are there mountain lions in the poconos are there mountain lions in the poconos

Puma vs Mountain Lion: Is There a Difference? You've got a mountain lion story or photo? I'm thinking of the solution often suggested for pesky endangered species out west, namely wolves and grizzly bears. The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on average between 75-120 pounds, has long whiskers and a distinctive swooping tail. This is actually a good thing, as genetic isolation generally weakens a species. "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. You be the judge. In July and August I received seven different reports, and everyone involved had done a search of some type to compare images of bobcats and pumas. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? What does a Puma (Mountain Lion) look like on a Game Camera? In Pennsylvania, I receive a few reports of black, big cats, which makes one wonder -- are there melanistic (black) pumas out there, or are those sightings always wrong. At one time this fact almost resulted in this cat not being protected, since it wasn't a pure strain. . 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. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. I am hoping that more and more people will learn of my own interest in this, and will pass on this information and that I'll receive more reports and, hopefully, sometime, a game camera photo that is definitive. If we don't see it, it doesn't exist. Mountain lions have a lifespan of about 8 to 13 years old in the wild. I think it is possible that recognizing the existence of pumas in the East could jeopardize this industry and an entire economy. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. Leap transferred ownership rights to the state. Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. Who knows? 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. In only one report had an official from the Pennsylvania Game Commision, a local warden, actually agree with the person reporting the sighting. Everyone else, when reporting, were frustrated as they were told they had seen a bobcat. The coat can be spotted or solid. All of these forests are, with few exceptions, open to hunting, and hunting is a very important industry in Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. This ideal habitat allows for a large population of 2,000 mountain lions to thrive. Would my mountain ridge be declared 'Critical Habitat' for the puma? The agency has declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies ofmountain lions native to North America. Mountain lions (cougars, pumas, and more) are among the top predators that live in the United States. Well, right behind our property lies a mountain ridge, one of several that makes a continuous forest that extends, with little interruption, for scores of miles in three directions. In 2011, a confirmed mountain lion was killed by a vehicle in Connecticut and which had been determined that it had wandered east from the Mid-West. In many regions, the population within the state is actually increasing! "I'm proud to know her," Murray said of the tiger, "but I wish I didn't.". Send it to me at mkuhns@poconorecord.com. The Cougar Network, working with state agencies, have documented multiple mountain lions as far east as Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan in recent years, as well as one cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. 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.". At one time mountain lions, or more properly puma (Puma concolor), enjoyed the widest geographic range of any New World mammal, and were found throughout all of the contiguous United States. Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more . For our list, we only included US states with a stable breeding population. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Erosion from glacial melt and violence glaciers did to the land left a. In the area around the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia there are mountains and deep caves that contain some of the coal mines that were a major part of the state's industry in the early part of the 19 th century. "While confirmed cougar sightings have occurred recently in the wild in the East, there is currently no scientific or physical evidence documenting the continued existence of a population of wild eastern cougars," according to the U.S. Do elk live in Pennsylvania? Contrary to popular belief, there are no black panthers in North America; no one has ever captured or killed a black Mountain Lion. The story behind our new web site. I've never seen or heard of a verified black puma anywhere, whether wild or captive, so I'd be inclined to dismiss reports of truly black big cats as misidentifications, even when a group of guys all see the same thing. I've done this myself once, in Tanzania, when I saw a black house cat that I thought was a black leopard! The Poconos is a mountain area in northeastern Pennsylvania.It is 2,400 square miles of wooded mountains and valleys full of beautiful lakes, rivers, forests and wildlife. Goodrich said he once saw a mountain lion spring from a thicket and kill a sheep on a public road. Most of the people I've spoken with live in this belt, but biologists friends I've spoken with have told me of their own reports, first-hand, from hunters in the Poconos who saw pumas, too. However, my friend and I discussed this, and agreed, we saw what we saw, and had it been 40 years ago or four months ago, we knew we saw a coyote. Check out the tails of the two! Those cats for which DNA evidence was recovered had come east from South Dakota, part of the known, modern-day, U.S. mountain lion range. "I thought I had a sighting in the late '90s," Delaware Water Gap National Recreation park ranger Chris Kross said. "They are very strong animals," she said. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. A brief look, yes, but no question we saw a coyote. The large tracts of untouched rocky land and bighorn sheep populations make for pristine mountain lion habitat. He's a hunter, a woodsman, and he's seen a lot of game, so I can believe he saw a back-lighted puma. I hope no one ever shoots a puma to prove their existence here, but I hope someone gets a great photo, of the cat, of a road-kill, of tracks, and that I see it. Let's say the facts indicate that there have been a lot of 'pet' pumas, and many of these escaped. The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. Mountain Lions do remain in the western states and there is evidence that in 2011, a mountain lion migrated about 1,500 miles from South Dakota to Connecticut where it was killed by a. Now, if there were any escapes, and if any of these bred with a possible minuscule number of eastern pumas, a relic native population, wouldn't the gene pool be corrupted? Although there was no evidence that the 2011 mountain lion ever set foot in Pennsylvania, DNA evidence confirmed that it had been both west and east of the state. One man sent me a game camera photo that was blurry but looked like a mountain lion, or puma, as I like to call them. I'm a photographer, yet I've never had a chance to snap a photograph of one of these bears. Let me explain this. See also: While there have been no confirmed occurrences of mountain lions in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s, dozens of sincere reports of sightings and tracks and even more hoaxed reports emerge across the state each year. There had been 17 other mastodon finds in Pennsylvania up to 1968, but all were fragmentary. I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. Ramapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization, Bigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. years are available through this link. There are at least 20,000 black bears in Pa., and a small percentage are killed each year, but we're probably not talking about 20,000 pumas in the state. Michelle LaRue, executive director of the Cougar Network and a research ecologist at the University of Minnesota, will discuss the eastern expansion of cougars from their core range in the western U.S. at 7 p.m. in Moravian College's Haupert Union Building, Bethlehem. It has the color of a mountain lion, but the long tail appears to be missing. "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. If it were, it would be listed. If so, what would happen to the hunting industry in all of these states? With the Great Lakes in its way, the cat moved either north or south of the water, and the latter route would have seen it pass through at least some of Pennsylvania. Pocono Record sports writer Mike Kuhns wrote a great piece on Oct. 14, "Does the mountain lion roam PA?" It has long been popular with honeymooners, but today the Poconos are a popular destination for families, skiers, adventure seekers, NASCAR fans, and those from urban areas around New England, New York City, Philadelphia . There are, from time to time, eyewitness accounts from hunters or hikers who claim to have seen the cat. That's true. "We should be getting more pictures. There is a big community of mountain lion enthusiasts across the Northeast convinced that the animals still exist in breeding populations. Here's an example: A man is holding a dead eastern diamondback rattlesnake, which was found in North Carolina and measured more than 9 feet long and weighed 95 pounds. Hunters I've spoken with said they've been told you can't kill a puma, which they felt was ironic since the same official told them pumas don't exist in Pa. What is the Kiboko backpack? That may be true, or was once true, but even a declawed puma, if it can survive off rabbits and squirrels, and breeds, its offspring would be fully equipted to survive. In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. Possibly, but it seems unlikely that enough would have been released or had escaped to make for a viable population. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania I haven't seen any reports like that.". A Game Commission vehicle was there, and the Fed Ex driver, after reaching the bottom of a long hill, turned back to check on what he saw. Activities Milford Things To Do Hotels Map Of Activities Delaware Water Gap Hotels Bushkill Lake Harmony Hawley Skytop Tannersville Pocono Mountains Counties About the Poconos Pocono Mountains History Weather Area Services . Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. However, if you've seen a mountain lion, or other mystery creature, or evidence of either, in Pennsylvania, contact outdoor writer Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.). RelatedBigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know. Those cats for which DNA evidence was recovered had come east from South Dakota, part of the known, modern-day, U.S. mountain lion range. He notes how over the millennia, the region was inhabited by humans, only to be depopulated by migration brought on by the search of food due to a fickle climate, war or epidemic. How, Who, and Why? As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! If you see a puma (mountain lion-cougar), contact me. So what? The mountains and isolated forests of the state allow these large cats to live their lives without encountering humans very often. