In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! Controlled hunting of mountain lions is allowed within the state. The Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos. Where they always here as a relic population? Mountain lions have an interesting life cycle that consists of a few different characteristics. There isnt an official estimate on mountain lions in the state. Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. This ideal habitat allows for a large population of 2,000 mountain lions to thrive. Would these ridges be declared off-limits for hunting? I'm thinking of the solution often suggested for pesky endangered species out west, namely wolves and grizzly bears. Are There Mountain Lions In Pa? - CLJ In prior interviews with the Game Commission, the suggestion was made to this writer that what many people may actually be seeing is a bobcat, perhaps in less than ideal circumstances. Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? In Tennessee, the most likely places you would find them would be in the forest. 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 . State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. 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. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. 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. Luxury Cabin Rentals: Pocono Mountain Getaways | Glamping Hub PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. 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 last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. If pumas do exist in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, could they all be released cats or escapees? Pocono Record's Micaela Hood moves on to Lehigh Valley Public Media The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) also reports evidence that humans arrived during the last glaciation or soon after. Lions in the Santa Monica Mountains - National Park Service There are controlled hunting laws in the state of Oregon. 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. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. Now consider: If it was confirmed that there was a breeding population of endangered pumas on the mountain ridge behind my house, if the USFWS recognized the existence of this endangered species, what might happen? Bobcats tend to be darker brown, with lighter belly fur and spots while mountain lions tend to be more uniform brown, tawny color. A placard affixed to the fence outside Rocky's pen states that "cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans." Let me explain this. After all, how many people have pumas? There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. Have all of those who have seen a puma really seen a bobcat? Is it the New Best Pack? They often would catch sheep in broad daylight. More common critters co-existed with early Native Americans in the Poconos, including two species long since removed: the wolf and mountain lion (also known colloquially as panthers and cougars). "From three really reliable sources who are always around the woods from Monroe County to Bradford, there is no doubt that there are mountain lions in Pennsylvania," East Stroudsburg University football team offensive coordinator and avid hunter Mike Terwilliger said. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. Me? Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. Very, very rarely, when I ask someone who would be a likely candidate (a hunter, someone who owns a camp in the deep woods, travels likely routes often, foresters), 'Have you ever seen a mountain lion?' 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. Albinos are often very light sensitive, and they certainly are conspicuous, and most do not live very long. "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. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Goodrich said he once saw a mountain lion spring from a thicket and kill a sheep on a public road. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. 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. For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. "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. Here in central Pennsylvania we live on the outskirts of what one puma-tracking website has as almost the high point of sightings, extending from north-central Pennsylvania in a southwestern diagonal that extends into the mountains of West Virginia. Who knows? 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. And yes, there are people in Pennsylvania who say they exist here. After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. They're seeing an animal they don't know or recognize, and while some may be watching a smaller bobcat about 35 pounds), some believe they've actually spotted a cougar. "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". 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. 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. Let's say the facts indicate that there have been a lot of 'pet' pumas, and many of these escaped. 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). In the forests of Kenya, however, they do occur. Of course, the writer's comments were hearsay, but it does make sense. All rights reserved (About Us). Note the size of the tail, the pointed ears, the speckled coat, the basic lack of white underneath. Mountain Lion Reports One might argue that the eastern puma is extinct, but that does not mean that there are not pumas (mountain lions, cougars) in the east. I used to archery hunt for deer, and I spent a lot of time (way too much time) sitting silently in a tree stand waiting for deer. 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. Arkansas isnt somewhere that we would generally think of when looking for mountain lions, but they are on the rebound! Thank you for reading! Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. 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. "They are very strong animals," she said. It is an Italianate Villa home that features authentic Victorian furniture and finishing. 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? 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. It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. 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. Florida is the only state on the east coast with a breeding population of mountain lions. Still, people say they know what they saw out there. I'll be anxious to learn of your report. 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!' Certainly it is a romantic notion, but I've always held out the hope that pumas still roamed the east. RelatedBigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. They know what they saw, regardless of what the facts say, and they know they saw a puma. When he isn't distracted by his backyard birdfeeder, you can find him camping, exploring, and telling everyone around him about what he's recently learned. Foster said mountain lions and bobcats could not breed. I'll offer my own little anecdote. As you can see from the above images it is very difficult to confuse the two if you have a good view. Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. Now, forty years ago coyotes were rare or almost nonexistent in Pennsylvania, and had had that same sighting back then, when coyotes were thought not to exist within the state we would have had the 'facts' to doubt what we saw. It has the color of a mountain lion, but the long tail appears to be missing. The first is the mating season which can occur during the late to early spring months. I can't dismiss the eye-witnesses I've interviewed. Eyes are normal and are not light sensitive, and the over-all color, generally black, is usually not detrimental and may actually be of benefit. Can so many people be wrong? Only when I reviewed the images on my laptop did I discover that I had a mountain lion! A few could, perhaps, be mistaken idenity. With healthy populations and strong conservation programs, however, they seem to be pushing back east. 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. 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. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. They include a reported attack on horses at a farm near Dillsburg, York County, that Foster thinks may be legitimate. You would think someone would have a picture on a trail camera or whatever. What do I think of the Canon 1D Mark IV? Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. Check out our online field guide to read more in this series. ARE THERE MOUNTAIN LIONS IN PA? - Page 8 - Pennsylvania Firearm Owners If so, what would happen to the hunting industry in all of these states? Can so many people be so wrong? 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. 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? And how many would let them go, or provide an opportunity for escaping? Mysterious big cat caught on security camera in Clarks Summit, Pa. 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. Sadly, the hunting guidelines for cougars in Idaho are lax, with 400-600 cats being killed each year. 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. About six months ago I posted the question, Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? "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. Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? Accounts abound concerning interaction between these great beasts and people in northeast Pennsylvania, with wolves into the early 19th century and in the case with cougars, well into the early 20th century. Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. 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.). redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not 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. There's a saying that "things aren't always what they appear to be." Hopefully, we'll see the real thing. By the time he returned the vehicle was gone, and so was the cat, and no mention was ever made of this road kill in a radio or newspaper report. Is there a Mountain Lion Conspiracy? 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. Contrary to popular belief, there are no black panthers in North America; no one has ever captured or killed a black Mountain Lion. Good luck, and let me know! These cubs are born blind and helpless. In captivity mountain, lions can live to be about 20 years old. Ironically, I almost deleted the image, as on the small camera LCD monitor the cat was small and I thought that it was just another deer that moved along the stream. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. 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. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. You've got a mountain lion story or photo? These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. 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! do I get an immediate, 'Oh yeah!' 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. A total of 32 mountain lions have been struck and killed by vehicles in the study area since 2002.