are there mountain lions in the poconos

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). 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. 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. redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not Leap transferred ownership rights to the state. It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. The story behind our new web site. Some outdoor enthusiasts insist they have seen the big cats here and believe them to be naturally occurring, native animals. Of course, the writer's comments were hearsay, but it does make sense. 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? Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? Its fur is a light, tawny brown color which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. A few could, perhaps, be mistaken idenity. In the forests of Kenya, however, they do occur. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. About six months ago I posted the question, Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? It had been captured in Florida, and was to be released. Let's see a clear photo, or a carcass or something. Where they always here as a relic population? Note the size of the tail, the pointed ears, the speckled coat, the basic lack of white underneath. 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. Who knows? Check out the tails of the two! 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. Leslie estimated that the first humans making up the Paleo-Indians lived in the upper Delaware valley as early as 11,000 B.C. 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. At one time this fact almost resulted in this cat not being protected, since it wasn't a pure strain. The name Pocono is derived from the . 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.). While there have been no confirmed occurrences of mountain lions in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s, dozens . The State argues that there is no physical evidence, and no credible photographs. These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. The bones were found perfectly preserved. 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. For our list, we only included US states with a stable breeding population. Those special two were across a river just outside Glacier National Park in Montana, and consisted of a mother and two cubs (Mary saw both cubs, I only saw one, and we did so separately, as we were driving two vehicles). 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. That's true. Local outlets carried reports of cougar encounters at least into the 1910s. The rounded ears, A Mountain Lion Cover Up 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. Still, people say they know what they saw out there. The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. In 2011, a confirmed mountain lion was killed by a vehicle in Connecticut and which had been determined that it had wandered east from the Mid-West. 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. On the second night, a mountain lion passed by, apparently drawn by the smell but put off by the stench, as the cat did not visit the kill. 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. 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. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. It has the color of a mountain lion, but the long tail appears to be missing. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? Conversely, an outdoor writer I know told me that when Pa. enacted a menagerie permit law years ago, 'a lot of mountain lions suddenly died,' as the owners of these cats, rather than going through the paperwork, simply released their pumas and claimed that they had died. And when our officers go out to investigate reports of mountain lions, or when our staff reviews photos that are sent to us, often we're able to verify some other animal mistakenly was reported as a mountain lion.". ? 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! As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! This is only hearsay, however, since I'm only going on their stories. At the end of the last Ice Age, many animals in Pennsylvania died out. Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. 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. Compare any game camera image with the shots above, or this game camera image, to confirm your identification. He's a hunter, a woodsman, and he's seen a lot of game, so I can believe he saw a back-lighted puma. On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? There is a small breeding population in the state, despite being killed off in the 1920s. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. 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. "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. Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? Did they migrate south from Canada? This happens usually around the 18-month mark. Would my mountain ridge be declared 'Critical Habitat' for the puma? After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. That may be true, or was once true, but even a declawed puma, if it can survive off rabbits and squirrels, and breeds, its offspring would be fully equipted to survive. Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. The Asa Packer Mansion, built in the year 1861, is a historic house museum. Mary saw the photo, too, and she immediately agreed, it was a puma. Same story as 'black panthers' across the country, because of course there, scientifically, can be no such thing. Many have a desire to see some clear-cut evidence. It will happen eventually. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. Fish and Wildlife Service. No An official form of the United States government. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. During this time, male mountain lions will travel in search of females. In Yellowstone, definite puma country (perhaps not ideal habitat, but pumas are found in every section of Yellowstone), I've spoken to guys on road crews and with rangers, each with 20 years of field or road experience in Yellowstone, and the ranger had only seen 2 (both road kills and together) and the road crew guys two or three in all their years. 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. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". There also were camels, sloth and hyena, which migrated elsewhere. The Florida panther is an endemic subspecies of cougar that has lived in the everglades region for a very long time. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. 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. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? 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. "When I started telling people, most of them didn't believe me, but I will never forget that huge face staring right at me," said a Montgomery County woman who says she saw a lion last summer in Limerick Township while walking her dog. Certainly it is a romantic notion, but I've always held out the hope that pumas still roamed the east. Perhaps one or more of these Pocono sightings represent early pioneers reclaiming their former territories. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more . If you see or photograph a puma in the mid-Atlantic states, please email or call me. Are the various States guilty of essentially the same thing? . Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? 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. 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. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. "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. I want to believe they're here, but I'm having some trouble. As you can see from the above images it is very difficult to confuse the two if you have a good view. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. So many of these sightings have been proven wrong misidentified bobcats, coyotes or even house cats) that it would be irresponsible for a biologist to accept any of them as fact without absolute physical evidence hair, droppings, tracks or a road-killed animal. (National Park Service). There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. For information on predator tracks, check out this guide: https://www.wildliferemoval.com/animal-track-identification-guide/, Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. I've seen about 20 mountain lions, or pumas, in the field, but all but 2 were in Chile. He also noted that if the cat was here, wouldn't they be reproducing and increasing in population by now? "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. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. While the chances that I'll ever see a puma in Pennsylvania myself are virtually zero, I'm always on the alert -- for the bobcat I've never seen in Pa., for a fisher, bear, deer, red salamander, toad, or snake, and yes, I'm always hoping that I too will become one of those who saw something that officially cannot exist within the state, a puma I know I saw but, of course, could not have! He knows and was familiar with bobcats, and it was not a weird house cat that he and his friends misjudged in size. However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. The State cites that there are no road-kills, and in a heavily trafficed state like Pennsylvania there should be kills. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. I'm wondering, then, if the complete dismissal of sightings of Eastern pumas (other than the acknowledgement of released or escaped pets) isn't motivated by economics. 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. This one streaked across the road in the early evening, and fortunately, it stopped when it climbed a hill on the other side where I had another view from my side of the truck. Since mountain lions are the top predators (unlike most other states with grizzly bears), they have a well-developed population. 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? Foster said mountain lions and bobcats could not breed. There are, from time to time, eyewitness accounts from hunters or hikers who claim to have seen the cat. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Best hike for seeing waterfalls. And yes, there are people in Pennsylvania who say they exist here. 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. 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.

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