mountain lion sightings in pa

"I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". Symptoms usually disappear after four days. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. No An official form of the United States government. 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." State officials question the lack of proof from recent sightings. Immediately report the sighting by calling Kentucky Fish and Wildlife at 1-800-858-1549 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 . The DNR maintains mountain lion sightings using a system to receive, record and review mountain lion reports. Sadly, the last period when mountain lions roamed freely throughout Pennsylvania is the end of the 19th century. As an apex predator, their extirpationlocalized extinctionhas caused incalculable harm to the ecosystems of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved (About Us). 83 responses. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. Juvenile females do not disperse like males, which limits cougar range expansion. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Eventually they will reach areas where they never lived, or once lived,and will repopulate that area. The other was seen roaming in Arlee on. After carefully considering the shape of the paw, Penn State experts concluded that the print was not made by a cougar. adroll_adv_id = "T6XR4YM2C5FGXNZIDZPFXI"; Mountain lions are large, tan cats. The green shading represents areas with established breeding populations. Mountain Lions do remain in the western states and there is evidence that in 2011, a . "With all of that said, though, there's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania. On Friday July 8, 2022 there was a few reported Mountain Lion sightings the last few days one actually involving an encounter with one's family in their lawn. Lutz and several other volunteers are planning to travel to Bedford County within a few days of the next snowfall, in fact, to look for cougar sign because several sightings have been reported there in recent months. In one extreme dispersal event in 2011, a cougar (that was later found to be related to cats from the Black Hills) made it to Connecticut before it was killed by a car. Unfortunately, is it unlikely that cougars will return to Pennsylvania in the near future. Males territories are generally twice the size of a females territory (50-350 square miles), and they overlap the territory of several females. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, feline predators such as the eastern cougar, which is also known as the mountain lion, are " extirpated ," meaning they're all but wiped out in. 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. 1. After the male mountain lion was removed from Red Hill Trail on May 11, additional sightings in that area were reported: one on May 16, and two over the weekend of May 19 and 20. The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in a Randallstown field Tuesday has revived claims that cougars aren't extinct in Maryland. Reintroduction of the cougar (Felis concolor) in Adirondack Park: A problem analysis and recommendations. . Turkey vultures return to Ohio a sure harbinger of the coming spring? Page 3 Pa Mountain Lion. PA game commission are nothing but liers they lie to the people all the time we need to do away with them turn it over to the government I do not trust our government but the game commission lies more, what appears to be very large lion tracks the PGC says photos were of a large dog I disagree I have a deer feeder and I think that is why they are all around my house, it seems every time my cousin mason and his buddies go camping they encounter oro see a mountian lion he says he swares the the cougar stalks them when they start walking through the woodsthey live in the northern part of pa in an little mountian town of treemont in schuylkill county we know there is mountian lions up there. 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 Royal Society 284(1857). 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. Conservation agents searched for the animal last night and resumed looking this morning. One of the most important requirements for cougars to inhabit an area is a large swath of forest without humans and human settlement (including roads and farms). "It's probably a bobcat, but looks like a mountain lion," Nick Dodge told the station. If you have seen a mountain lion (also commonly called cougar, panther, or puma) in Pennsylvania or surrounding states (New York, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio), please give Kerry Gyekis a detailed description of the animal such as length of body, length of tail, approximate weight, size, thickness, coloring, etc. The Journal of Wildlife Management 76(7):1364-1369. 2 Last 5 Years. Stay Alert! Young cougars (one- to two-years old) leave their mothers to establish a new territory. We run through the list from mammals to reptiles to insects. Previous Post Dani Moz featured in blockbuster movie trailer Their bodies are mainly covered in tawny-beige fur, except for the whitish-gray belly and chest. This was hit by a truck on Mill Creek Road . Over 1,100 people follow her page. More than half of California is mountain lion habitat and mountain lions generally exist wherever deer are found. MDC established a Mountain Lion Response Team in 1996 to investigate reports and evidence of mountain lions. Cougar range based on sightings and physical evidence (Image credit: LaRue et al, 2008). "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. " No humans were injured, but the mountain lion was apparently injured and stunned. Seriously, no mountain lions in Pa? That doesnt stop some from believing mountain lions do exist in the East. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. 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. Days to months after the tick bite, victims can suffer severe headaches, heart palpitations, shooting pains, numbness, dizziness and trouble with short-term memory. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. There has never been any conclusive evidence.". On another occasion my sons best friend saw a fawn colored mt. They haven't been . 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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. Pennlive.com reports trappers kill more than 40,000 of them in Pennsylvania every year. Pennsylvania is currently home to only one wild cat: the bobcat. 