Adult mountain lions can be 7-8 feet long, including their tails. I do this shit.. I saw one yesterday in Windsor Cty Vermont. The regions top predator, the coyote, is classified by biologists as a mesopredator (a type that in New England includes skunks and raccoons), which feeds primarily on smaller animals. Hawley, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says data dont support a breeding population of mountain lions in Connecticut. She lives near the end of a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Green Mountains. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. And theyre not going to find one, because the females don't disperse like that. Respect predators, protect them but dont worship or try to hug them! But that was OK. Bo Ottmann knew they were out there. of Energy & Environmental Protection. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. This is a carousel. 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. Middlebury, Vermont | Could You Live Here? Body length: 5 - 8 feet Ear length: 3 - 4 inches Tail length: 21 - 35 inches Weight: 90 - 160 pounds Behavior: Mountain lions are solitary animals except during the breeding season or when females are raising kittens. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. These sightings are so persistent that there is a conspiracy theory that says DEEP officials know mountain lions are in the state but cover up their existence. The department has said it receives reports every year of. Black panthers, which are not found in the U.S., are actually black jaguars or leopards. Didnt it? Had trouble sleeping last night cause that was to close and I think she may have stalked me from where I was in the woods. Betty had driven up from his home in Rhode Island. Im always amazed at the sheer volume of people who are interested in cougars, more even than wolves, she says. Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. Nearby grocery stores include Food Lion, Star Food. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. Males can reach up to two metres in length and weigh over 60 kilograms. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. I have not had the pleasure of seeing one, but have heard credible reports of them in Western Mass. July 20, 2022. I was outdoor with my two pugs and quickly scooped them up and brought them in the house. Mountain lions, however, arent seen much in the Nutmeg State, even though several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month. If you have a worldview in which the government is conspiring to do weird stuff, than thats what youre going to see, and all the evidence is going to point to exactly what you believe, he says. 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. And theres another school of thought, Well, no, there just are too many of them probably we have to reduce that population somehow. Where do you fall in that whole continuum? An attack is verified only when a physician, law enforcement officer or CDFW personnel determine the injuries were caused by a . 11538 W MOUNTAIN LION Ct, Surprise, AZ 85378 $404,055 Redfin Estimate 2 Beds 2 Baths 1,289 Sq Ft Off Market This home last sold for $236,000 on Mar 31, 2020. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. Ottmann and I walked farther. Adult Cougars have short fur that is brown or greyish (sometimes reddish) over most of the body, with a white chest and belly. I lived in great Barrington mass and I took photos of tracks in a field in April of 2009 (and of course lost them). Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. For anyone stuck with using Mountain Lion, I can recommend without hesitation Waterfox Classic web browser. There have been 40 confirmed mountain lion sightings since 2002 in the state, according to the Wildlife Department. The police and everyone else just shook their heads but she to her dying breath said she saw a mountain lion in Lexington MA. Body coloration can range from tan to gray and cubs are usually covered with blackish brown spots. But as Eastern cougar search efforts became more organized and still there were no concrete signs of the creatures, many became more skeptical. With all the thousands of trail cameras in the woods of New England, one would think that there would be at least one picture taken of a catamount. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. It was huge! Mountain lions have traveled through Fairfield County in the past. The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book, Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. There is no shortage of deer for all apex predators whether they are canine, feline, or human. Please. Its not a bear, not a dog, not a deer, not a bobcat. He was previously a reporter for the Danbury News-Times and the Ridgefield Press. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. Bobcats are plentiful across Connecticut and are between 18 and 35 pounds. CNN . - YouTube Multiple people in North Stonington claim they've spotted a mountain lion roaming around. 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. Harold Davis just bought a new snowplow. These powerful cats can weigh between 70-220 pounds, with males weighing more. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. The Cougar, also known as mountain lion and puma, is Canada's largest and most powerful wildcat. Still, there are those of us who know what weve seen. She had seen an animal on foot in broad daylight. We dont have extra money to do secret projects, he says. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. To report grouse sightings, please contact Wildlife Division biologist Will Cassidy at william.cassidy@ct.gov or 860-418-5961. UConn women's basketball's Dorka Juhsz, Amari DeBerry play 'word sneak' at press conference, Fight breaks out after CT high school basketball game between Bassick, Wilbur Cross, Guide to Legal Cannabis Dispensaries in CT, The Best Bathroom Remodeling Companies in CT, recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, 10 criminal cases to watch in Connecticut in 2023, Haar: Pepperidge Farm HQ to exit CT for NJ with 170 jobs, After 350 years, the name of a CT river could be changed. They can be seen at any time of the day or night, but are most active at dawn and dusk, corresponding with deer activity. 