Vigo County Jail Commissary, Carolina Health Specialists Socastee, Articles A

More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. Mountain lions can live in almost any habitat including forests, prairies, deserts, and swamps. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. Any Truth How, Who, and Why? Woolly mammoth bones were discovered in Bradford County in 1983. Most, quite honestly, don't know or can't believe or accept what they saw, they really can't believe their eyes. Lions in the Santa Monica Mountains - National Park Service 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. For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. Colorado has a large number of mountain lions within its borders, mostly due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. 1.8 miles, 2 hours, moderate. "From people that I trust have had visual sightings, they've seen mountain lions.". Mountain Lion Population (In Each U.S. State) - Wildlife Informer Good luck, and let me know! 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. Is it the New Best Pack? Of interestRamapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization. The Pocono Mountains are . 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. Are the various States guilty of essentially the same thing? 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. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. 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. 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. There is no known estimate of the number of mountain lions inhabiting Texas. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. 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?' Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions - AZ Animals 25 Best Things to Do in The Pocono Mountains Area (for 2023) So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. 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. Jones has never seen a mountain lion, but he thinks they're prowling around. The bones were found perfectly preserved. This is only hearsay, however, since I'm only going on their stories. "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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. They ponder rare fossil evidence unearthed and seek to make sense of stratified geology, both fleeting in the face of what we call progress. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? Two different people told me that they, or a close relative, had seen pumas on more than one occasion. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Currently, there are only 15 states that meet that qualification. "It was in Worthington State Forest just across the Delaware River from Smithfield Beach). Can so many people be wrong? "Likewise, I'm not aware of any escapes from captive facilities in my time here. Reports of a mountain lion have come from several residents of Hemlock Farms who were hiking on. RelatedBigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know. Local outlets carried reports of cougar encounters at least into the 1910s. Goggling Eastern Puma brings up other web sites, however, with varying levels of professionalism or credibility. It was definitely a mountain lion, and it had a big buck, white-tailed deer in its jaws. If you see a puma (mountain lion-cougar), contact me. 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. And how many would let them go, or provide an opportunity for escaping? And, some may be escaped or illegally released pets. The last known mountain lion in Pennsylvania was killed in Berks County in 1874. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. "I know they're native to this area. 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. These experiences are still available, but the reality is there is so much more for the mature traveler to enjoy in the Pocono Mountains. 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. It was estimated to be a young adult American Mastodon that had died about 12,000 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating. 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. Things to Do in the Poconos | Attractions & Outdoors - Pocono Mountains Bushkill Falls Trail. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? Had this been faked, I'd suspect the hoaxter would try for a more authentic background. 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. Both sheep and young cattle fell prey to wolves, unless they were under constant watch. I'll be anxious to learn of your report. Like Arizona, New Mexico is the perfect home for mountain lions. 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. They're common in the rural areas of the Lehigh Valley but are moving into more populated areas as evidenced by a 600-pound specimen (pictured) that was tranquilized in March after neighbors in. This is huge news for conservationists around the country and a sign that cougars may be heading east once again. Is there a Puma conspiracy? Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? 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. "We should be getting more pictures. 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. Melanism is the reverse, where there is an abundance of dark or black pigmentation. 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. Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? Suppose, instead of declaring the puma, or Eastern mountain lion, extinct, the USFWS actually recognized the existence of the cat as a wild, breeding species. After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. He saw a big cat. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. Phineas Teeple of Manchester Township is thought to have killed the last wolf in Wayne County. 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! Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? (570) 325-3229. I Googled "Pocono mountain lion" and there it was the same photo, except the caption claimed that it was taken in Oklahoma, not Pennsylvania, and various posted comments asserted that the photo was manipulated. 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. Mountain lions have an interesting life cycle that consists of a few different characteristics. An escapee is also possible. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. I believe them. "They're getting a lot of that out west. Pocono Record's Micaela Hood moves on to Lehigh Valley Public Media If we say it ain't so, it ain't so! Controlled hunting of mountain lions is allowed within the state. The hunting policy of the state may be the cause of the dropping population, and pressure on the Fish and Game Commission has increased. 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. An assessment list for Lower Smithfield Township in 1761 when it was part of Northampton County (Monroe having not yet been created) taxed "three pence per pound and shillings per head" laid on the land and inhabitants. If you're interested in this, please pass on this link, and if you see a cat, please let me know! I've read a lot about this, and the usual explanation is the very human desire to see something, to see what someone wants to see, and thus these people are seeing bobcats or brown cats or dogs or foxes and, because they 'want' to see a puma, they do. The name Pocono is derived from the . 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. Does the mountain lion roam Pa? - Pocono Record 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. 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? "They are very strong animals," she said. 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. Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. Have all of those who have seen a puma really seen a bobcat? 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. 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. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. I've done this myself once, in Tanzania, when I saw a black house cat that I thought was a black leopard! I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". Mountain lions live in rescue centers like Murray's, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission said a dozen or so people are permitted to possess them. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. Officially extinct, mountain lions still haunt the Adirondacks Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Both were a threat to the farmer and family who carved a home in the ancient wilderness of the Poconos. original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might 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. Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? I've seen scores of leopards in the grasslands and deserts of East Africa and I've never seen, nor spoke with anyone, who has seen a black leopard there. In captivity mountain, lions can live to be about 20 years old. Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. DCNR gave the following as examples: the saber-tooth cat; a small, three-toed horse; the Pleistocene beaver, and the mastodon. I have not spoken with a Game Commission officer personally, so I don't know whether anyone killing a puma in Pennsylvania could do so without legal repercussions. If we don't see it, it doesn't exist. Although unconfirmed, mountain lions continue to be reported in many spots across Pennsylvania, including several reports in the past couple months. Leslie estimated that the first humans making up the Paleo-Indians lived in the upper Delaware valley as early as 11,000 B.C. An animal's coat can stray far from the norm. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. Scientists debate whether the large prehistoric mammals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age due to over-hunting, or rapid climate warming. Check out our online field guide to read more in this series. The image in the Upper Left was from a Game Camera, sent to me by a friend. Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. 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. Albinos are often very light sensitive, and they certainly are conspicuous, and most do not live very long. It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. So what? Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. In Tennessee, the most likely places you would find them would be in the forest. Some have even reported seeing a "black panther," a near-impossibility because of the rarity of that recessive gene. 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. Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. Archived Questions of the Month Oregon has a large, stable breeding population of mountain lions. This animal was undoubtedly a bobcat. 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. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Many of the reports I receive are extremely credible. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. 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. 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. "He doesn't like men too much," said Suzanne Murray, owner of East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue in this south-central Pennsylvania town. 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. But an image captured by one family's. A mastodon's skull was first located in Marshalls Creek, Monroe County, on July 5, 1968. Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. 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. The Pocono Mountains are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. Each year, over tha past five, I've spoken with at least one person who swears they personally saw a puma in this state. Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. 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. After all, skeptics often suggest that puma sightings are just deer sightings, so it would be logical to worry that a hunter might shoot an endangered puma, mistaking it for a brown deer. The Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos.