are there mountain lions in the poconos

Is there a Mountain Lion Conspiracy? Caribou meat apparently was part of their diet. If you see a puma (mountain lion-cougar), contact me. 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. And how many would let them go, or provide an opportunity for escaping? There are also big swaths of thick of forests in parts of the state. The image in the Upper Left was from a Game Camera, sent to me by a friend. 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. Perhaps my Fed Ex driver was simply recalling a rural legend, but he said it was an employee that he knew, and it was a story he heard first-hand. Two different people told me that they, or a close relative, had seen pumas on more than one occasion. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. Mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week, along with other smaller prey as the opportunity arises. What you wouldn't expect to find here anymore is a mountain lion. 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. Those special two were across a river just outside Glacier National Park in Montana, and consisted of a mother and two cubs (Mary saw both cubs, I only saw one, and we did so separately, as we were driving two vehicles). 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. 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. The Game Commission concluded they were coyotes. John Leap of East Stroudsburg's Lakeside Peat Humus Co. and an employee, Paul Strauser, found the bones in a peat bog off Route 209. The Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos. Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. In captivity mountain, lions can live to be about 20 years old. Bobcats tend to be darker brown, with lighter belly fur and spots while mountain lions tend to be more uniform brown, tawny color. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Hunters I've spoken with said they've been told you can't kill a puma, which they felt was ironic since the same official told them pumas don't exist in Pa. Fish and Wildlife Service. So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. The mountain lion population in Nevada is essential to the control of deer and rodent populations in the mountainous regions of the state. I don't know if a Game Commission authority has actually said this or not, but people I've spoken to have reported this. I can't dismiss the eye-witnesses I've interviewed. I haven't seen any reports like that.". Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? The next day, the photo disappeared from the site. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). Phineas Teeple of Manchester Township is thought to have killed the last wolf in Wayne County. 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. They once inhabited the entire United States, but were killed off and pushed west. The coat can be spotted or solid. Mountain lions have a lifespan of about 8 to 13 years old in the wild. Mountain Lions do remain in the western states and there is evidence that in 2011, a mountain lion migrated about 1,500 miles from South Dakota to Connecticut where it was killed by a. Most of my original Questions of the Month for the last several original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might "The cougars examined in the Northeast in the past 70 years are likely released or escaped captives. 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. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. There is a big community of mountain lion enthusiasts across the Northeast convinced that the animals still exist in breeding populations. 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. Recently the US Fish and Wildlife Service formally declared the Eastern Puma an extinct species, except for the remnant population in Florida. 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. Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! Additionally, California banned the hunting of cougars back in 1972, encouraging population growth. 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. In the wild, adult mountain lions can weigh anywhere from 65 to 220 pounds. I love the big cats and devote a huge amount of my field time photographing African lions, leopards, cheetahs, and in 2011, tigers. Mountain lions (cougars, pumas, and more) are among the top predators that live in the United States. 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. DCNR gave the following as examples: the saber-tooth cat; a small, three-toed horse; the Pleistocene beaver, and the mastodon. 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. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) also reports evidence that humans arrived during the last glaciation or soon after. The Florida panther is an endemic subspecies of cougar that has lived in the everglades region for a very long time. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. 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. A Mountain Lion Cover Up Check out our online field guide to read more in this series. Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. He saw a big cat. The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. If you can figure out how to travel far back in time for even a day, get lots of wildlife photos, as the rest of us might never believe your story. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. No evidence has ever been produced to support those charges. 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. Who knows? That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. A total of 32 mountain lions have been struck and killed by vehicles in the study area since 2002. 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. "With all of that said, though, there's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania. 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. There had been 17 other mastodon finds in Pennsylvania up to 1968, but all were fragmentary. Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. Outdoor adventures abound, and so do our fabulous shopping and restaurants. Where they always here as a relic population? The Golden State has one of the largest populations of mountain lions in the country. 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. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. Mary saw the photo, too, and she immediately agreed, it was a puma. (What is meant by "heads" is not clear.). Have some feedback for us? I don't believe someone's imagination could stretch a six inch long tail to three feet! There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. I'll be anxious to learn of your report. Mountain lions that are looking for new breeding areas are known as transient and are almost always males. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. An assessment list for Lower Smithfield Township in 1761 when it was part of Northampton County (Monroe having not yet been created) taxed "three pence per pound and shillings per head" laid on the land and inhabitants. Over 1,100 people follow her page. 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. In the map above, I collected data from the state and on the federal level to find state parks . Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. The State cites that there are no road-kills, and in a heavily trafficed state like Pennsylvania there should be kills. Biologists traced it. "The day will come," he said, "when someone will pull the trigger on a mountain lion.". The last documented sighting of an eastern cougar was one killed in Maine in 1938. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. "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. Hopefully, we'll see the real thing. 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! 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. 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 . 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? I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. Others would like to see some scientific proof. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Pocono Record sports writer Mike Kuhns wrote a great piece on Oct. 14, "Does the mountain lion roam PA?" This is actually a good thing, as genetic isolation generally weakens a species. Possibly, but it seems unlikely that enough would have been released or had escaped to make for a viable population. The cat is known to live in the western U.S. and Florida, South America and Canada. The first is the mating season which can occur during the late to early spring months. 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. A dark brown puma, backlighted by a strong sun, could appear all black, or very dark, and he accepted that. In prior interviews with the Game Commission, the suggestion was made to this writer that what many people may actually be seeing is a bobcat, perhaps in less than ideal circumstances. Of course, the writer's comments were hearsay, but it does make sense. Since mountain lions are the top predators (unlike most other states with grizzly bears), they have a well-developed population. 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? According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are no wild, breeding cougar populations in this state anymore. I usually follow-up on these reports and, via email or phone conversations, I receive more details. Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). "They preyed upon the caribou, and probably the mastodon," Leslie wrote of these large animals flourishing on the grasses and cold-climate flora that sprouted following the glacier's retreat. Best hike for seeing waterfalls. 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. 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. 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.). 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. 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. 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. DNA collected from the mountain lion killed on a roadway in Connecticut in 2011 showed the animal to have originated in South Dakota. With that hope in mind, I have, for years, asked outdoors people if they ever heard of a mountain lion, or puma, in their area -- with my questioning limited to people in my home state of Pennsylvania. 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. 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. No projectile points or spearheads were found with the remains, indicating the animal may have died naturally rather than killed by native hunters. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? 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. 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.). Very, very rarely, when I ask someone who would be a likely candidate (a hunter, someone who owns a camp in the deep woods, travels likely routes often, foresters), 'Have you ever seen a mountain lion?' The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Mountain lions live almost everywhere in the state of Washington. The agency has declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies ofmountain lions native to North America. (570) 325-3229. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? They know what they saw, regardless of what the facts say, and they know they saw a puma. 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 . 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. "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. Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. In 2015, a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was placed near the site where the mastodon was found. 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 this genetic mix has been recognized, and the Florida puma is still protected. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". Today, we are going to explore the 15 US states that have mountain lions, plus a few others that may have some. "I thought I had a sighting in the late '90s," Delaware Water Gap National Recreation park ranger Chris Kross said. 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. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? 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. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. More common critters co-existed with early Native Americans in the Poconos, including two species long since removed: the wolf and mountain lion (also known colloquially as panthers and cougars).

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