Possibly, but it seems unlikely that enough would have been released or had escaped to make for a viable population. 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. The story behind our new web site. Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). That's true. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. Puma vs Mountain Lion: Is There a Difference? 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. Check out the tails of the two! Travis Lau, a spokesperson for the Game Commission, said the state has a "never say never" approach when it comes to mountain lions and acknowledges that Western cats could be moving east. At the end of the last Ice Age, many animals in Pennsylvania died out. 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. That's significant because, in states where mountain lions live, they're often struck by vehicles or otherwise found dead. With healthy populations and strong conservation programs, however, they seem to be pushing back east. Provided by Touchpoints In 2015, a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was placed near the site where the mastodon was found. 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. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. Mountain lions that are looking for new breeding areas are known as transient and are almost always males. Hunting is legal in the state, but it is heavily controlled and restricted. What is the Kiboko backpack? These cubs are born blind and helpless. On that, I've had emails sent with game trail photo attachments, or killed pumas, supposedly shot in Pennsylvania, but these were hoaxes. 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. Currently, mountain lions seem to be making a comeback in regard to their historic range. 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 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. The Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos. 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. However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? No projectile points or spearheads were found with the remains, indicating the animal may have died naturally rather than killed by native hunters. They ponder rare fossil evidence unearthed and seek to make sense of stratified geology, both fleeting in the face of what we call progress. Who knows? 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. Bobcats tend to be darker brown, with lighter belly fur and spots while mountain lions tend to be more uniform brown, tawny color. (570) 325-3229. 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. A few could, perhaps, be mistaken idenity. Nevertheless, I put up a MOULTRIE game camera -- a brand that I've had tremendous satisfaction with -- at the carcass, hoping that scavengers would visit. Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? 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. It's sort of like big foot, some people say they've seen him.". Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. The large tracts of untouched rocky land and bighorn sheep populations make for pristine mountain lion habitat. 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 I first discovered this fresh carcass I examined it for throat punctures, thinking that it may have been killed by a puma. 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. 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!' 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. 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 . (National Park Service). This happens usually around the 18-month mark. I've know of reports since 1973, in Cooke Forest, the heart of a lot of Pa. wilderness. ? He saw his cat at very close range -- 20 yards or less, and when I pointed out to him that pumas are never black he said that perhaps it was the light. 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. Wishful thinking? A neighbor scared the animal away before it could finish its meal; the sheeps carcass was used as bait, to catch the big cat. Let me explain this. Did they migrate south from Canada? The mountain lion population in Nevada is essential to the control of deer and rodent populations in the mountainous regions of the state. And yes, there are people in Pennsylvania who say they exist here. I haven't seen any reports like that.". Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. 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. 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. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". But this one was black, and he knows mountain lions are some variant of brown. 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. Bushkill Falls Trail. with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. But an image captured by one family's. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. 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? 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. 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. 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. Never has this been more accurate than in today's digital, computerized world. There is a big community of mountain lion enthusiasts across the Northeast convinced that the animals still exist in breeding populations. They know what they saw, regardless of what the facts say, and they know they saw a puma. All rights reserved. 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. The same goes for New York and several other eastern states. 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. About six months ago I posted the question, Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. He knows and was familiar with bobcats, and it was not a weird house cat that he and his friends misjudged in size. 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. And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might Me? After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. 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. Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. The first settlers kept sheep to supply their household with wool. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Every year we receive a few similar reports from hikers, hunters or other outdoor enthusiasts. The coat can be spotted or solid. "Likewise, I'm not aware of any escapes from captive facilities in my time here. 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? If mountain lions are discovered in PA anytime soon they'll either be big foot's pets or genetically engineered and released by the DCNR to cull the orangu-bear population. DNA collected from the mountain lion killed on a roadway in Connecticut in 2011 showed the animal to have originated in South Dakota. If you see or photograph a puma in the mid-Atlantic states, please email or call me. Let me explain this. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. There is no known estimate of the number of mountain lions inhabiting Texas. 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. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? . They once inhabited the entire United States, but were killed off and pushed west. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. There's a whole world to learn about and Colby is content to spend his life learning as much as he can about it! 