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. With that hope in mind, I have, for years, asked outdoors people if they ever heard of a mountain lion, or puma, in their area -- with my questioning limited to people in my home state of Pennsylvania. Sadly, the hunting guidelines for cougars in Idaho are lax, with 400-600 cats being killed each year. The Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos. The rocky habitat that covers much of the state is perfect for these ambush predators, especially since humans dont inhabit much of the land. Only when I reviewed the images on my laptop did I discover that I had a mountain lion! You would think someone would have a picture on a trail camera or whatever. It's sort of like big foot, some people say they've seen him.". If we say it ain't so, it ain't so! Their are two web sites I know of that dealt with eastern pumas, with the one, the Eastern Puma Research Network, concentrating on sightings in the east. Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? I've looked in the PGC game laws booklet and saw nothing on this, which I guess you could conclude means a puma would not be legal to shoot. Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). It also mentioned that someone raising a mountain lion without a license may either have let it go when it became too large to handle, or that the animal had escaped. Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . Why is bat photography so difficult? Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. One sighting I give complete belief in was from a friend who told me a puma crossed right in front of their vehicle, and paused on the berm for a few seconds, at a distant of ten yards or less. But many others believe wild mountain lions are traveling from Western states, where as many as 30,000 could exist, and across the Midwest to Pennsylvania seeking new territory. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. "They preyed upon the caribou, and probably the mastodon," Leslie wrote of these large animals flourishing on the grasses and cold-climate flora that sprouted following the glacier's retreat. However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. A few could, perhaps, be mistaken idenity. The first settlers kept sheep to supply their household with wool. 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. In his 1973 book "Faces in Clay" Leslie lays open the archaeological treasures of stone arrow or spear points and tools lost long ago by a succession of native peoples. I believe that the folks that are reporting, in detail, their sightings are faced with a similar situation. I have three observations here: 1. Biologists traced it. Of interestRamapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization. Although a large proportion of the Lenape Nation was dispersed far from their ancestral homelands in the 18th century, colonial settlers and their descendants struggled to live in this region with wolves and cougars inhabiting the forests. A placard affixed to the fence outside Rocky's pen states that "cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans." By the mid-1900s pumas were eliminated from almost all of the eastern states, and by mid-century were officially extinct east of the Mississippi, except for a remnant population in southern Florida. One of these days, though, I'll get one that won't be, and I hope that will be soon. I wanted to know if they're here, so I called some people I trust and asked them one simple question: Are there mountain lions in Pennsylvania? A Mountain Lion Cover Up Interestingly, almost all of the people I've spoken to who claim to have seen a puma have not seen a bobcat, an animal that is common enough in Pennsylvania to support a legal trapping season! "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. Confirmed cougar sightings have increased in the Midwest and Great Lakes states in recent years.". He also published a follow-up on Oct. 15 with the same mountain lion-deer hoax photo, as well as personal stories from several local residents who claim they've seen mountain lions in the Poconos. Additionally, California banned the hunting of cougars back in 1972, encouraging population growth. Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled, Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. Images from a homeowner's surveillance camera show a tan cat with a long body, beyond a chain-link fence. Encouraged by the bounties, settlers waged war on these perceived beasts. 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. These experiences are still available, but the reality is there is so much more for the mature traveler to enjoy in the Pocono Mountains. Because the neck bothered me, I decided to do some Photoshop on the puma in the lower left, moving his head higher up and changing the image to a contrasty black and white - to give a silhouette for comparision. Since mountain lions are the top predators (unlike most other states with grizzly bears), they have a well-developed population. A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. 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. And, some may be escaped or illegally released pets. Mountain lions were once widespread across North America, but their range shrunk dramatically as they were pursued through unregulated hunting and by farmers aiming to protect their livestock, and moved off the landscape by habitat fragmentation. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". Most of the native mountain lions live in Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, but humans rarely ever see them due to their secretive nature. The next day, the photo disappeared from the site. Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. Let me explain this. I've seen so many examples of these distortions, exaggerations and lies over the last couple of years that I've grown very dubious about anything I see on a computer. 1.8 miles, 2 hours, moderate. Claws 'N' Paws Animal Park in Lake Ariel has two. