In 2016, a trail cam photo in South Jersey was later determined to show a house cat. Then there is Rocky. Seriously, no mountain lions in Pa? Isolated juvenile males have been found as far east as Michigans Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin. Based on its extensive research, the Service concluded this subspecies of big cats had disappeared from the east by the 1930s. Travis Lau, a spokesperson for the Game Commission, said the state has a "never say never" approach when it comes to mountain lions and acknowledges that Western cats could be moving east. The pair said they haven't seen the cougar since, but have heard others talk about their cougar sightings after posting their story on Nextdoor. I write stories about rural and exurban areas, the places where development meets farmland and farms meet the great outdoors. 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. They are not a threat to humans, and they are a protected species. This definitely wasnt a bobcat. Because this cat is rarely seen, it is commonly confused with cougars, but there are some key differences between bobcats and cougars (Figure 2). If you think you see a predatory cat ready to pounce, you're likely mistaken. Without major changes in both cougar biology, cougar behavior, and public opinion, it is unlikely that cougars can return to the wilds of Pennsylvania. 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. Bobcats are much smaller, only two to three feet long (head to tail) and one to two feet high at the shoulder. This photo of a cougar was taken in Michigans Upper Peninsula (photos obtained by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources). This content is restricted to subscribers of OutdoorNews.com. If you need to confirm this info, just take a look at National Geographics wild life section on animals thought to be extinct altogether, or extinct from an area. Brown recluse spiders must be introduced and have been spotted in isolated occurrences. Mountain lions are helpful in maintaining order in our ecosystem and assist to keep other wildlife numbers in check. This article addresses the history of cougars in Pennsylvania, their extirpation, and that they are now extinct. She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. Find Easton area news on Facebook. I have seen Bobcats. The PGC's historical approach to mountain lion sightings is relevant to understanding their approach to the Jacobs photos. Of course, bees are crucial to our existence. An escapee is also possible. 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! 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. Iowa DNR prepares for egg-collection netting season, Randy Claramunt vows to turn challenges into opportunities as Michigans new fisheries chief, WI Daily Update: The scoop on ice shanties, MN Daily Update: Permanent ice house dates, All-time great pro bass angler Kevin VanDam to retire following 23 season. An escapee is also possible. Heres how to pull big bluegills from Iowas West Lake Okoboji, A look at some other ways to call in a spring gobbler, How to catch and cook whitefish and tullibees, Nows the time to savor the fruits of the hunting experience. It will happen eventually. Black bear can be easily told apart from cougars: black bears have five toes to cougars four and their footpads are more elongated. Figure 3. State Farm insurancecalculates that one out of every 67 drivers in Pennsylvania had a claim related to a deer collision in 2016. I saw a mountain lion crossing a state highway,the Oklahoma-Salem FRoad near DuBois PA about 4:30 pm. Ok, so they may have been extinct for some time, but if people are sighting them, has anyone considered migration? "A cougar or puma is like a UFO with four feet." Evanitsky, M.N., George, R.J., Johnson, S., Dowell, S., and Perry, G.H. Some of the regional tribes include the Tonkawa, Kiowa and Apache. 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. No wonder I have not seen that many rabbits or squirrels lately. PhillyVoice Staff, The coloration and the shape of the head lean toward mountain lion. UPDATE: Well, you cant believe everything you read on the internetturns out this was not in PA: Haven't seen anything like this before, so it's new.". 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. I know I am not the only one who spotted this cat around the woods right outside town . A walking house cat or raccoon would likely fit within the diameter of the tree. Saw some huge cat prints on the mountain in NEPA near white haven. Body coloration can range from tan to gray and cubs are usually covered with blackish brown spots. The last mountain lion sighting in the St. Louis region occurred in 2017, when a motorist struck a lion on Interstate 70 in Warren County, Zarlenga said. 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. Young cougars (one- to two-years old) leave their mothers to establish a new territory. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The team has investigated hundreds of reports, but most turned out to be bobcats. The mountain lion ( Puma concolor) is sometimes called cougar, puma, catamount, and panther. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. Share on Social I saw a large black cat about the size of a mediym sized dog walking towards my car in pike county 2017. No An official form of the United States government. All rights reserved (About Us). 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. Dashboard for displaying mountain lion reports to the public. 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 United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has determined that due to no concrete evidence, and in spite of multiple (but unconfirmed ) sightings, the eastern mountain lion has been. Pennsylvania is too inhabited to support a population of cougars, unless there are major changes in cougar biology, cougar behavior, and public opinion. And, if. The tail of the cat is an excellent identification tool: cougars have two- to three-foot-long wiry tails with a black tip, and bobcats have a short bobbed tail that is only three to eight inches long. Female cougar territories (25-150 square miles) tend to be smaller and can overlap with other females territories. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. If you are already an OutdoorNews.com subscriber, you can log in here. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. 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. Eventually they will reach areas where they never lived, or once lived,and will repopulate that area. "We have lots of remote areas where people seldom go," he says, "and our high deer population would offer them bountiful food. That's not to say that there is not a mountain lion in the wild," he explains. There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. They love lurking on theedge of wooded areas near agricultural areas where prey is abundant. Are dangerous creatures lurking outside your tent flap or in the woods beyond your backyard if you live in Pennsylvania? Bears feed for 20 hours a day during late summer and early fall as they fatten up to hibernate. One came to her as the result of an owner's divorce. adroll_current_page = "other"; Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. The most recent sighting of a mountain lion in a Randallstown field Tuesday has revived claims that cougars aren't extinct in Maryland. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. 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? Juvenile females do not disperse like males, which limits cougar range expansion. 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. Are the mountain lion sightings in Monterey for real? You read it here first: Mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania: Just prior to the start of Pennsylvanias two-week firearms deer season, the volunteers at the Eastern Puma Research Network put out a call to hunters. If you suspect a coyote is living near you, you should call the state game commission at 610-926-3136. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Sounded like a giant animal was sprinting down the mountain right before we saw it. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax, http://aginfo.psu.edu/news/august01/lion.tif. The Fort Worth Star-Telegraph reports on a mountain lion sighting in April 2022. The mountain lion sightings locations can help with all your needs. Records show that more than 600 cougars were killed in Centre County alone during the 1800s. House cats tails and fur are also another excellent way to tell them from cougars. But an image captured by one family's security camera last weekend certainly shows what looks to be a mountain lion. A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. Already a subscriber to OutdoorNews.com? TPWD Confirmed Mountain Lions. Males do not tolerate other males in their territory, and they will fight other males to maintain their territory. 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