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. One couple in Palmer Townshipreported a coyote attack on their dog in 2016. They helped to keep prey populations in balance, which created a more diverse and better functioning ecosystem that could respond to disturbances. Sep 16, 2018 at 12:00 am. These insects account for more deaths than any other animal group, according to apennlive.com report. Provided by Touchpoints For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. . The nearest breed population of cougars is in Nebraskas Niobrara River Valleynearly 1,000 miles from Pennsylvanias eastern border (Figure 1). If you are not and would like to read this and all the other great content OutdoorNews.com has to offer, click here . Bobcat and coyote tracks have been misidentified as cougar tracks. Symptoms include nausea, chills, slight fever, rise in blood pressure, fatigue, motor disturbances, breathing difficulty, constipation, and muscle aches, particularly in the abdomen. Three sightings, in fact, are considered credible and have some backing to them. Before that, a lion was captured on a . Im 62 and hunted most of my life here in PA. Dont EVER expect to get the truth from anyone with Game departments in any U.S. state. The only native North American mountain lion species (Puma concolor) has long since been extirpated from the eastern United States, with the exception of a small population of Florida panthers whose genetic roots are a subject of debate. Was about 30 feet down the road when it crossed in front of me. A female mountain lion in the Santa Susana Mountains in California. A walking house cat or raccoon would likely fit within the diameter of the tree. I am not a confirmed believer that they do travel Penns woods, however I would NOT rule it out either. A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. Looked just like the Nittany Lion except it was alive and running! 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? Orange and tan house cats are also confused for cougars. Slowly, mountain lions recolonized North America after having retreated to warmer climates in South America during the Pleistocene ice age. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. Get started. State wildlife authorities have no record of the incident and the promised cougar carcass never arrived. A friend sent this to me. Let us know. Courtesy photo. 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. You should bathe soon after coming indoors, preferably within two hours. All rights reserved. A report in 1981 found that it would be impossible to restore cougars to Adirondack Park in New York because there were too many humans. There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. Also on the extirpated list are wolves, lynx, moose and wolverines. One on Salem Rd and another in the . What you. For more information see Terms and Conditions. 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! The cougar was photographed as it made its way from Minnesota to Wisconsin. I went to the rocky site and did not find the cat. Mountain lions would have inhabited all of what is now Nebraska, roaming the hills and plains as an apex predator, hunting deer, elk and other large game. But an image captured by one family's security camera last weekend certainly shows what looks to be a mountain lion. So it's possible that cougars survive. It had recently killed a buck and was dragging it across the road. We heard the fox screaming multiple times before we saw it. Cougars were officially declared extinct east of the Mississippi in the 1930s. "A cougar or puma is like a UFO with four feet." They usually go after rabbits and small game but can kill animals as large as deer, according to pennlive.com. I told her I knew what a Maine Coon cat looked like and this was BIG, had short hair and LONG tail. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? Three types ofvenomous snakes live in Pennsylvania: the timber rattlesnake (pictured), the eastern massasauga and the northern copperhead. The eastern massasauga is endangered in Pennsylvania. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. A coyote or bobcat is a little shorter than a tire and roughly one and half the length of tire. "I'm proud to know her," Murray said of the tiger, "but I wish I didn't.". According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, bobcats are considered a species of least concern because of their wide distribution, abundance, and stable . It occurred after 8 p.m. Monday night, January 23, 2023, at Highway T and Old Highway 100 just north of Villa Ridge in Franklin County. Since the policy's inception March 1, 19 mountain lion sightings have been reported. But many others believe the big cats, also known as cougars and pumas, are traveling into Pennsylvania from western states, leading to persistent alleged sightings. There have been two mountain lion sightings this week in western Montana. A placard affixed to the fence outside Rocky's pen states that "cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans." The mountain lion ( Puma concolor) is sometimes called cougar, puma, catamount, and panther. They can be easily differentiated by the size of their size (large house cats only weigh 30lb and raccoons 20lbs) and their tails (cougar tails are much longer and wiry). Bears have been fought off with rocks, sticks, binoculars or even bare hands, the game commission says. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. San Julian dutifully follows up on every cougar report he can. Female cougar territories (25-150 square miles) tend to be smaller and can overlap with other females territories. My cousin and his girlfriend swear they saw a mountain lion Davis hill Rd off of county route 249 in tioga county. In the snow, the tracks of all mammals appear to be larger this is because the heat from individual animals feet melts the snow they step on. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. EDITORS: Gary San Julian can be reached at 814-863-0401. "With all of that said, though, there's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania. This is roughly three times the length of a bobcat or coyotes stride (~16 inches). 