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. They have almost been killed off a few times, but conservation efforts have helped to keep their numbers stable. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. An article in last year's New York State Conservationist magazine about mountain lions concluded that none exists in that state, even in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Mountain wilderness. My friend was a former hunter and fisherman, and spent a lot of time in the woods, as did I, but neither of us had ever seen a coyote. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? While the chances that I'll ever see a puma in Pennsylvania myself are virtually zero, I'm always on the alert -- for the bobcat I've never seen in Pa., for a fisher, bear, deer, red salamander, toad, or snake, and yes, I'm always hoping that I too will become one of those who saw something that officially cannot exist within the state, a puma I know I saw but, of course, could not have! If you see or photograph a puma in the mid-Atlantic states, please email or call me. Mary saw the photo, too, and she immediately agreed, it was a puma. Something to consider, even though we all trust the government. But this one was black, and he knows mountain lions are some variant of brown. Interestingly, the US Fish and Wildllife Service has declared the Eastern Puma extinct, except for the Florida population known as the Florida panther. The 'look' is from my The other two clans were the Turtle and Turkey. Mountain lions live almost everywhere in the state of Washington. I'd love to hear of any reports you have. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Some have even reported seeing a "black panther," a near-impossibility because of the rarity of that recessive gene. Mountain lions roamed all of the continent prior to the arrival and westward spread of European settlers, but only the eastern and Florida subspecies were found east of the Mississippi. Each year, over tha past five, I've spoken with at least one person who swears they personally saw a puma in this state. Any Truth We hope you enjoy this foray into the most weird and wonderful our beloved Pocono Mountains have to offer. Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. Some outdoor enthusiasts insist they have seen the big cats here and believe them to be naturally occurring, native animals. 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. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? Murray said Rocky was emaciated and chained when she found him at a private zoo. "If there was mountain lions in Pennsylvania), I think we'd be getting reports from farmers and people with pets that there were attacks on their animals," Martinelli said. Perhaps my Fed Ex driver was simply recalling a rural legend, but he said it was an employee that he knew, and it was a story he heard first-hand. Asa Packer Mansion Jim Thorpe. All rights reserved (About Us). It was estimated to be a young adult American Mastodon that had died about 12,000 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating. "There hasn't been one solid piece of proof to believe they are here. Provided by Touchpoints If there were wild cougars in our midst, the Game Commission also pointed out, eventually there would be solid evidence such as a carcass, scat and paw prints that could be verified. They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, where they can freely roam 50,000 to 80,000 acres of land. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. There's a whole world to learn about and Colby is content to spend his life learning as much as he can about it! And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. The Game Commission concluded they were coyotes. Fish and Wildlife Service. September 21st, 2008, 08:14 PM #74. However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? Here's more about mountain lions in Pennsylvania: If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. Is it the New Best Pack? The bobcat wouldn't survive. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. If you can figure out how to travel far back in time for even a day, get lots of wildlife photos, as the rest of us might never believe your story. Hunting is legal in the state, but it is heavily controlled and restricted. In Tennessee, the most likely places you would find them would be in the forest. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). For example, one man I interviewed said he saw a 'black' puma, and this should disqualify his sighting as a black puma has never been recorded. "The day will come," he said, "when someone will pull the trigger on a mountain lion.". But an image captured by one family's. On that note, I was speaking with a Fed Ex driver recently who told me that one of his colleagues had seen what he swore was a dead mountain lion on the side of a road. Arkansas isnt somewhere that we would generally think of when looking for mountain lions, but they are on the rebound! Interesting, too, are the reports I've heard from people who were told that they would be in big trouble if they shot a puma. If mountain lions are discovered in PA anytime soon they'll either be big foot's pets or genetically engineered and released by the DCNR to cull the orangu-bear population. I've seen hoaxes, of pumas carrying deer shot with game cameras, but these were of western cats. Same story as 'black panthers' across the country, because of course there, scientifically, can be no such thing. Despite reported sightings throughout the East, including Pennsylvania, and a confirmed mountain lion killed in Connecticut in 2011, there has been no evidence that any of those cats were native . It was decided that this shouldn't influence the decision and, in fact, an infusion of new genes produces a hybrid vigor, lessening the chance of in-breeding.