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). N.H.'s Fish and Game Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. As a carnivore biologist, Hawley says he would love it if mountain lions were here. I saw a cougar in Wolfeboro NH crossing / running across 28 ; close call between myself and a car traveling in the opposite direction over 12 years ago . We strolled across the tavern parking lot and ducked into the forest, where Ottmann maintains a portion of his $15,000 worth of wildlife recording equipment (hes had no luck capturing a cougar on camera, though, despite more than a decade of trying). What we do not have is a secure predator corridor.. Weight: 70-170 lbs. I couldnt tell you how happy I would be if mountain lions were actually recolonizing the state of Connecticut, Hawley says, but its just not happening., Hawley spoke about bobcats, mountain lions and bears on The Colin McEnroe Show: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators.. Bobcats are most frequently misidentified by the public as mountain lions, but theyre not the only animals mislabeled. Abbott believes it is possible that more mountain lions such as the one that was killed in Milford in 2011 could migrate here. She was also the voice behind the weekly Connecticut Real Estate newsletter by CT Insider. We told him what we saw, and he confirmed other sightings on the property. The mountain lion is believed to have had an encounter with a family on their lawn. Theres probably 100 in Connecticut, Ottmann interrupted, rolling a cigarette as he spoke. For helpful information on identifying mountain lion tracks and more, visit the Missouri Department of . 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. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. People have been known to submit photos of real mountain lions taken in other states and claim they were taken in Connecticut. and with my friend Chris Christinat who lives in hartsville we saw one stalking a rabbit on her lawn about autumn of 2009. On the other side, there are those (as represented here by Bill Betty and Bo Ottmann, along with a number of others I spoke with) who say the overwhelming quantity of anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. Mountain lions have been dispersing away from these population areas, and researchers recently mapped all confirmed mountain lion observations from 1990-2008 (LaRue et al. His Tail was very long almost touching the ground and as thick as velvet rope. Colorado and California have the highest estimated populations of mountain lions in the United States. There are no breeding cougars in New England and we do not need any. Dogos have been DOCUMENTED killing mountain lion / wolf. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. Because he lives among them, Harrigan understands that no one knows the woods better. I only saw the back side, but he was huge. You dont even have to go out and look for it.. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are The tails gotta be there. Peter Yankowski is a breaking news reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. . Betty folded his arms across his chest, where they rose and fell and rose again with his breathing. Now, ocelots are critically endangered and jaguarundis might be completely gone. I heard from Neighbors that they have been sighting from the mass pike which runs along this area but also very close to Quabbin! Westford, MA, crossing Dunstable Rd from Long Sought For Pond into the woods. Just like we dont need any slimy humans on earth period. 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. Facebook Twitter Email Copy to clipboard Live Now All times eastern NOW - 8:30 AM 8:30 AM 9:00 AM 9:30 AM 10:00 AM 10:30 AM Fox News. 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. I also had a coworker report a similar experience around the same time. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. Continued investigation revealed mountain lion tracks, scat deposits and an additional cache of an elk calf. The big cat sighting is the third in the past month in New Canaan, and close to the previous one, Aug. 8, on White Oak Shade Lane.. About six years ago, my mother and step-father were traveling some back roads down to New Boston, NH to visit my sister where she lived in an extended care facility. But, I think with education and planning, we should reintroduce wolves and cougar in the Northeast. In the second camp, there are those issuing the denials, pointing to the lack of photographic evidence, or the absence of tracks, or the simple truth that many people dont seem to know the difference between a cougar and a bobcat and a lynx and even, in some cases, a golden retriever. We were about 50 feet from it and it stood taller than any labrador and we watched it tail and all slink down the side of the lawn and the rabbits being surprised out of the bushes. She favors plaid shirts, green Dickies work pants, and hiking boots, and she chided me for shaking her hand too gently. About This Home This charming 2 bed, 2 bath home, sits on a large lot facing north/south. I have learned one thing in my career, and thats to never say never, she said. That had to be a mountain lion. It had rained previously. Not a bobcat 100% mountain lion and anybody that tries to think a bobcat as any resemblance to a mountain lion clearly has no idea about wildlife there are a lot of false reports because of this however they are without a doubt in part of New England and fish and game has as usual covered up despite coming out and following mountain lion tracks in the snow through the woods in Central Mass and finding a deer carcass 20 feet up in a tree and said to the landowner yep you probably have a mountain lion passing through and asked for the homeowner not to speak much about it furthermore DNA confirmation of a horse that was attacked in Petersham Massachusetts in the last several years and also the Quabbin Reservoir DNA were mountain lion without a doubt they are here. Ive seen bobcats before, this wasnt a bobcat. And its a lose-lose situation, because theres really not a whole lot you can tell them in most cases thats going to change their mind.. Growing up in northern Vermont, Id heard stories of sightings, though always a few steps removed from the tellersomebodys cousin had seen a cougar cross the road on their way home from deer camp up in Canaan (or was it Coventry? What time of day was it? Sport hunting for cougars is not sustainable and shouldnt be allowed to go on. Then saw him a few more times from further away across the road and along the edge sometimes of the woods. Whenever I drive up and through my home state of Vermont, I look into the hills that surround me that have no sign of development for miles and miles. What color was it? Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. We witnessed a mountain lion stalking a herd of deer. Defenders of Wildlife developed funding to support wolf predation on cattle which I believe worked. They have been absent from this state since the late 1800s; however, there have been a few isolated sightings. Weve got a growing bear population. 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. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. Typically, they will slink out of there as quickly as they can to get away from humans. As a carnivore biologist, Hawley says he would love it if mountain lions were here. My wife is not a wildlife expert, but is not prone to flights of fancy. #3. Mountain lions found in eastern Nebraska typically are dispersing young animals on the move to find new territory. She said it jumped up on the neighbors stone wall which was pretty high and walked across it. Height. Of course. But you are talking Pacquiao (Pit) vs. Tyson (Dogo) in their prime.

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