breeding cougar populations in this state anymore. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. It had been captured in Florida, and was to be released. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) also reports evidence that humans arrived during the last glaciation or soon after. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is always open to review evidence, but to date only hoaxes have crossed the PGC. 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. It's sort of like big foot, some people say they've seen him.". An animal's coat can stray far from the norm. 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. 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. 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. At the end of the last Ice Age, many animals in Pennsylvania died out. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. Just take your pick of all these incredible Pocono lake house rentals or just a Pocono cabin for rent, in luxury of course! Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. Other states have had sightings, especially as mountain lion populations begin to explore and look to expand. 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 to the East. The reintroduction of mountain lions into South Dakota is one of the great wins of modern conservation. She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. Every year we receive a few similar reports from hikers, hunters or other outdoor enthusiasts. The coat can be spotted or solid. This is actually a good thing, as genetic isolation generally weakens a species. See also: Of interestRamapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. I usually follow-up on these reports and, via email or phone conversations, I receive more details. This, after they were told that there were no pumas in Pa. "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. And yet today the debate continues: Are there mountain lions in Pennsylvania? None of these sightings has been authenticated, and many of them, including a recent, alleged mountain lion picked up on a surveillance camera in Lackawanna County, turned out to be bobcats. This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. Here's a glimpse at what long-gone Pocono beasts the region's very first wave of residents may have seen, and the wild things that followed up to as late as the early 20th century. Flying over the area, I've looked down and commented upon the amount of habitat that would be available for a puma, if only they existed. Ashley Catherine Fontones, Pocono Record. Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. 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! Mountain lions are well-established in 14 western states and have also recently been confirmed in 10 Midwestern states: Nebraska, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? There is a small breeding population in the state, despite being killed off in the 1920s. Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions. Over 1,100 people follow her page. The other two clans were the Turtle and Turkey. 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. 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. 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. Can so many people be so wrong? 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. In 2015, a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was placed near the site where the mastodon was found. Jones has never seen a mountain lion, but he thinks they're prowling around. 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 mountain lion population in Nevada is essential to the control of deer and rodent populations in the mountainous regions of the state. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. 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. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. They often would catch sheep in broad daylight. What would account for the long tails? We hope you enjoy this foray into the most weird and wonderful our beloved Pocono Mountains have to offer. But this one was black, and he knows mountain lions are some variant of brown. In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. Woolly mammoth bones were discovered in Bradford County in 1983. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. 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. Possibly, but it seems unlikely that enough would have been released or had escaped to make for a viable population. The name Pocono is derived from the . 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. The Pocono Mountains are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Reports of a mountain lion have come from several residents of Hemlock Farms who were hiking on. 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 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. I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one. Everyone else, when reporting, were frustrated as they were told they had seen a bobcat. Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. 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. I am bothered by the constricted neck of the cat on the game camera; 2. the tail is curved down, rather than up, but it may have been in mid-swing; 3. the goldenrod-appearing flower, and the background of cars, gives a sense of scale and location. 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. Asa Packer Mansion Jim Thorpe. The large tracts of untouched rocky land and bighorn sheep populations make for pristine mountain lion habitat. Did they migrate south from Canada? 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. Pocono Mountains - Wikipedia The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. The next day, the photo disappeared from the site. 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. 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. When he told me this, he commented on how an experience like the one he and his friends had just is not forgotten. "The day will come," he said, "when someone will pull the trigger on a mountain lion.". However, if you've seen a mountain lion, or other mystery creature, or evidence of either, in Pennsylvania, contact outdoor writer Marcus Schneck at [email protected].). 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. And yes, there are people in Pennsylvania who say they exist here. redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not Pa Mountain lion, cougar, or big cat in bucks county Pennsylvania She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Hunting is legal, but the use of dogs was banned in 1996. These experiences are still available, but the reality is there is so much more for the mature traveler to enjoy in the Pocono Mountains. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. It will happen eventually. Albinos are often very light sensitive, and they certainly are conspicuous, and most do not live very long. Eastern mountain lion officially declared extinct - pennlive.com Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? 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. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. 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. What do I think of the Canon 1D Mark IV? 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. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. Some cats had a South American genetic profile. They have almost been killed off a few times, but conservation efforts have helped to keep their numbers stable. 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. 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 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. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! Pocono Mountains: Best Things To See And Do - TravelAwaits Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. Do elk live in Pennsylvania? Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. In only one report had an official from the Pennsylvania Game Commision, a local warden, actually agree with the person reporting the sighting. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? 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. You would think someone would have a picture on a trail camera or whatever. I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". 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." "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". In this at this distant epoch, archaeologists attempt to clear some of the mists and mysteries of prehistoric times. The Cascade Mountains are an important habitat for mountain lions in the region, and a stable population lives within the state. Two other reports went, in detail, on what they saw, the size, the length of tail, etc. The cat is known to live in the western U.S. and Florida, South America and Canada. How, Who, and Why? "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. The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. DNR: Fish & Wildlife: Mountain Lion Mountain lions live in rescue centers like Murray's, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission said a dozen or so people are permitted to possess them. 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. If so, what would happen to the hunting industry in all of these states? Illinois can also now be added to this list a mountain lion was found on the outskirts of Chicago. Contrary to popular belief, there are no black panthers in North America; no one has ever captured or killed a black Mountain Lion. Mountain Lion Habitat in Tennessee - ArcGIS StoryMaps
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