are there mountain lions in the poconos

Never has this been more accurate than in today's digital, computerized world. Why is bat photography so difficult? 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. Flying over the area, I've looked down and commented upon the amount of habitat that would be available for a puma, if only they existed. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. I'll be anxious to learn of your report. That's true. All of the above images are of bobcats. Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? Some cats had a South American genetic profile. But more importantly, he also said that regardless of color, he saw a big cat, with a tail that looked to be about 4 feet long! And again, while they may have been mistaken, they certainly were completely convinced that they had seen a puma. September 21st, 2008, 08:14 PM #74. Can so many people be wrong? This is not a Pennsylvania puma! "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. These creatures lurking in Pa.'s woods can hurt or kill you The large, undeveloped interior filled with rocky habitats perfect for mountain lions allows them to safely live and breed. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! Many of the reports I receive are extremely credible. 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. In 2015, a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was placed near the site where the mastodon was found. Note the long, usually thick tail. Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? Kross only saw the animal for a second, but it made a believer out of him. Still, these resilient animals reside in secluded areas across the United States, with current data suggesting they may even be returning to their historical regions! He saw his cat at very close range -- 20 yards or less, and when I pointed out to him that pumas are never black he said that perhaps it was the light. Controlled hunting of mountain lions is allowed within the state. Claws 'N' Paws Animal Park in Lake Ariel has two. Is there a Puma conspiracy? The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) also reports evidence that humans arrived during the last glaciation or soon after. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. Check out our online field guide to read more in this series. So how or why could there be a conspiracy? Mountain Lion Habitat in Tennessee - ArcGIS StoryMaps 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?' For our list, we only included US states with a stable breeding population. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. 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. The last known mountain lion in Pennsylvania was killed in Berks County in 1874. Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. ", (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence, including in a reported Berks County sighting on January 8. 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. After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. 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. Looking for things to do in the Poconos? Bigfoot, mountain lions and other cryptids in PA Where they always here as a relic population? 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. 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. The skeleton was reassembled at the State Museum, where it has been on display ever since. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. In 2016, a trail cam photo in South Jersey was later determined to show a house cat. 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 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? Mountain Lion Population (In Each U.S. State) - Wildlife Informer Fish and Wildlife Service. Best hike for seeing waterfalls. Discover the Little-Known U.S. River Gorge That's, The 9 Best Books About National Parks for Travelers, mountain lions seem to be making a comeback. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. Everyone is familiar with albinism, the absence of pigmentation that results in a white, essentially pigment free animal, defined by pink skin and pink eyes. 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. with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. Provided by Touchpoints Biologists who investigate these reports claim that several may, indeed, be mountain lions, but most likely they're animals that have escaped from captivity or have been released by their owners. 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. Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. There are, from time to time, eyewitness accounts from hunters or hikers who claim to have seen the cat. Furthermore, a different set of photos showed a "mountain lion" dragging a deer into the woods in Bradford County. With that in mind, lets break down how we classified the states. Can so many people be so wrong? 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. The coat can be spotted or solid. Colorado has a large number of mountain lions within its borders, mostly due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Bo Ottman is a landscaper in Connecticut who founded an . The agency has declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies ofmountain lions native to North America. The earliest wave arrived at the end of the last Ice Age; the last wave is the Lenape or Delaware Tribe, which made contact with colonial settlers in the 1600s. I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. 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.). 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. 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. You be the judge. 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. the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. I've done this myself once, in Tanzania, when I saw a black house cat that I thought was a black leopard! 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. 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. Asa Packer Mansion Jim Thorpe. This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. 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. Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. Additionally, California banned the hunting of cougars back in 1972, encouraging population growth. 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? I believe Kross fully, but I wanted to hear more. 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 that cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. 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. A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. Mountain lions live almost everywhere in the state of Washington. "Given the period of time that has passed without verification of even a single eastern puma, the service concludes that the last remaining members of this subspecies perished decades ago," the Fish and Wildlife Service said in a Federal Register notice. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania "With all of that said, though, there's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania. That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. I'm a photographer, yet I've never had a chance to snap a photograph of one of these bears. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. I asked our Game officials about evidence, and they cite no road kills. One man, in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, had seen one, at night, about 25 years ago. Hunting is legal, but the use of dogs was banned in 1996. redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. Features Writer Micaela Hood is signing off with the Pocono Record after five years of covering arts, culture, entertainment and sports in northeastern . Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. a high priority. A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. Where they always here as a relic population? The Golden State has one of the largest populations of mountain lions in the country. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? There is no known estimate of the number of mountain lions inhabiting Texas. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. For many who have believed to have seen a cougar in the wilds of the Poconos, these arguments might be less than convincing. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. In this at this distant epoch, archaeologists attempt to clear some of the mists and mysteries of prehistoric times. Phineas Teeple of Manchester Township is thought to have killed the last wolf in Wayne County. The states beautiful wilderness and mountainous terrain are prime mountain lion habitats. A typical home range is around 150 square miles for adult males and 50 square miles for adult females in our region. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! On the other hand, there are probably thousands of game cameras covering water holes and game trails throughout Pennsylvania, and to my knowledge no one has yet recorded a puma. On a recent stifling morning in Adams County, the 290-pound mountain lion with perfect bone structure is ignoring the raw chicken breast and pork chops a handler tossed into his pen. Among other uses, the tax was levied "for destroying wolves, foxes, heads and crows." Here's a glimpse at what long-gone Pocono beasts the region's very first wave of residents may have seen, and the wild things that followed up to as late as the early 20th century. "I'm proud to know her," Murray said of the tiger, "but I wish I didn't.". Sadly, the hunting guidelines for cougars in Idaho are lax, with 400-600 cats being killed each year. I haven't seen any reports like that.". The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. The same goes for New York and several other eastern states. For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) - Texas They once inhabited the entire United States, but were killed off and pushed west. In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. None of these sightings has been authenticated, and many of them, including a recent, alleged mountain lion picked up on a surveillance camera in Lackawanna County, turned out to be bobcats. And yet today the debate continues: Are there mountain lions in Pennsylvania? I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? 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. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Recently the US Fish and Wildlife Service formally declared the Eastern Puma an extinct species, except for the remnant population in Florida. I'm thinking of the solution often suggested for pesky endangered species out west, namely wolves and grizzly bears. 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. 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. . Mountain lions, which continue to be reported across Pennsylvania throughout the year, are officially extinct east of the Mississippi River and north of Florida, according to the U.S. 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. Note the size of the tail, the pointed ears, the speckled coat, the basic lack of white underneath. 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. Where can I find Depth of Field reference charts? Each year, over tha past five, I've spoken with at least one person who swears they personally saw a puma in this state. They are there to help us. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is always open to review evidence, but to date only hoaxes have crossed the PGC. Who knows? What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? Most, quite honestly, don't know or can't believe or accept what they saw, they really can't believe their eyes. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? And how many would let them go, or provide an opportunity for escaping? 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. 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. Mountain lions have killed humans in the wild, though sightings and encounters are rare even in the American West and Canada. I don't know if a Game Commission authority has actually said this or not, but people I've spoken to have reported this. The rounded ears, This is actually a good thing, as genetic isolation generally weakens a species. Many of those claiming to have encountered a cougar in Pennsylvania take that non-confirmation by the commission as an attack on their veracity and character. Melanism is the reverse, where there is an abundance of dark or black pigmentation. What you wouldn't expect to find here anymore is a mountain lion. 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. He knows and was familiar with bobcats, and it was not a weird house cat that he and his friends misjudged in size. PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. They have almost been killed off a few times, but conservation efforts have helped to keep their numbers stable. In many regions, the population within the state is actually increasing! 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. 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. No projectile points or spearheads were found with the remains, indicating the animal may have died naturally rather than killed by native hunters. 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. "I thought I had a sighting in the late '90s," Delaware Water Gap National Recreation park ranger Chris Kross said. 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. 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 .