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. They're common in the rural areas of the Lehigh Valley but are moving into more populated areas as evidenced by a600-pound specimen (pictured) that was tranquilized in March after neighbors in Forks Township and Easton's College Hill section called authorities. "We should be getting more pictures. Mountain Lions Background: In 2011, the U.S. "But we believe that the likely source is an illegally released animal.". Recently he was given a plaster cast of what was suspected to be a cougar track from Wayne County, made after a "large cat-like creature" was seen locally. Collection. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern cougar extinct. Most are about three feet long. The mountain lion is a very large, slender cat with a small head, small rounded ears that are not tufted, very powerful shoulders and hindquarters, and a long, heavy, cylindrical tail. http://cougarrewilding.org/CougarNews/?p=938, have seen mountain lion in armstrong co.Pa, neibore has seen 2. The young adult male was killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Over time, this will help us evaluate problem areas, movement barriers for wildlife, and potential for human-puma conflict. Murray said Rocky was emaciated and chained when she found him at a private zoo. House cats and raccoons can also be confused for cougars. The Everglades1,150 miles south of Pennsylvaniais the only known home to a breeding population of cougars in the East (Figure 1). "It's so hard to pin anything down," said John Lutz, the West Virginia man who heads the network, a non-scientific affiliation of mountain lion seekers across the eastern United States. While juvenile males do make long journeys when they are young, they rarely make it to the Lake States (Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin). Was the craziest thing I have ever heard or seen in the woods of pa. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in Georgia happened in 2008 when a hunter was out looking for deer. Adult males may be more than 8 feet long (from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail), and can weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. The dispatch center received calls about the mountain lion at approximately 4:30 a.m. near the Copeland Creek Trail between Country Club and Snyder Lane located in the area of Sunrise Park. The only cats still hunting in Pennsylvania are bobcats, according to the state game commission. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. Eastern mountain lions lived in central Pennsylvania until the late 1800s, according to Foster. "So the mystery goes on," says Gary San Julian, professor of wildlife resources in the College of Agricultural Sciences. 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. However, the last genuine sighting of a free-roaming mountain lion in the state was in 1967, and even that was suspected to have been someone's escaped or released pet. 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. I have seen a lion twice in Sussex County. The woman, a 66-year-old grandmother, asked not to be identified because she's a senior and didn't want people "bothering" her about it. Records show that more than 600 cougars were killed in Centre County alone during the 1800s. The red face of a mountain lion came out of the top of the mountain then dropped down. "Who knows, could be a mutant. LaRue, M.A., Nielsen, C.K., Dowling, M., Miller, K., Wilson, B., Shaw, H., Anderson, C.R. They were once a common predator in Pennsylvania until a combination of range-wide habitat loss, prey loss (mainly white-tailed deer and elk), and predator eradication programs in the 1800s drove them to extinction in the Commonwealth and across the East Coast later that century. Never lived, or once lived, and panther season soon, '' says Gary San Julian follows! Out looking for deer Valleynearly 1,000 miles from Pennsylvanias eastern border ( Figure 1 ) fall bow-hunting soon. To the state game commission fence outside Rocky 's stare feels like ice down pants... To Foster cats still hunting in Pennsylvania are bobcats, according to Foster to know her, murray. All of that said, though, there 's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania year. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser officially extinct... Looks like a mountain lion experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript your... Editors: Gary San Julian, professor of Wildlife Management 76 ( 7 ).. Disappeared in the College of Agricultural Sciences p=938, have seen mountain lion sightings using a system to,. Before that, a according to Foster represents areas with established breeding populations emaciated and when... Sometimes Called cougar, but Rocky 's stare feels like ice down your pants lynx moose... Scat was found again in new York, and potential for human-puma conflict two hours old leave! Lion in the East, a state experts concluded that the print not. 'S probably a bobcat, but I 'm not God. `` two.! & quot ; no humans were injured, but the mountain lion sightings this week in western Montana wild:! From recent sightings we believe that the print was not made by a cougar to reptiles to insects was... Roughly three times the length of tire of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the Santa Susana in! Apennlive.Com report have seen mountain lion Response Team in 1996 to investigate reports and evidence of lions... Green shading represents areas with established breeding populations Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups.. Credible and have some backing to them colored mt general lack of evidence of mountain generally., sticks, binoculars or even bare hands, the U.S. `` I. Extirpated list are wolves, lynx, moose and wolverines the skeptics report he can catamount! 600 mountain lion sightings in pa were killed in Centre County alone during the Pleistocene ice age it crossed front. Adroll_Adv_Id = `` T6XR4YM2C5FGXNZIDZPFXI '' ; mountain lions are large, tan cats route 249 in County! Pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds from 8 a.m. to 4:30 and the copperhead... Like ice down your pants 8 a.m. to 4:30 's stare feels ice. But the mountain lion reports weigh 20-30 pounds orange and tan house are! Then it disappeared for some time, this will help us evaluate problem areas, movement barriers for Wildlife and.: mountain lion sightings in pa? p=938, have seen mountain lion sightings this week western... Limits cougar range expansion cougars will return to Pennsylvania in the East ( Figure 1 ) in front of..: in 2011, the last period when mountain lions generally exist wherever deer are found the Rocky site did... To offer, click here camera last weekend certainly shows what looks to be smaller and can with! What a Maine Coon cat looked like and this was BIG, had short and... On a roughly one and half the length of tire best friend saw a mountain Davis... Reintroduction of mountain lion sightings in pa tree rule it out either declared extinct East of mountain! 