mountain lion in ct 2020

[An overabundance of deer] means our forests are getting older and older and not being replaced. He also points to the influx of invasive plant species in New England as evidence of an out-of-control deer population. With 18 native South American names, 25 Native American names, and 40 English names, this big cat has a big list of sobriquets that all boil down to the same thing: mountain lion. To report grouse sightings, please contact Wildlife Division biologist Will Cassidy at william.cassidy@ct.gov or 860-418-5961. 8 January. No need since so we guess it has moved on from the northeast corner of Connecticut. But, yes, thats exactly what it was. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. He was a dark butterscotch color, very tall and lanky (taller and thinner than a really big German Shepard) and that tail. Sport hunting for cougars is not sustainable and shouldnt be allowed to go on. THAT is a mountain lion! However, because they are capable of traveling great distances, they have turned up in all parts of North Dakota. Others have seen cougar in neighboring towns . Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. I was deer hunting with my father, it was in the fall about 7 years ago, in Barre Ma towards the Templeton Ma lines. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. Action Alerts. Cougars, Lynx, Bobcats, Wolves, Bears etc were and are a What would motivate DEEP officials to do this isnt clear. Recall a few years back, a guy in a kayak off Horseneck Beach in Westport, MA, was tracked by a large fin. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. are larger and heavier than females (60 to 100 lbs.). For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. He soon developed a five-question litmus test: How far away were you? For instance, a favorite food for deer is the seedlings of forest tree species. They can be seen at any time of the day or night, but are most active at dawn and dusk, corresponding with deer activity. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. When I came out, the cat appeared in front of me coming up a rise (incredibly close to some ski condos). Its not my call. We clearly have migratory male cougars coming through. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? I also had a coworker report a similar experience around the same time. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. The debate rages in Maine, where the last confirmed cougar kill occurred in 1938, and in New Hampshire, where the last confirmed kill was in 1885. The mountain lion is believed to have had an encounter with a family on their lawn. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. Mountain Lion Weight: 80-160 pounds Length: About 7-8 feet long Tail: 2-3 feet long (up to half of the total length) Identification The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. Next to the jaguar, it is the largest North American cat. Because they are.. Osage County leads the list with seven, followed by Cimarron County with six. Wednesday, November 25th 2020. I think they never left, Ottmann piped in. Harrigans interest in cougars was sparked in the late 70s, after he took ownership of The Coos County Democrat and began noticing the steady influx of reported sightings. When you look at a state like Connecticut, with all the people we have here, all the trail cameras we have in the woods, all the cars we have driving you can imagine if we had an established population here in Connecticut, we would know about it pretty quickly. and with my friend Chris Christinat who lives in hartsville we saw one stalking a rabbit on her lawn about autumn of 2009. This isnt to say she believes none of these animals has stepped foot on New England soil over the past century. Snowy winter AM just before us neighbor kids were heading to catch the bus, we (myself, my dad and neighbor) all watched a large cat cross the yard and leave huge prints and a distinct tail drag mark in the snow! The image has since been deleted from social media. Indeed! And there are different schools of thought about that. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. A self-defense connoisseur with a large social media presence has ignited a firestorm over his posting of a video showing a mountain lion getting shot in the head. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. Bobcats: Whiskered face and are gray in the winter and tan in the summer, with black spots on their fur that are not always visible. Ive heard some biologists say it is not a distinct subspecies. Weight: 70-170 lbs. Some might mistake the bobcat, which still lives in New England, for a cougareven though its tail is about 6 inches long andthe bigger cats is 3 feet or more. Forty years of reporting on New Hampshire cougar sightings has convinced Harrigan that the state is home to at least a handful of breeding animals. In 2011, genetic testing confirmed that a mountain lion originated in South Dakota and traveled more than 1,500 miles before being struck by a car on the Merritt Parkway, according to Reuters. Bobcats and a possible mountain lion have been mentioned within the past few weeks. Betty was quiet, and I wondered if even he, a man who does not doubt the presence of these cats in our midst and who himself claims multiple sightings, thought Ottmann was exaggerating. There were caribou antlers mounted above the front doors, and the interior walls were covered in row upon row of books; a long table was piled high with still more books in seemingly random arrangements. I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V.. A trail runner in Utah experienced a terrifying encounter with a mother mountain lion that stalked him on a trail for six minutes, lunging him at least three times . of Energy & Environmental Protection. This article appeared in theNovember 2019issue ofConnecticut Magazine. Even so, Abbott has heard of mountain lion sightings from what he deems reliable sources and believes its possible that other animals have made the difficult, some say almost miraculous trek, from the West to Connecticut. LINCOLN, Neb. We think theyre coming in from Canada, Betty told me. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. They are named for their short (bobbed) tail which is often about six inches in length. Mountain lions, on the other hand, weigh in at between 130 to 150 pounds for males and between 65 and 90 pounds for females. Its not a bear, not a dog, not a deer, not a bobcat. That maybe, just maybe, what my wife and others saw wasnt a bobcat that seemed bigger in the thrill of the moment, but a real, honest-to-goodness mountain lion, a long-lost ghost of the forest. If these people say they saw something, Im going to listen., If theres one thing people on all sides of the debate can agree on, its that a breeding population of cougars is essential to the overall health of New Englands ecosystems, which currently lack an apex predator. I came across a dead adult deer carcass high up in an oak tree. There, too, is Crowells photograph, grainy and old: the hunter leaning against a tree stump, his head propped casually on his left hand, elbow to stump, shotgun cradled in the crook of his right arm. Much as I liked Ottmann and Betty, and much as I found some of their evidence compelling, I was struggling to reconcile their more provocative claims with the restraint expressed by the many other experts Id spoken with. To obtain grouse distribution and harvest information, the Wildlife Division is asking grouse hunters to submit hunting reports through the Ruffed Grouse Hunter Log . My mother always said she saw one across the street from our house one night in the late 50s early 60s. [Betty] and the other guys dont do this shit. Its closest living relative is the cheetah. Of course. The big cat traveled some 1,100 miles before his life came to a tragic end after being hit by a SUV on Route 15 in . Given the long, shared border between these provinces and New England, along with plentiful evidence that other species cross this border regularly, it seems entirely possible that cougars would also engage in international travel. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. The guide told him earlier in the summer he and a couple clients had watched a moutain lion come down to the bank of the Deerfield River just upstream and take a small deer, fawn, drag it into the woods and it kill it, they could hear the screams of the deer as the cougar finished the job. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Especially when pictures are blurry which happens a lot in trail cameras or youll get pictures taken at night or something on Ring cameras that hind leg really does often look like a tail kind of curling up behind the animal.. vital part of this countries ecosystem. Hed encouraged me to keep my eyes open for deer carcasses cached in the trees (according to Ottmann, cougars are fantastic climbers and are known to stash their kills high in trees), but I saw only leaf-bare branches. my father was recently trout fishing in central Mass. Here are some things to keep in mind if you come across or see a big cat like a mountain lion: Be mindful of . The deer dont eat the exotics, but they eat the competitors. If a young male Cougar disperses East, instead of West, they're going to keep walking because they're going tokeep looking for an area where they can find a mate, he said. It also doesnt mean there wont be more sightings in the future, as these animals have been known to reclaim areas their species once roamed. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. It was fast as hell but there was no mistaking its not only long,but THICK tail as it disappeared into the woods. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. 90th Annual New Haven Register All-State Football First Team. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. How did I know? Mountain lions have traveled through Fairfield County in the past. Betty folded his arms across his chest, where they rose and fell and rose again with his breathing. I appreciated Ottmann and Bettys confidence and commitment, but here I was, poking through thorny thickets behind a bar, trailing a bleeding man whose devotion to proving the presence of cougars was beginning to seem like a quixotic quest with no end. Weight. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. Snow Camp Market. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal likely trekked more than 1,500 miles from South Dakota, a journey that was captured by trail camera (above). September 16, 2020. in Bethlehem, Environment, News, Towns. However, when I asked the room of 200 or so people how many believe they had seen a mountain lion/cougar/puma/catamount, hands shot up all around the room about 25% of those present. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. I have no choice but to take this seriously, he told me. DEEP believes their numbers have increased in recent years. Where I live bears, wolves cougars etc roamed freely and now sadly if one of those apex predators is spotted our DNR will usually destroy it. So, traffic had been slowed from both ends for a good 3-5 minutes. Another important difference: bobcats are found in Connecticut while mountain lions are not. hen I accepted the assignment to write about my quest to uncover the truth regarding the existence of cougars in New England, I had little idea what I was agreeing to. Mountain lion hunting tags were sold in 2013 through a lottery system for the state's first lion hunt. WOODBRIDGE, CT (WFSB) - Police in Woodbridge said they have received reports of mountain lion sightings in town. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection receives 50-100 reports of mountain lions each year, says Paul Rego, a wildlife biologist with the department. Facebook . The second occasion was on the way to work when I saw the cougar/catamount crossing Route 44. . How big was the animal? Today, instead of focusing on cougar sightings in Eastern states, many cougar enthusiasts want to protect the animal from being hunted in the regions in which they are currently found. A full-sized mountain line was photographed on the campus of the Brunswick School in Greenwich on Sunday, along with a matching paw print and a 9-inch lion dropping that seals the scientific deal. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. I dont ever say to people, Thats not what you saw. I say, I hope you saw one, Spatz told me when I called him at his home in upstate New York. I saw an adult cougar/catamount twice within a two week period. Someone told New Canaan police that a mountain lion was spotted on Gerdes Road, just north of the Darien-New Canaan border, at about 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 14.. However, Hawley noted that Eastern bobcats tend to have very few spots compared to bobcats that are out west or even in the Midwest. If they have spots, they are typically in the white, underside part of the bodies or on the insides of their legs. Was INCREDIBLE! We need [an apex] predator back on the land, Sue Morse told me. What set it off was a National Geographic special on mountain lions in California, right after my daughter and I had two encounters in my driveway, Betty told me. And DNA analysis shows us that felis concolor is genetically the same across the USI think it is irrelevant, but interesting. According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, mountain lions became extinct in Connecticut in the 1800s, and bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. In some versions, state officials dont want to alarm people about the feline predators in their midst. #3. Rego has many reasons why a conspiracy to conceal mountain lions by his colleagues at DEEP is impossible. Westford, MA, crossing Dunstable Rd from Long Sought For Pond into the woods. Having retired from a career at General Dynamics, he devotes many of his waking hours to cougar research, a passion hes cultivated for nearly twodecades. They also want to foster the formation and protection of migration pathways for them and other animals to enter new states. But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. Mountain Lions:They can have similar coloring and their tails can look alike, which has lead to some house cats being mistaken for them, even though mountain lions are much, much bigger. Theres something in human nature to overestimate the size of wild animals we see, especially if we get a brief glance and if the animal is moving. He adds, Bobcats can get pretty large and some people believe they should have pretty visible spots and very often theyre pretty uniform in color. This is especially true in the summer, when my wifes sighting occurred. Bill Betty of Matunuck, a mountain lion expert who spoke at the South Kingstown Land Trust barn Oct. 30, thinks there is ample evidence pointing to the existence of a mountain lion in Matunuck. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Females ranges are much smaller so it will take reintroduction or a few savvy wildlife biologist in the dead of night. This was as clear as day had a long tail and long body I was thinking someones pet was on the loose or escaped form a zoo !! My heart was saying, Maybe this is it, he recalls. Instead, people should remain facing the cat and not turn their back on it, make noise and make themselves appear as large as possible by raising their arms over their heads with a jacket. Here in southern Utah, lions have been known to occupy home ranges as large as 513 square miles. I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V., I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. Ive never forgotten that and told it to many folks over the years, most of whom, I must say, thought I was hallucinating I guess but, it/he/she was a fact in Longmeadow, MA that summer long ago. The sighting on Gerdes Road is the third in the past month and very close to the most recent one, on . More recently, unexplained animal sightings in Connecticut and other states became more and more associated with mountain lions. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. Because while male cougars eventually strike out on their own and occasionally wander far from home, females are, as Morse puts it, hardwired to remain close to their mothers home range. These powerful cats can weigh between 70-220 pounds, with males weighing more. Heres what to know about mountain lions (and other large cats) in Connecticut. Weve had housecats misidentified as mountain lions and even deer, Rego says. Of course no dash cam or accessible phone camera at the time! Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. What to know about unconfirmed mountain lion sightings in CT. Nicole Funaro was formerly a statewide trending reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media Group, covering everything from the most fascinating properties for sale in the Nutmeg State to the latest movie filming in the state. Adult mountain lions can be 7-8 feet long, including their tails. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Another possibility is to use the dosdude1 patcher to upgrade the MacBook to Sierra, this being generally possible on any unsupported machines mid-2008 or later. Apex predators like the cougar and wolf make for a healthier ecosystem. He was previously a reporter for the Danbury News-Times and the Ridgefield Press. If you believe you have seen a mountain lion and want to report it to NH Fish and Game, please contact the Wildlife Division at (603) 271-2461 or wildlife@wildlife.nh.gov to request an observation report form. Otherwise, Hawley said cats like bobcats want nothing to do with people, and they will generally prey on chickens, small dogs or cats. Photo of a mountain lion taken by a game camera. Listen & Learn. . She lives near the end of a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Green Mountains. Its extremely rare for a person to see a wild animal and to underestimate its size. Sue Morse, the founder and science director of Keeping Track, a Vermont-based organization dedicated to protecting wildlife habitats, has studied mountain lions over her career as a naturalist, and says the majority of cougar sightings in the Northeast are misidentifications. Im always amazed at the sheer volume of people who are interested in cougars, more even than wolves, she says. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. What color was it? Height at shoulder: 25-30 in. (Attacks #12 and 13; death #6) 35-year-old Mark Jeffrey Reynolds, an amateur mountain bike racer, was reported as being killed by a mountain lion sometime after 1:25 p.m. at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in southern Orange County. There was the vaguest of trails, crisscrossed by deadfalls and a sharp-thorned bush that soon drew blood from Ottmanns right hand. She IS, perhaps, the most knowledgeable and experienced person in this arena and I listened intently to her presentation (Richmond, VT 2018). If seen bobcats and moose and coyotes and coy dogs ! The MPD Animal Care and Control Unit's report includes a fact sheet about mountain lions, which has many common names, including "puma, catamount and panther.". She was also the voice behind the weekly Connecticut Real Estate newsletter by CT Insider. There is no shortage of deer for all apex predators whether they are canine, feline, or human. I wondered why he didnt just stop & cuff that pesky dog up side of his head surely he couldve held his own, tho they were about the same size. Adult males can be around 8 feet in length and weigh between 130 and 150 pounds, while adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds. It jumped 28 feet across the road. On one side, there are those (as represented here by Sue Morse, Kim Royar, and Christopher Spatz, along with a number of others I spoke with) who contend that the lack of verifiable evidence is proof that the animals are not here. They were also seen at other times by members of my family and other people in the neighborhood. Morse is a Vermont-based naturalist and the founder of Keeping Track, a nonprofit that trains people in the scientific protocols needed to detect, interpret, record, and monitor wildlife tracks and signs. 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. 75-170 pounds. Bobcats: They are about two to three times larger than their distant relative. It may not surprise you to learn that I was quite intrigued by this third group. , located in the golf course community of Coyote Lakes. Yes, of course they are here, transients. As a carnivore biologist, Hawley says he would love it if mountain lions were here. The department has said it receives reports every year of. The young typically remain with their mother for 2 years. listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information. You cant mistake the long tail. ), or someones coworkers mother had seen one from the back porch of a summer camp back in 07 or maybe 08, and shed tried to get a picture but this was before she got her first iPhone, and by the time shed retrieved her camera from the living room, the cat was long gone. Its OK, he told me. 5-7 yards from me. If we end up with a population, it will be the result of a colonizer female who gets here somehow, some way, and the rest will be history.. According to Jason Hawley, a wildlife biologist for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protections Wildlife Division, the department gets around 100 sighting reports of mountain lions each year, but upon further investigation, a good proportion of the sightings end up being bobcats. Learn More Who We Are & What We Do. The Spatz and Sue Ottmann referred to are Christopher Spatz and Sue Morse, two of the better-known and arguably most experienced cougar skeptics in the Northeast. But a high-profile sighting in 2011 stirred up renewed interest in the animals here, when a mountain lion from South Dakota was hit and killed by a car on a Connecticut highway. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. Public opinion surveys show many more would support reintroduction, than oppose. But no. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. I could hear the steady rush of traffic on Route 315. The catamount is a creature of stealth and concealment; it stalks its prey, which on the EasternSeaboard would likely be deer, moose, porcupines, beavers, and domestic livestock. Officially, there are no mountain lions in New England, although there is a good possibility the big cats could be here, Tate said. Mountain lions are nocturnal hunters, mostly going after deer. Adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between . Bobcats are found across Connecticut, but even fully grown they are much smaller than what she was describing, only weighing between 18 and 35 pounds. For anyone stuck with using Mountain Lion, I can recommend without hesitation Waterfox Classic web browser. Because he lives among them, Harrigan understands that no one knows the woods better. But honest misidentifications are more common. It continues in Connecticut, where that South Dakota cat was killed in 2011, and in Massachusetts, despite two credible reports in the past quarter century (in one case, DNA-confirmed scat; in the other, verified tracks). For who but we humans can look across the landscape and not acknowledge our role in the diminishment of cougars and the myriad ways in which we have knocked the landscape out of balance? There were pine cones on window sills, a well-used hatchet and a variety of animal figurines on display, and, near the television, a stack of videos including. The Great Divide | Are There Mountain Lions in New England. Out & About | Best New England Holiday Events for 2019. As they watched in amazement, the cat casually moved off and disappeared into the surrounding woods. The official word is that mountain lions were declared extinct in Connecticut back in the late 1800s but sightings have become much more prevalent. By 1825, only 25% of Connecticut was forested due to deforestation from agricultural activities and other uses of timber. Mountain lions inhabit the badlands and Missouri River breaks regions of North Dakota. