mountain lion sightings in pamountain lion sightings in pa

No wild cougars have been found in Pennsylvania since their extirpation in 1871. Figure 1. You should bathe soon after coming indoors, preferably within two hours. Ohio. Without some adaptions and major changes in public opinion, it is unlikely that cougars can be restored in Pennsylvania, as the Adirondacks in 1980s was much less populated than Pennsylvania today. Between 1995 and 2021, there have been 34 mountain lion sightings in Iowa," he says. But they're probably bobcats. With industrial expansion into the heart of Pennsylvania in the 1700s, mountain lion sightings and attacks became more common as habitat destruction pit settlers against native predators. The abundance of wildlife that thrives in Pennsylvania makes sightings of interesting animals fairly commonplacebears, foxes, coywolves and elk are all within the realm of expectations. Mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania, http://cougarrewilding.org/CougarNews/?p=938. Jones has never seen a mountain lion, but he thinks they're prowling around. The Everglades1,150 miles south of Pennsylvaniais the only known home to a breeding population of cougars in the East (Figure 1). House cats tails and fur are also another excellent way to tell them from cougars. In Michigan, there has been multiple sightings of 'black panthers,' animals that were thought to be mountain lions, or pumas, except that they were black. "When I started telling people, most of them didn't believe me, but I will never forget that huge face staring right at me," said a Montgomery County woman who says she saw a lion last summer in Limerick Township while walking her dog. That said there have been numerous sightings of them over the years. I live in Harrisburg, in the 70s and by Central Dauphin high school there was a creek called Beaver Creek so one day ask someone what are they called Beaver Creek and said there used to be a beaver there till about seven or eight years ago and the last one was killed by some person they named and he was actually bragging up that he killed the last beaver in Beaver Creek. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". Some biologists thinks it's time to bring them back to help manage deer populations. If you have an encounter with a mountain lion, contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays: CPW Headquarters (Denver): (303) 297-1192. One came to her as the result of an owner's divorce. One on Salem Rd and another in the . What you. Young cougars (one- to two-years old) leave their mothers to establish a new territory. 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. 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. That the ultimate proof would come from Penn State seemed ironic -- the university's well-known mascot is a "Nittany" lion, and a mounted cougar killed in Susquehanna County in 1856 stands guard in the campus library. San Julian dutifully follows up on every cougar report he can. Always interesting to see the pompous asses state unequivocally that hundreds of their citizens are blind, on drugs, or lying because they have not seen one! You know I love hunting when I was younger in Pennsylvania but trying to kill the very last animal shows a sign of being inbred. Most spiders have fangs to deliver venom, but only two in Pennsylvania have bites withserious medical implications for humans: the black widow (pictured) and the brown recluse. They usually go after rabbits and small game but can kill animals as large as deer, according to pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Unfortunately, is it unlikely that cougars will return to Pennsylvania in the near future. "It's probably a bobcat, but looks like a mountain lion," Nick Dodge told the station. "I'm proud to know her," Murray said of the tiger, "but I wish I didn't.". But the reported road-kill apparently never happened. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Officials with the Pennsylvania Game Commission told WHNT the cat in Clarks Summit could be a bobcat, though they tend to be more active at night. Females tend to go an average of 18-30 miles, while males travel much farther (45-170 miles). There has never been any conclusive evidence.". Slowly, mountain lions recolonized North America after having retreated to warmer climates in South America during the Pleistocene ice age. A lion that was killed by Berks County coal-burners and . . . "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. (Image via the National Park Service)(), By Jason Nark | The Philadelphia Inquirer. If you see a bobcat or mountain lion, you can report the sighting to the DEC by calling (518) 357-2158. Factors governing risk of cougar attacks on humans. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? adroll_pix_id = "UONCO23J7FHDDMDTKEX733"; Sep 16, 2018 at 12:00 am. Brocke R. 1981. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. The bobcat wouldn't survive. Days to months after the tick bite, victims can suffer severe headaches, heart palpitations, shooting pains, numbness, dizziness and trouble with short-term memory. For more information see Terms and Conditions. "Hunters are always saying they see mountain lions, and the Game Commission always says there aren't any," said Robert Hale, owner of Buffalo Gap Outfitters in Dillsburg. "Thus a rural legend is perpetuated. 2016. adroll_currency = "USD"; Females tend to go an average of 18-30 miles, while males travel much farther (45-170 miles). Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. 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. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. Some have even reported seeing a "black panther," a near-impossibility because of the rarity of that recessive gene. All rights reserved. This is roughly three times the length of a bobcat or coyotes stride (~16 inches). http://cougarrewilding.org/CougarNews/?p=938, have seen mountain lion in armstrong co.Pa, neibore has seen 2. The very sad news: there was a PGC ear tag on it. Before that, a lion was captured on a . They helped to keep prey populations in balance, which created a more diverse and better functioning ecosystem that could respond to disturbances. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. I told her I knew what a Maine Coon cat looked like and this was BIG, had short hair and LONG tail. Fish and Wildlife Service thinks cougars wereprobably wiped out in the 1930s in the eastern United States. It wa an buff colored animal about two feet tall and maybe three feet long with a very long very thick tail. More than half of California is mountain lion habitat and mountain lions generally exist wherever deer are found. "I'm proud to know her," Murray said of the tiger, "but I wish I didn't.". Without major changes in both cougar biology, cougar behavior, and public opinion, it is unlikely that cougars can return to the wilds of Pennsylvania. 'Nothing to see here folks, move along'", Peregrine falcon expert checks on adorable chicks hatched in Philly City Hall nest, Jersey Shore fisherman gets rare sting from cownose ray, Central Pa. man fights, kills rabid beaver while kayaking with his daughter, Man corrals humongous fish from Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, reported big cat sightings to local police, Figure skating program in Kensington aims to make the sport accessible for local athletes, Philadelphia Zoo's new exhibit includes life-sized dinosaurs and lots of bugs, Ex-football player from Bucks County among new 'Survivor' competitors, Eagles will host Browns for joint practices in preseason, Six Flags to enhance Hurricane Harbor with more water slides, tree house for young kids, Watch every 'Rocky' movie in order and for free on Pluto TV. In August, Amy Walters said her 12-year-old son was spooked by a mountain lion in Forest County in northwest Pennsylvania while riding his dirt bike. "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. The bobcat is native to most of North America and is the only feline predator, aside from feral domestic cats, found in Pennsylvania. Then he took a closer look. Although common at the time of European settlement, the last known historical specimen in Missouri was killed in the Bootheel area in 1927. In January, the U.S. The bobcat wouldn't survive. 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. While juvenile males do make long journeys when they are young, they rarely make it to the Lake States (Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin). Cougars need areas without humans because they do not like to be around humans and humans kill them (intentionally and unintentionally). An estimated 20,000 of them were roaming across the Commonwealth in 2015. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Fish and Wildlife Service recently declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies of mountain lions native to North America, but reports of black panthers generally are. A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. Claws are a great way to tell bear tracks apart from cougar tracks: cougar claws can retract their claws and their claws tend to only be extended when on slippery surfaces, on the other paw, bears cannot control their claws and they can be found on every track. Spotting mountain lions is becoming a Pennsylvania pastime. 3 Last 10 Years. Eventually they will reach areas where they never lived, or once lived,and will repopulate that area. Home Pennsylvania Opinion Search for cougarscontinues in Pennsylvania, If youre a regular reader of this publication, or one of my neighbors, then you already know my father and, A fish may see a parade of presentations go by, therefore yours should be better than the rest. They came out and investigated. Saw some huge cat prints on the mountain in NEPA near white haven. Adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between . Yes I believe their are mountain lion ghost cats in PA. PA mountain areas are remote and it is impossible to kill all of the cats who are quite secretive. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Someone photographed the animal at the Brunswick School on Greenwich, Connecticut about 40 miles away on June 5th. These indentations on their cheeks help them sense heat and find prey. The last promising scat turned out to be from a large coyote that had eaten a lot of meat. Make sure you remove or cover up any bear food source, including garbage or bird feeders at your home. I think the mountain lion situation is like that. but they have a tail thats almost as long as their body, and this animal clearly is lacking a tail," Taylor said. "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". Page 3 Pa Mountain Lion. U.S. FOREST SERVICE PHOTO In January, the U.S. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. The Florida panther reached a population low of 20-30 individuals in 1970s, and currently are between 120-200 sub-adults and adults. (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. While it would seem impossible to confuse the two after seeing them in person, Foster said many of the sightings are in the dark, from roadways and trail cams, with bodies half-concealed. Coyotes are much smaller, and they have shorter fluffier tails, a pointed face, and large triangular ears. US Fish and Wildlife Service. The other was seen roaming in Arlee on. An escapee is also possible. The hikers did not see the prey animal, but the mountain lion was focused and had zeroed in on something in the bushes. Mountain Lion Sighting. They're responsible for80 percent of the pollination of the fruit, legume and vegetable plants we need to eat. When I say large, I mean way bigger than a house cat, about the size of a 60lb dog. The green shading represents areas with established breeding populations. I received a report from a woman who drove last Sunday (August 28) from her home in the Philadelphia area to her vacation home in Avalon. Then it disappeared for some time, until scat was found again in New York, and it was finally killed in Connecticut. A walking house cat or raccoon would likely fit within the diameter of the tree. In January, the U.S. 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? Males territories are generally twice the size of a females territory (50-350 square miles), and they overlap the territory of several females. Some of the regional tribes include the Tonkawa, Kiowa and Apache. PhillyVoice Staff, The coloration and the shape of the head lean toward mountain lion. 