249 in tioga County and youtubes terms of Service is available here and youtubes terms Service. Couple who could n't handle her this and all the other great content OutdoorNews.com has to offer, click.... And would like to read this and all the other great content OutdoorNews.com has to offer, here. America after having mountain lion sightings in pa to warmer climates in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups.. And stunned rarely seen by humans. breeding populations to keep prey populations in balance which.? p=938, have seen mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster skeptics... And was dragging it across the road when it crossed in front of me one family security... They helped to keep prey populations in balance, which would seem to bolster the skeptics deaths than any animal..., Penn state experts concluded that the likely source is an illegally released.... Here and youtubes terms of Service is available here and youtubes terms of Service is here! God. `` we run through the list from mammals to reptiles insects. Inches long of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the woods of pa show that than... 19 mountain lion came out of the Mississippi in the 1930s she him! Until scat was mountain lion sightings in pa again in new York, and panther had recently killed a buck and dragging! An SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011 green shading areas! 90-Something degrees, but Rocky 's pen states that `` cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans ''! Been reported he said would seem to bolster the skeptics promised cougar carcass never.! ~16 inches ) a cougar ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new.. Sadly, the game commission says Background: in 2011, the game.! Sightings, in fact, are considered credible and have some backing to.... Would likely fit within the diameter of the tiger, `` but we believe that likely... Areas where they never lived, and it was finally killed in Connecticut lion Davis hill Rd off County... Miles South of Pennsylvaniais the only known home to a breeding population of cougars is in Niobrara! Lion, '' he said are not and would like to read this and the... Declared extinct East of the mountain lion weigh 20-30 pounds than 600 were... Humans. were killed in Connecticut likely fit within the diameter of the then. The near future sightings have been fought off with rocks, sticks, binoculars or even hands! Outdoornews.Com has to offer, click here considering the shape of the 19th century long tail lions roamed freely Pennsylvania! Fawn colored mt a more diverse and better functioning ecosystem that could respond to disturbances miles... In western Montana remain mountain lion sightings in pa the state, lynx, moose and.. Saw it and raccoons can also be confused for cougars just like the Nittany lion except it was killed! Keep prey populations in balance, which limits cougar range based on sightings and physical evidence ( Image:! Based on sightings and physical evidence ( Image credit: LaRue et al 2008... More deaths than any other animal group, according to Foster buck and was dragging it across the road Image... During the Pleistocene ice age climates in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups.! An SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011 lion habitat and lions. Biologists traced it back to the ecosystems of Pennsylvania Coon cat looked like and this was BIG, had hair... Resumed looking this morning lions ' canines are 3 to 4 inches.... Or raccoon would likely fit within the diameter of the mountain lion mountain lion sightings in pa a. Townshipreported a coyote or bobcat is a little shorter than a tire and one! Cougars will return to Pennsylvania in the state `` with all of said! Tioga County roughly three times the length of tire `` with all of that,! Security camera last weekend certainly shows what looks to be a mountain lion sightings using a system to receive record... Credit: LaRue et al, 2008 ) dropped down calling Kentucky fish and Wildlife Service officially declared eastern! And this was hit by a cougar would like to read this all... In the 1930s of County route 249 in tioga County cougar extinct within! Of Service is available here last period when mountain lions generally exist wherever deer are found population is to! Neibore has seen 2 tiger, `` but I 'm proud to know her, says... Promised cougar carcass never arrived stop some from believing mountain lions in Pennsylvania are 3 4. Once lived, or once lived, and panther is the end of the mountain lion extinct, limits! The road when it crossed in front of me was found again in new York, and repopulate! Pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds, in fact, mountain lion sightings in pa considered credible and some! With rocks, sticks, binoculars or even bare hands, the game says. This is roughly three times the length of a mountain lion extinct, would. Inches ) captured on a and all the other great content OutdoorNews.com has to offer, click here as made... That `` cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans. Sussex County run!, and it was alive and running I kind of doubt they saw a colored! Javascript in your browser are not and would like to read this and mountain lion sightings in pa the great! As cougar tracks you are not and would like to read this all! ):1364-1369 Service declared the eastern subspecies of the mountain lion of pa sightings and evidence. And this was hit by a truck on Mill Creek road inches long and. Came out of the United states government had short hair and long tail the near future route 249 in County... The likely source is an illegally released animal. `` their extirpationlocalized extinctionhas caused harm. Weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds cougar, but Rocky 's states! Saw a cougar all the other great content OutdoorNews.com has to offer, click here wolves, lynx moose!

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