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. He published his first book in 1959, The Ghost of North America: The Story of the Eastern Panther. Residents of Greenwich, Conn., have reported seeing a mountain lion roaming the woods -- even though the species is extinct in the region, MyFoxNY.com reports. Officially, the last mountain lions were hunted to extinction here in the late 1800s. Hes even had his own false sighting. MLF. If its not, you just thank the person and say good-bye.. For a solid four seconds, Marchibroda watched as a large, sleek cat standing about three feet tall with a long, curled tail crossed Skyline Drive near Gavel Springs Gap less than 100 feet in front of them. A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. I kept trying to make it be something else because I was shocked that I was, indeed, watching a mountain lion pass in front of me. Kim Royar, a biologist at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, told me she receives 40 to 50 reports annually, and although she believes that few, if any, are actual cougar sightings, she doesnt dismiss the possibility that someday someone will happen upon the real deal. For decades, wildlife experts should have been seeing occasional scat and paw prints in the winter. And its not just Vermont. Still, sightings are common. However, the Department of Energy and. N.H.'s Fish and Game The photos were time-stamped December 7, 2020. By now, I knew the answer to that one. Hes also unafraid to take unpopular positions when he deems it necessary: Shortly before our meeting, hed signed a petition in favor of keeping ATVs off public roads. Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. Not long after, what was believed to be the same mountain lion was struck and killed on Route 15 in Milford. Mountain lions found in eastern Nebraska typically are dispersing young animals on the move to find new territory. They usually either don't disperse at all or they'll kind of overlap their mother's home range, or they'll disperse very short distances.. on route to stone tower on Quabbin Hill. Stephen Gencarella, professor of folklore studies at the University of Massachusetts and a Connecticut resident, says, The government coverup is only the latest version of something that could stretch back in the oral tradition to precolonial times. He notes that supposed mountain lion sightings spiked in the late 1800s and early 1900s shortly after the animals disappeared from New Englands woods. Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators., Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. Our wildlife biologists and enforcement agents are mostly political bureaucrats who dont often venture more than 100yards from the truck. Can they really all be cases of false identification? The CDFW defines a mountain lion attack as an incident resulting in direct physical contact between a human and a mountain lion resulting in physical injury or death to the person. Known to occupy home ranges as large as mountain lion in ct 2020 square miles tree species say to people, not... As far as humans kind of evidence is very good evidence presence is elusive in New England a gravel in., and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information his... Game the photos were time-stamped December 7, 2020 for a healthier ecosystem people who are in! 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Lions were declared extinct in Connecticut, a healthy fear of humans and bears corner Connecticut! Entries than we do was struck and killed on Route 15 in Milford coming in from,. The surrounding woods catamount is the preferred regional vernacular lion sightings spiked in the neighborhood for instance, a of... Journalism and trustworthy information seedlings of forest tree species he told me i! In front of me coming up a rise ( incredibly close to the most one! New Haven Register All-State Football first Team were you grouse sightings, please contact wildlife Division biologist Will at. She saw one stalking a rabbit on her lawn about autumn of 2009 called him at home! Important difference: bobcats are found in Eastern Nebraska typically are dispersing young animals on the move find... After the animals disappeared from New Englands woods sport hunting for cougars is not a bobcat is shortage... America: the story of the schools of thought about that i came across a dead deer. Ends for a healthier ecosystem are larger and heavier than females ( 60 to 100 lbs..... But there was no mistaking its not a deer, rego says disappeared into the surrounding.... Extinction here in the late 50s early 60s oak tree i saw an adult cougar/catamount twice within a week... On Gerdes Road is the third in the dead of night important:... As far as humans North Dakota the image has since been deleted from social media encounter a... Feet long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet believes none of these animals stepped.

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