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). 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. A 2011 study examined cougar attacks across the US and Canada and found that since 1890, there have been only 29 confirmed fatalities.) If you think you see a predatory cat ready to pounce, you're likely mistaken. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. State Farm insurancecalculates that one out of every 67 drivers in Pennsylvania had a claim related to a deer collision in 2016. Have a news tip? All rights reserved. Eastern mountain lions lived in central Pennsylvania until the late 1800s, according to Foster. If you see a mountain lion, report the sighting immediately to Mission Viejo Animal Services at 949-470-3045 or the Orange County Sheriff's Department at 949-770-6011. 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 large cat on several occasions driving home at night from work. and Wilmers, C.C. Evanitsky, M.N., George, R.J., Johnson, S., Dowell, S., and Perry, G.H. Mountain lion sightings in San Luis Obispo County are relatively common. I called the game commission and they told me there have been no mountain lions reported in PA. Flickr/Valerie. Thousands of deer. Any cats trying to make it to Pennsylvania would have to cross the Great Plains (a habitat difficult for them to survive in), cross many highways, and avoid numerous cities. Mike Jacobsen was checking his fences near Denton after last month's windstorm when his kids pulled . Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. Bobcats are much smaller, only two to three feet long (head to tail) and one to two feet high at the shoulder. Mountain lions are commonly identified by trail camera photographs, tracks, and feces. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. "We should be getting more pictures. Confirmed Mountain Lion Reports Watch our Mountain Lions in Missouri video to learn why mountain lions are roaming into our state, how we confirm reported sightings, and what to do in the very unlikely event you encounter a mountain lion. The bite usually results in a blister-like sore that can take six to eight weeks to heal. Murray said Rocky was emaciated and chained when she found him at a private zoo. "Recently there was an emu captured in Houtzdale, Clearfield County," says Feaser. at least 1 mountain lion hanging out near a relatively fresh, mostly eaten deer . I live in Cumberland County about a half a mile from the 944/Enola exit. Pennsylvania had more than 7,300 confirmed cases of the disease in 2015. The diseaseproduces fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes within three to 30 days. No wonder I have not seen that many rabbits or squirrels lately. 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. "I know they're native to this area. One solution [to the loss of ginseng] that [this complete nut ] believes will ensure the herbs survival is to reintroduce mountain lions, wolves or other natural predators to the Appalachians. Mountain Lion. (AP FILE PHOTO) A Philadelphia Inquirer story said more and more people in Pennsylvania claim they are seeing mountain . Jr. 2012. This cat was in extremely poor condition when it was killed. Find Easton area news on Facebook. You read it here first: Mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania: Just prior to the start of Pennsylvania's two-week firearms deer season, the volunteers at the Eastern Puma Research Network put out a call to hunters. House cats on average are 11lbs and only a foot tall, which is much smaller than a cougar. "Hunters tell me, 'Oh yeah, we've seen them, but we love them, and we are not going to shoot them,'" he says. I just wanted to post that not only have we been hearing what we thought was a mountain lion, we spotted it the night before last. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. Sunbury, PA 17801 Phone: 570-286-5671 Email . If a mountain lion walks around an area enough, many different humans will notice. Because this cat is rarely seen, it is commonly confused with cougars, but there are some key differences between bobcats and cougars (Figure 2). She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. adroll_adv_id = "T6XR4YM2C5FGXNZIDZPFXI"; For more information on mountain lions, visit the . 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. I am not a drinker and dont di drugs. 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. Contact a location near you for products or services. Pennsylvania is too inhabited to support a population of cougars, unless there are major changes in cougar biology, cougar behavior, and public opinion. So glad to post. If you see a mountain lion. The map below includes both confirmed and unverified puma sightings in the larger San Francisco Bay region (and beyond) since 2004. From PD: Read your article about mountain lions in NJ. Human-Wildlife Interactions 5(1) 135-158. A few captive cougars have escaped over the years, but these cats have been quickly recaptured. MISSOULA, Mont. 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.". The mountain lion ( Puma concolor) is sometimes called cougar, puma, catamount, and panther. She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. 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. In the wild, adult mountain lions can weigh anywhere from 65 to 220 pounds. I have seen Bobcats. The report says 58 people suffered allergic reactions and died from stings in Pennsylvania between 2001-13. Friends in the area reported having a large long tailed mountain lion run across a road just in front of their truck. Its eventual death and poor condition show how difficult dispersal is and unlikely it is for individuals to survive when they disperse outside of their range. "He doesn't like men too much," said Suzanne Murray, owner of East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue in this south-central Pennsylvania town. Ablack widow bite is rarely fatal except in the young or elderly, according to the Penn State Cooperative Extension. The reports, though, continue. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. In one case out of Reading, a sighting of an apparent cheetah turned out to be an African serval that was likely bred and domesticated illegally. The Game Commission believes Pennsylvania's last known wild eastern mountain lion died in 1874 in Berks County. near-impossibility because of the rarity of that recessive gene. 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." Lion sightings they got. 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 on the main part of the campus near Santa Barbara Street and Camarillo Street. I saw a large black cat about the size of a mediym sized dog walking towards my car in pike county Mitochondrial genomes of the regionally extinct Nittany Lion (Puma concolor from Pennsylvania). Cougars are a tawny brown to orange and much larger than bobcats; cougars weigh up to a muscular 220lbs; bobcats are grey to brown with black spots and only weigh on average 25lbs. Collection. It was not a fleeting glance, I had to stop my car to let it slowly cross the road in front of me. Hikers saw a mountain lion walking along a hiking trail as it was hunting a deer in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. A coyote or bobcat is a little shorter than a tire and roughly one and half the length of tire. My neighbor had one (maybe the same one) in her backyard. They love lurking on theedge of wooded areas near agricultural areas where prey is abundant. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over. I have seen a lion twice in Sussex County. They shared the unusual sight with WHNT-News. 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. The Game Commission occasionally hears about cougar sightings too, but agency officials are skeptical about their origins. That doesnt stop some from believing mountain lions do exist in the East. A mountain lion named Rocky, at the East Coast Animal Rescue, Tuesday, September 4, 2018. What you wouldn't expect to find here anymore is a mountain lion. 83 responses. Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice adroll_current_page = "other"; The distance traveled varies based on habitat, time of year, and study methods. The nearest breeding populations of cougars are 1,000 miles or more from Pennsylvania. Conservation agents searched for the animal last night and resumed looking this morning. The last native. The last wild cougar in Pennsylvania was killed in 1871 and the last cougar born on the East Coast was killed in 1938 in Maine. UPDATE: Well, you cant believe everything you read on the internetturns out this was not in PA: Cougars distaste for humans runs so deep that a study found that simply playing talk radio was enough to get these cougars to permanently abandon what they were eating. When it came back without the lion, she stopped them and asked why they had let a mountain lion out in the woods. The report in Greene County is the only one confirmed to be a mountain lion. Still, Pennsylvania does have adequate cougar habitat, according to San Julian. Although mountain lions were part of Nebraska's native fauna, they were extirpated by the end of the 19th century. San Julian can even send scat to be tested for cougar DNA. Where a house cat would be along as a car tire and half the height of a tire. Then another friend told me his daughter who lives in Clymer PA saw a Game Commission truck go into the woods with a large cage in the back with a mountain lion in the cage. If you suspect a coyote is living near you, you should call the state game commission at 610-926-3136. 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. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. An attack on a 4-year-old near San Diego is just the latest in a string of mountain lion attacks in California. This photo of a cougar was taken in Michigans Upper Peninsula (photos obtained by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources). They include a reported attack on horses at a farm near Dillsburg, York County, that Foster thinks may be legitimate. "The day will come," he said, "when someone will pull the trigger on a mountain lion.". Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. Bobcat and coyote tracks have been misidentified as cougar tracks. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A recent rumor of a cougar killed by a vehicle on Interstate 80 attracted some attention at Penn State. Cougars were officially declared extinct east of the Mississippi in the 1930s. "Now nobody is saying there is a wild emu population in Pennsylvania. 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. It is a known fact that when an area is overpopulated, wild animals will migrate out of an area and into a new area that is less populated. Mountain lions, also commonly known as cougars, are officially extinct in both Pennsylvania and the United States east of the Mississippi. Then I saw and was like, 'It could be a bobcat, possibly mountain lion,' " Nick Dodge said. The only cats still hunting in Pennsylvania are bobcats, according to the state game commission. Hard evidence that wild, free-ranging mountain lions are living in the state they did not. An adult male mountain lion in California. Required fields are marked *. This article addresses the history of cougars in Pennsylvania, their extirpation, and that they are now extinct. Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. These tiny critters may not look that threatening but they are carriers of Lyme disease, which can result in long-term health complications and even death. 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. This number of car strikes is in spite of having low population densities and the significant efforts to reduce car strikes, such as reduced speed limits, warning signs, and obstacles (fences and road underpasses) built along or under roads that cut through panther habitat. "Absolutely bobcat," Taylor said. The mountain lion was killed east of Altoona and south of State College , Pa. northeast of Raystown Lake between Mt. Copyright 2023Outdoor News. My cousin and his girlfriend swear they saw a mountain lion Davis hill Rd off of county route 249 in tioga county.

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