mountain lion in ct 2020
It is healthy to have respect and caution, but fear shouldnt drive ecological decision making. Adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between . The Spatz and Sue Ottmann referred to are Christopher Spatz and Sue Morse, two of the better-known and arguably most experienced cougar skeptics in the Northeast. In New Canaan, residents reported seeing mountain lions in 2016 and in 2018. Emaileditor@connecticutmag.com, or contact usonFacebook@connecticutmagazine orTwitter@connecticutmag. 02:02. Bobcats are found across Connecticut, but even fully grown they are much smaller than what she was describing, only weighing between 18 and 35 pounds. 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. It has a long, black-tipped tail and black . They are here & ..just a matter of time with photo or kill on a highway/road. It's rare to see an up-close look at mountain lion behavior out in the wild, let alone a whole family. They take down boats, bulls, etc. I also know of someone who said they showed F&G a photo of one from a game camera in NH. Now, ocelots are critically endangered and jaguarundis might be completely gone. And it was this curiosity that led me to the Old Well Tavern in Simsbury, Connecticut, at a time of day (11:30 a.m.) that does not normally find me ensconced in the dim confines of a drinking establishment. State conservation officials believe this photo, taken in Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain lion. It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. Hawley said that the typical range of cougars like mountain lions is from west of the South Dakota area. Ask people who spend time outside Connecticut cities and you will hear firsthand or secondhand accounts of mountain lions. In 1994, scat collected after a sighting in Craftsbury, Vermont, was found to contain cougar hair (the animals are prone to ingesting their hair while grooming), and the commissioner of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department circulated a memo with the following line: Harrigans interest in cougars was sparked in the late 70s, after he took ownership of, Perhaps, then, the ultimate question isnt whether cougars are among us, but rather how we can encourage them to settle here, After 20 minutes or so, we turned and stumbled our way back to the parking lot. They are much larger than bobcat and lynx, young adults can still have spots too. The tail, I said. I heard from Neighbors that they have been sighting from the mass pike which runs along this area but also very close to Quabbin! By Cameron Arcand October 3, 2021 at 2:07pm. And the last confirmed sighting prior to the 2011 instance would be a couple hundred years ago, according to Hawley. 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 . And even the home entries are kind of changing. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it,. I did call in a report to CT DEP and they basically dismissed my narrative questioning whether I made a mistake confusing the animal I saw with a bobcat or fisher cat. Speaker Bill Betty presented evidence and proposed theories that could prove that Connecticut, including , is home to a native population of Eastern mountain lions. In some versions, state officials dont want to alarm people about the feline predators in their midst. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. There is also something appealing about the idea that there is an animal out there so cunning that it has escaped our notice and the eyes of our cameras. Several years ago, I saw what was definitely a cougar walking along a street. Its extremely rare for a person to see a wild animal and to underestimate its size. It had rained previously. When I accepted the assignment to write about my quest to uncover the truth regarding the existence of cougars in New England, I had little idea what I was agreeing to. And its not just Vermont. Over the years, there even have been a few mountain lions documented in central Oklahoma. We need [an apex] predator back on the land, Sue Morse told me. Bobcats: They are are the only wild cat found in the state and the most common in North America. For anyone stuck with using Mountain Lion, I can recommend without hesitation Waterfox Classic web browser. 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I saw one yesterday in Windsor Cty Vermont. 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, Amanda Bynes, Steve from 'Blues Clues' to appear at 90s Con in CT, Connecticut paranormal convention coming back this spring, Bridgeport woman competes to find love on Paramount+ dating show, Self-taught pianist Serene to perform at Grace Farms. A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. According to the Smithsonians National Zoo, bobcats are part of the lynx genus, which means they are related to other cats like the Canadian lynx, Iberian lynx and Eurasian lynx. As livestock farming came to dominate the landscape, pressure on the big cats slowly mounted on two fronts: The number of farmers wanting them dead was increasing, while the rapid transition from forest to farmland meant their habitat was shrinking. There have been 40 confirmed mountain lion sightings since 2002 in the state, according to the Wildlife Department. When you look at a state like Connecticut, with all the people we have here, all the trail cameras we have in the woods, all the cars we have driving you can imagine if we had an established population here in Connecticut, we would know about it pretty quickly. But that was OK. Bo Ottmann, A Lobster Trap Menorah Shines in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Chips Off the Old Block | Knowledge & Wisdom, Yankee Candle | New England by the Numbers, First Christmas | Krissy OSheas Scandinavian-Inspired Holiday Cottage, The Sweet Life | Holiday Baking with Dorie Greenspan, 2019 Yankee Magazine Editors Choice Food Awards, In the Kitchen at Mayfair Farm | Weekends with Yankee. 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? The Damned Story: Eastern mountain lions, or pumas or cougars, were last officially seen in Connecticut near the end of the 19th century. he recalls. Listen & Learn. 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. . We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. No doubt of what it was; size, color and recognizable tail. To date, no footage of a mountain lion has surfaced. 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. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Its not a bear, not a dog, not a deer, not a bobcat. Otherwise, Hawley said cats like bobcats want nothing to do with people, and they will generally prey on chickens, small dogs or cats. Mountain Lions: Large tan cats with a distinctive two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the ground as they walk. Didnt it? Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. You cant mistake the long tail. Besides, Ottmann had revealed that hed been charged by a bear in this same piece of woods, and I felt conflicted about diverting my gaze from the underbrush. 2012). His bicycle was later found with the chain unbroken, but off the sprockets. Many, many times, in many different ways along its travel up through Minnesota, Michigan and to Canada, down through New York, through hair samples, blood samples, trail camera photos. It seems humans just cant resist destroying these animals and either dont realize or dont care what damage we have done to our natural environment over the centuries. I will never forget what I saw! But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. Spatz and Sue dont want to go where were going.. 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. Hawley: That animal was documented. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. Dont forget, south Texas also used to home to two other species of cats ocelots and jaguarundis. . They were also seen at other times by members of my family and other people in the neighborhood. Though promoted as a once in a lifetime event and offered at the dirt-cheap price of $15, only 395 Nebraskans applied for the chance to hunt a mountain lion. Mountain lions are nocturnal hunters, mostly going after deer. I saw one about 10 years ago, on our road. Betty had driven up from his home in Rhode Island. Time changes all and Im not going to shut the door on the future and say that a breeding population of cougars is not here because the day after tomorrow they could be here its just a matter of time., Though a deer hunter herself, Morse is opposed to the way mountain lions have been hunted in the western U.S., where they are found. As unlikely as it sounds, it was a more believable theory than some of the alternatives, among them that the cat was evidence of a breeding population in the state that was being kept secret by, . But honest misidentifications are more common. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. Body coloration can range from tan to gray and cubs are usually covered with blackish brown spots. Yes, of course they are here, transients. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. Im not surprised that various state officers deny the presence of cougars in new England. Mountain lion hunting tags were sold in 2013 through a lottery system for the state's first lion hunt. Eastern cougars (mountain lions) do not have a native, self sustaining population in New York State. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Nicole has a degree in Communications from Fairfield University. This is always been a debate however as someone who is an avid Outdoorsman I can say with certainty I know of at least 12 people that have personal accounts of seeing mountain lion in Central and Western Massachusetts. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. It was definitely a cougar. . But, I think with education and planning, we should reintroduce wolves and cougar in the Northeast. They set the stage for the exotics to move in, and this has a huge impact on our ecology, he said. Photos of the cat did nothing to convince DEEP the cat was here. 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