And, some may be escaped or illegally released pets. Some have even reported seeing a "black panther," a near-impossibility because of the rarity of that recessive gene. I love the big cats and devote a huge amount of my field time photographing African lions, leopards, cheetahs, and in 2011, tigers. 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. Hopefully, we'll see the real thing. 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. Editor's note: The Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent have collaborated for a series of stories called Mountain Beasts: Pocono cryptids, legends and lore. I've know of reports since 1973, in Cooke Forest, the heart of a lot of Pa. wilderness. An escapee is also possible. 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. "It's one of those things where I'll believe it when I see it," said Jason Farmer of Pocono Summit, my hunting partner for the last eight years. 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. We hope you enjoy this foray into the most weird and wonderful our beloved Pocono Mountains have to offer. Again, I've been told that some Game Commission personnel have admitted that pumas may exist in Pennsylvania, but they rationalize this by saying that the pumas are not breeding and they are not from original wild stock. Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? Depends on who you talk to, I guess. While there have been no confirmed occurrences of mountain lions in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s, dozens . "They're getting a lot of that out west. The mountains and isolated forests of the state allow these large cats to live their lives without encountering humans very often. And this genetic mix has been recognized, and the Florida puma is still protected. After all, how many people have pumas? This ideal habitat allows for a large population of 2,000 mountain lions to thrive. These powerful, majestic creatures once lived across much of the country but have since been killed or pushed out of most of it. If we continue to be bombarded with manipulated photos and untrue claims in most cases by people who just want to get attention then we may be very resistant to accepting the "real McCoy" if or when) one finally arrives. Over 1,100 people follow her page. However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? If you're interested in this, please pass on this link, and if you see a cat, please let me know! 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. Cougar vs Mountain Lion What Are the Differences? Over the last two years I have occasionally posted a Question of the Month soliciting sightings from people who believed that they have seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania or in other areas in the mid-Atlantic states. The next day, the photo disappeared from the site. Recently, a man I spoke with told me that he was reminded of a sighting he and two friends had 20 years earlier, and after recalling the incident he was motivated to call his college buddies and reflect on their observation. This happens usually around the 18-month mark. Claws 'N' Paws Animal Park in Lake Ariel has two. All rights reserved (About Us). The 2,400-square-mile area has long been a popular outdoor recreation area boasting hunting, fishing, skiing, and more. These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. Where reports dating that far back from escapees? The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. Erosion from glacial melt and violence glaciers did to the land left a. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. The State Museum of Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, displays a taxidermy mount of a mountain lion in glass case, with the notation, "This lion, found near Hawk Mountain in Berks County around 1871, is the last native mountain lion known to have been shot in Pennsylvania.". Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more . The next day, another friend, who works for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, called me to ask if I had seen the photo of a Pocono mountain lion with a deer in its jaws. You've got a mountain lion story or photo? This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. do I get an immediate, 'Oh yeah!' Reports of a mountain lion have come from several residents of Hemlock Farms who were hiking on. 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. Obviously, other pumas must be about, and the series of ridges extending north and east and west from my location could all be included as critical habitat as well. . Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. Sadly, the hunting guidelines for cougars in Idaho are lax, with 400-600 cats being killed each year. And yet today the debate continues: Are there mountain lions in Pennsylvania? But even without that second look there was no question that we'd seen a coyote. Let me explain this. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? The last known mountain lion in Pennsylvania was killed in Berks County in 1874. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? The sightings were great bear views, but too fast or fleeting to allow me to grab a camera. Among those who have investigated the primeval times of the Pocono Plateau and Delaware River valleys and tributaries was the late Vernon Leslie, Ph.D., a Wayne County historian and archaeologist. He said he'd never forget the sighting, but it was only when he saw another, a few months ago, in daylight, from his cabin, that he decided it was time to tell someone. I think it is possible that recognizing the existence of pumas in the East could jeopardize this industry and an entire economy. The state of Arizona is home to a large, stable population of mountain lions. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? Then there is Rocky. Mountain lions thrive there due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. No one needs to panic.". Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. Erosion from glacial melt and violence glaciers did to the land left a great litter of boulders, rocks, clay and lakes covering today's landscape. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. 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? Other states have had sightings, especially as mountain lion populations begin to explore and look to expand. Ashley Catherine Fontones, Pocono Record. As they get older, the cubs begin to leave the den and explore. Every year we receive a few similar reports from hikers, hunters or other outdoor enthusiasts. See also: Arkansas isnt somewhere that we would generally think of when looking for mountain lions, but they are on the rebound! I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. The story behind our new web site. In January, the U.S. 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. In books I've read critical or skeptical or down-right dismissive of the idea of pumas in the East, the argument has been advanced that the hopefull puma-dreamer/spotters arguing that the State needs to prove pumas don't exist does not mean that in the State not proving this means that pumas indeed do exist in this state. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. Leslie estimated that the first humans making up the Paleo-Indians lived in the upper Delaware valley as early as 11,000 B.C. So what? 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. They often would catch sheep in broad daylight. original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might Mountain lions have a lifespan of about 8 to 13 years old in the wild. For many who have believed to have seen a cougar in the wilds of the Poconos, these arguments might be less than convincing. Two weeks ago, a friend of mine who teaches in one of the Monroe County school districts called to tell me he was sending me a photo of a mountain lion taken by one of his students in the Poconos. 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. 