Three sightings, in fact, are considered credible and have some backing to them. I was driving to work just before sun rise, Late September 2019. A cougar or puma is like a UFO with four feet.. A friend sent this to me. I called the game commission and they told me there have been no mountain lions reported in PA. A mountain lion named Rocky, at the East Coast Animal Rescue, Tuesday, September 4, 2018. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. I work near Hazleton, Pa. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. Ohio. Are dangerous creatures lurking outside your tent flap or in the woods beyond your backyard if you live 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. Eastern coyotes are prevalent in Pennsylvania. Hawley, J.E., Rego, P.W., Wydeven, A.P., Schwartz, M.K., Viner, T.C., Kays R., Pilgrim, K.L., and Jenks, J.A. Pennsylvania would be incredibly difficult for cougars to reach. Other sightings have been reported in Forks Township. No wonder I have not seen that many rabbits or squirrels lately. The only population that survived was the Florida panther (Puma concolor couguar), and it only survived with great help from conservationists. The Game Commission is hiding this information from the public either that or they dont know what a mountain lion looks like. Pennlive.com reports trappers kill more than 40,000 of them in Pennsylvania every year. Pennsylvania Game Commission officials say it's very unlikely it was a mountain lion. 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.". Big cats still roam parts of Pennsylvania. They helped to keep prey populations in balance, which created a more diverse and better functioning ecosystem that could respond to disturbances. If you think you see a predatory cat ready to pounce, you're likely mistaken. And, if. Juvenile females do not disperse like males, which limits cougar range expansion. In 2016, a trail cam photo in South Jersey was later determined to show a house cat. This cat had brown fur with a white underbelly, and a black, brown and white face. Factors governing risk of cougar attacks on humans. Black bear can be easily told apart from cougars: black bears have five toes to cougars four and their footpads are more elongated. Mitochondrial genomes of the regionally extinct Nittany Lion (Puma concolor from Pennsylvania). In the winter, cougar tracks maybe up to six inches long. Let us know. A recent rumor of a cougar killed by a vehicle on Interstate 80 attracted some attention at Penn State. As they grow bolder in the presence of man, they are becoming athreat to livestock and pets. "Likewise, I'm not aware of any escapes from captive facilities in my time here. The report in Greene County is the only one confirmed to be a mountain lion. For a limited time, you can get full access to breaking news, all original Outdoor News stories and updates from the entire Great Lakes Region and beyond, the most up-to-date fishing & hunting reports, lake maps, photo & video galleries, the latest gear, wild game cooking tips and recipes, fishing & hunting tips from pros and experts, bonus web content and much, much more, all on your smartphone, tablet or desktop For just a buck per month! A placard affixed to the fence outside Rocky's pen states that "cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans." 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). No one needs to panic.". You can also identify the venomous snakes of Pennsylvania by their vertical pupils, similar to the pupils in cats' eyes. For more information on mountain lions, visit the . A reproducing population of endangered cougars lives in the Everglades, known as the "Florida panthers," and the big cats are so numerous in a number of western states that hunting seasons are allowed. Until recently, whenever the sighting of a mountain lion was reported in PA, the intial response from the PGC was to say the sighting was a misidentification. Cougars are kept in captivity by a few people, but these cats are large agile wild animals that are not suited to captivity. 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? Figure 2. Follow Michael & PhillyVoice on Twitter @mtanen88| @thePhillyVoice The timber rattlesnake and northern copperhead are close to threatened, according to pennlive.com. Bobcats (2a; photo credit: Dave Jackson) and coyotes (2b; photo credit Scott Weikert) are often confused for cougars (2c). This was hit by a truck on Mill Creek Road . Fear of the human super predator reduces feeding time in large carnivores. If you see a mountain lion. Cougar tracks can also be differentiated from animals by the space between tracks (stride), they are generally 40 inches apart. Over 1,100 people follow her page. Most are about three feet long. "He doesn't like men too much," said Suzanne Murray, owner of East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue in this south-central Pennsylvania town. In 1991 mountain lion tracks were found . Cougars need areas without humans because they do not like to be around humans and humans kill them (intentionally and unintentionally). Florida panther population estimate updated. "Hunters tell me, 'Oh yeah, we've seen them, but we love them, and we are not going to shoot them,'" he says. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The distance traveled varies based on habitat, time of year, and study methods. Black widows are native to the state. I also seen deer in my yard, a coyote, a mink, a wood turtle and a bear earlier this year as well. Already a subscriber to OutdoorNews.com? U.S. Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lion take a fawn in a swamp 1 mile from my home in the same county. The only animal with a similar sized track is the black bear. This definitely wasnt a bobcat. Cougars were officially declared extinct east of the Mississippi in the 1930s. Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. The nearest known populations of mountain lions are in Wyoming, Colorado, North . i have seen a mountain lion in Hawks Mountain where persons watch hawk migration about 7 to 10 years ago. As a result, multiple sightings across different time ranges could be attributed to the same cat. "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. But a mix of bounty hunting and heavy foresting killed or pushed out the population. They can grow as large as 200 pounds and have long tails. A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. Then there is Rocky. It will happen eventually. "I know they're native to this area. But an image captured by one family's security camera last weekend certainly shows what looks to be a mountain lion. "I'm proud to know her," Murray said of the tiger, "but I wish I didn't.". Upon investigation, the mountain lion was clearly a Florida panther that had wandered . Because this cat is rarely seen, it is commonly confused with cougars, but there are some key differences between bobcats and cougars (Figure 2). The map below includes both confirmed and unverified puma sightings in the larger San Francisco Bay region (and beyond) since 2004. Eventually they will reach areas where they never lived, or once lived,and will repopulate that area. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Much of the prime habitat in the West is already occupied by larger more dominate males, so juvenile males make long journeys to disperse to setup a new territory or find an area where they can push out the dominate male. Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. Cougars are often by hit carsin 2020, at least one-tenth of all Florida panthers (20 out of a maximum population of 200 animals) were hit by cars. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. I saw a large black cat about the size of a mediym sized dog walking towards my car in pike county Not valid with other promotions. 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. Some may also be kept illicitly as pets, which would quickly become a problem as the cat matures. The eastern cougar subspecies is slightly smaller than the western, but is similar in appearance and habits. They denied there was a mountain lion in their truck. Mike Jacobsen found a dead mountain lion in his Denton-area field on Dec. 19. "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". "I know they're native to this area. The mountain lion was killed east of Altoona and south of State College , Pa. northeast of Raystown Lake between Mt. The size was then confirmed to me, had a long tail also, had no markings but appeared dark grey in the sun. When it came back without the lion, she stopped them and asked why they had let a mountain lion out in the woods. I have seen three mountain lions in pa. One full grown in Erie county in 1998 and two kittens (yes I am sure they were mountain lions, not bobcats) in McKean county in 2001. They include a reported attack on horses at a farm near Dillsburg, York County, that Foster thinks may be legitimate. "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. In many places, the habitat hasn't changed much in hundreds of years. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern cougar extinct. It is possible for a cougar to escape captivity and be seen in the wild, but an escaped individual likely would not survive long or be able to establish a breeding population. The young adult male was killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011. 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? They wanted to hear from anyone who saw a mountain lion or signs of one, like tracks or scats. Mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania, http://cougarrewilding.org/CougarNews/?p=938. There have been two mountain lion sightings this week in western Montana. Over 1,100 people follow her page. Pennsylvania is currently home to only one wild cat: the bobcat. Mountain Lion Sighting Nov. 11, 2021 A California Mountain Lion was seen at approximately 4:52 p.m. on Nov. 11 near the University Glen water tanks and later on the main part of the campus near Santa Barbara Street and Camarillo Street. Young cougars (one- to two-years old) leave their mothers to establish a new territory. The Fort Worth Star-Telegraph reports on a mountain lion sighting in April 2022. Pennsylvania is too inhabited to support a population of cougars, unless there are major changes in cougar biology, cougar behavior, and public opinion. Turkey vultures return to Ohio a sure harbinger of the coming spring? "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. But they're probably bobcats. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. After hearing of alleged sightings over the years -- sketchy reports of rural folks listening to big cat screams in the night, inconclusive paw prints, photos and videos that never materialized and the occasional unexplained livestock killing -- a cougar carcass was supposed to be delivered to university wildlife experts for necropsy. 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. They wanted to hear from anyone who saw a mountain lion or signs of one, like tracks or scats. In the wild, adult mountain lions can weigh anywhere from 65 to 220 pounds. We heard the fox screaming multiple times before we saw it. Figure 1. Ok, so they may have been extinct for some time, but if people are sighting them, has anyone considered migration? If you are already an OutdoorNews.com subscriber, you can log in here. 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. But more and more people in Pennsylvania, from the Alleghenies to the Poconos to rolling farmlands in York County, claim they are seeing the big cats here, even though the state's "last" native lion, also known as a cougar or puma, was shot and killed in Berks County in 1871 and the feds have declared the Eastern subspecies extinct. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. I stopped while i was driving, and as i approached it SLOWLY as not to scare it, it glared at my truck walked towards it,then sat. I have seen a large cat on several occasions driving home at night from work. About the year 1967 I drove my corvair in a meadow and two red cats about a year old came across the road behind me south of Hancock PA. "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. However, mountain lion sightings in Pennsylvania are still being reported. When I say large, I mean way bigger than a house cat, about the size of a 60lb dog. 2 Last 5 Years. "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. (Preferably while videotaping it) There is a $4000 bounty for a mountain lion carcass in PA. For those not following the debate, the PGC's official position is that there has not been a mountain lion in PA in more than 50 years. adroll_version = "2.0"; I have seen a lion twice in Sussex County. Tan shading indicates regions where dispersing juveniles have been sighted, but there are no established populations in these areas. They are not a threat to humans, and they are a protected species. Then I saw and was like, 'It could be a bobcat, possibly mountain lion,' " Nick Dodge said. All rights reserved. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. In January, the U.S. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. They will not find a female in these areas, so they eventually make their way back to the western range or die in the attempt. There is no doubt this was a mountain lion. The reports, though, continue. Am 74 years old, of very sound mind usually pretty skeptical, but i saw this animal and after much consideration have concluded it could only be a mountain lion or cougar. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. He saw a cougar and ended up shooting and killing the animal. http://www.buckmanager.com/2009/04/17/deer-management-and-some-thoughts-on-predator-control/, Just posted if looked like this size If a mountain lion walks around an area enough, many different humans will notice. 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