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. It was estimated to be a young adult American Mastodon that had died about 12,000 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating. In the wild, adult mountain lions can weigh anywhere from 65 to 220 pounds. The State cites that there are no road-kills, and in a heavily trafficed state like Pennsylvania there should be kills. In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions. Are Mountain Lions in Missouri Making a Comeback? Although a large proportion of the Lenape Nation was dispersed far from their ancestral homelands in the 18th century, colonial settlers and their descendants struggled to live in this region with wolves and cougars inhabiting the forests. Any Truth Among other uses, the tax was levied "for destroying wolves, foxes, heads and crows." 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. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The mountains and isolated forests of the state allow these large cats to live their lives without encountering humans very often. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. Geologist Dr. John Yolton made the identification. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? 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. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. Where they always here as a relic population? Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. So, couldn't that same argument apply to pumas in the Northeast? Over the last few months several people have responded to this question with reports of their own. 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. That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. 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. What equipment do we take in the field? Let me know if you have seen one! It had been captured in Florida, and was to be released. Additionally, California banned the hunting of cougars back in 1972, encouraging population growth. As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. Mountain lions live almost everywhere in the state of Washington. 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. Who knows? Here's 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. Mountain Lion Reports 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! Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? Fish and Wildlife Service. "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". 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. Most of my original Questions of the Month for the last several There had been 17 other mastodon finds in Pennsylvania up to 1968, but all were fragmentary. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. The states beautiful wilderness and mountainous terrain are prime mountain lion habitats. If we don't see it, it doesn't exist. Foster said mountain lions and bobcats could not breed. One of these days, though, I'll get one that won't be, and I hope that will be soon. Good luck, and let me know! Best hike for seeing waterfalls. Who knows? Over 1,100 people follow her page. I love the big cats and devote a huge amount of my field time photographing African lions, leopards, cheetahs, and in 2011, tigers. The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. "He doesn't like men too much," said Suzanne Murray, owner of East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue in this south-central Pennsylvania town. A tiny population of Florida cougars persists in the southeastern corner of the United 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. 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. 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. Is it the New Best Pack? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. 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. Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. No one needs to panic.". Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! The life cycle then repeats itself. The first is the mating season which can occur during the late to early spring months. Murray also has a cross-eyed white tiger named Keisha, who crushed chicken bones with ease but delicately stepped into a metal pool to cool off. The cat is known to live in the western U.S. and Florida, South America and Canada. So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. But even without that second look there was no question that we'd seen a coyote. . This is only hearsay, however, since I'm only going on their stories. Reports of a mountain lion have come from several residents of Hemlock Farms who were hiking on. What the Lenape Indians never did, the European colonists and their descendants did swiftly eradicate the wolf and cougars viewed as a menace to their families and livestock. After all, how many people have pumas? 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. Depends on who you talk to, I guess. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. 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. Newspapers carried stories in 1956 about hunters supposedly seeing and killing wolves in Pike and Monroe Counties. Oregon has a large, stable breeding population of mountain lions. Editor's note: The Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent have collaborated for a series of stories called Mountain Beasts: Pocono cryptids, legends and lore. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? Encouraged by the bounties, settlers waged war on these perceived beasts. Let's say the facts indicate that there have been a lot of 'pet' pumas, and many of these escaped. The 2,400-square-mile area has long been a popular outdoor recreation area boasting hunting, fishing, skiing, and more. There are controlled hunting laws in the state of Oregon. You've got a mountain lion story or photo? What does a Puma (Mountain Lion) look like on a Game Camera? 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. 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. Imagine my surprise. A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. Find cabins in the Poconos, PA near places like Bushkill Falls, Camelback Mountain Resort, and more. 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. Packer Hill Ave. Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. The name Pocono is derived from the . With that in mind, lets break down how we classified the states. I asked our Game officials about evidence, and they cite no road kills. If so, what would happen to the hunting industry in all of these states? The other two clans were the Turtle and Turkey. The State argues that there is no physical evidence, and no credible photographs. "With all of that said, though, there's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania. "It's one of those things where I'll believe it when I see it," said Jason Farmer of Pocono Summit, my hunting partner for the last eight years. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? Kross only saw the animal for a second, but it made a believer out of him. PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. 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. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. Mountain lions were once widespread across North America, but their range shrunk dramatically as they were pursued through unregulated hunting and by farmers aiming to protect their livestock, and moved off the landscape by habitat fragmentation. I'd love to hear of any reports you have. I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. Compare any game camera image with the shots above, or this game camera image, to confirm your identification.
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