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. An animal's coat can stray far from the norm. Confirmed cougar sightings have increased in the Midwest and Great Lakes states in recent years.". 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. Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. At one point, there was debate whether that cat should be protected, since its genes were diluted from escapees or released pumas that originated in South America or our West. Penn State's Nittany Lion hide sampled for DNA sequencing, Mountain lion reports in Pennsylvania popular, but often a hoax, More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Possibly, but it seems unlikely that enough would have been released or had escaped to make for a viable population. 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. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! 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. Thank you for reading! The first settlers kept sheep to supply their household with wool. There's a whole world to learn about and Colby is content to spend his life learning as much as he can about it! This, after they were told that there were no pumas in Pa. Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . I'll be anxious to learn of your report. That summer, a team from the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg excavated the nearly complete skeleton of the ancient elephant, the first of its kind found in the Commonwealth. Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. 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. A dark brown puma, backlighted by a strong sun, could appear all black, or very dark, and he accepted that. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) also reports evidence that humans arrived during the last glaciation or soon after. The Golden State has one of the largest populations of mountain lions in the country. If it were, it would be listed. 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. There isnt an official estimate on mountain lions in the state. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. 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. I have three observations here: 1. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Mountain lion populations struggle to outpace the high hunting limits. The agency has declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies ofmountain lions native to North America. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. 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. A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. As the latest hoaxed photo of a mountain lion supposedly killed in Pennsylvania died a slow death on Facebook yesterday, the head of an organization tracking the eastern movements of the big cats was preparing a presentation for a Pennsylvania audience tonight. I could fill pages recounting the eye-witness reports I've heard, and for every report critics could certainly say 'but there's no physical evidence!' I am bothered by the constricted neck of the cat on the game camera; 2. the tail is curved down, rather than up, but it may have been in mid-swing; 3. the goldenrod-appearing flower, and the background of cars, gives a sense of scale and location. 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 to the East. "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. I believe Kross fully, but I wanted to hear more. All rights reserved. I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? Here it is: I still couldn't get the big head/little neck, and the body is a bit stouter/shorter, but a striding cat might be stretched out a bit. Imagine my surprise. I receive about one email or phone call a month, on average, from people that I do not know who are contacting me because their sighting compelled them to do a Google search on puma sightings, and they found my site and previously posted questions. ? So how or why could there be a conspiracy? Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! Each year, over tha past five, I've spoken with at least one person who swears they personally saw a puma in this state. In this at this distant epoch, archaeologists attempt to clear some of the mists and mysteries of prehistoric times. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. 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. How, Who, and Why? These cubs are born blind and helpless. 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. Let's say the facts indicate that there have been a lot of 'pet' pumas, and many of these escaped. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, with about 50,000 to 80,000 acres of suitable land currently being used by the cat. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. With that in mind, lets break down how we classified the states. The hunting policy of the state may be the cause of the dropping population, and pressure on the Fish and Game Commission has increased. . About half of the state of Montana is ideal for mountain lions, primarily in her western and central regions. They know what they saw, regardless of what the facts say, and they know they saw a puma. The other three images are from my file, selected to most closely approximate the pose of the cat from the game camera. To be fair, I've also spoken with people who, at first, thought they'd seen a puma only to find, to their embarassment, that they were looking at a house cat! Over the last few months several people have responded to this question with reports of their own. John Leap of East Stroudsburg's Lakeside Peat Humus Co. and an employee, Paul Strauser, found the bones in a peat bog off Route 209. 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. Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". I can't dismiss the eye-witnesses I've interviewed. The photographer had no reason to stage the shot -- indeed, the composition and background was terrible, and not what you'd expect for something staged, but the shot wasn't perfectly clear. 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. Periodically, via Google searches, I receive reports from people who believe they had seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania, or in other mid-Atlantic states. He's a hunter, a woodsman, and he's seen a lot of game, so I can believe he saw a back-lighted puma. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. But no one that I've communicated with had these preconceptions, and seeing what they saw was a complete surprise. After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. 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. It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. 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. Since mountain lions are the top predators (unlike most other states with grizzly bears), they have a well-developed population. DNA collected from the mountain lion killed on a roadway in Connecticut in 2011 showed the animal to have originated in South Dakota. Any Truth All of the above are Mountain Lions, or Pumas, or Cougars. Scientists debate whether the large prehistoric mammals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age due to over-hunting, or rapid climate warming. I receive about one email or phone call a month, on average, from people that I do not know who are contacting me because their sighting compelled them to do a Google search on puma sightings, and they found my site and previously posted questions. The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos / p o k n o z /, are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania.They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the north, Wyoming Valley and the Coal Region to the west, and the Lehigh Valley to the south. Two different people told me that they, or a close relative, had seen pumas on more than one occasion. 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. Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? For our list, we only included US states with a stable breeding population.
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