are there mountain lions in the poconos

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. Are Mountain Lions in Missouri Making a Comeback? 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. 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. Check out our online field guide to read more in this series. A few could, perhaps, be mistaken idenity. 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. In Tennessee, the most likely places you would find them would be in the forest. Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? 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. I've seen hoaxes, of pumas carrying deer shot with game cameras, but these were of western cats. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on average between 75-120 pounds, has long whiskers and a distinctive swooping tail. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. I think it is possible that recognizing the existence of pumas in the East could jeopardize this industry and an entire economy. 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. If there were wild cougars in our midst, the Game Commission also pointed out, eventually there would be solid evidence such as a carcass, scat and paw prints that could be verified. A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. These powerful, majestic creatures once lived across much of the country but have since been killed or pushed out of most of it. Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. Kross only saw the animal for a second, but it made a believer out of him. What does a Puma (Mountain Lion) look like on a Game Camera? Over 1,100 people follow her page. Recently, on a back road in Pennsylvania, a friend and I had our first sighting of a coyote in Pennsylvania. I want to believe they're here, but I'm having some trouble. They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, with about 50,000 to 80,000 acres of suitable land currently being used by the cat. Note the size of the tail, the pointed ears, the speckled coat, the basic lack of white underneath. Encouraged by the bounties, settlers waged war on these perceived beasts. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. If we continue to be bombarded with manipulated photos and untrue claims in most cases by people who just want to get attention then we may be very resistant to accepting the "real McCoy" if or when) one finally arrives. 10 Stunning Mountains In Pennsylvania - AZ Animals Again, I've been told that some Game Commission personnel have admitted that pumas may exist in Pennsylvania, but they rationalize this by saying that the pumas are not breeding and they are not from original wild stock. 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. Additionally, California banned the hunting of cougars back in 1972, encouraging population growth. Bigfoot, mountain lions and other cryptids in PA So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. Some outdoor enthusiasts insist they have seen the big cats here and believe them to be naturally occurring, native animals. Leap transferred ownership rights to the state. The next day, the photo disappeared from the site. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? Mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week, along with other smaller prey as the opportunity arises. Mountain lions were once widespread across North America, but their range shrunk dramatically as they were pursued through unregulated hunting and by farmers aiming to protect their livestock, and moved off the landscape by habitat fragmentation. 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?' 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! The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". Mountain Lions - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service) NPS.gov Park Home Learn About the Park Nature Animals Mammals Mountain Lion Mountain Lion Last updated: May 4, 2018 Was this page helpful? Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. There are controlled hunting laws in the state of Oregon. 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. There also were camels, sloth and hyena, which migrated elsewhere. After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. Archived Questions of the Month But even without that second look there was no question that we'd seen a coyote. Viewers can never be certain that what they're seeing on a computer is actually what it's purported to be. I believe that the folks that are reporting, in detail, their sightings are faced with a similar situation. It is almost safe to say that the panther has in these parts become extinct, Goodrich wrote. This, after they were told that there were no pumas in Pa. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. After all, how many people have pumas? She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. One of the three branches or clans of the Lenape Tribe at the end of the 17th century was known as the Wolf (Minsi). 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! Furthermore, a different set of photos showed a "mountain lion" dragging a deer into the woods in Bradford County. One man, in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, had seen one, at night, about 25 years ago. Mountain lions have a lifespan of about 8 to 13 years old in the wild. The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. 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. Check out the tails of the two! There are at least 20,000 black bears in Pa., and a small percentage are killed each year, but we're probably not talking about 20,000 pumas in the state. What you wouldn't expect to find here anymore is a mountain lion. A placard affixed to the fence outside Rocky's pen states that "cougars are solitary creatures and rarely seen by humans." I've know of reports since 1973, in Cooke Forest, the heart of a lot of Pa. wilderness. Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic States? Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. 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. 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. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. 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). Bushkill Falls Trail. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. Can so many people be wrong? Murray also has a cross-eyed white tiger named Keisha, who crushed chicken bones with ease but delicately stepped into a metal pool to cool off. And yes, there are people in Pennsylvania who say they exist here. All rights reserved. Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more . the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. Most, quite honestly, don't know or can't believe or accept what they saw, they really can't believe their eyes. However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? Known as the Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania, there are four trails that lead to the cascades from the Bushkill Falls trailhead, each ranging in . The mountain lion population in Nevada is essential to the control of deer and rodent populations in the mountainous regions of the state. Things to Do in the Poconos | Attractions & Outdoors - Pocono Mountains "The day will come," he said, "when someone will pull the trigger on a mountain lion.". Hoax photo doesn't help believability of mountain lions in Poconos (What is meant by "heads" is not clear.). Of interestRamapough Lenape chief: National park in PA and NJ would be among 'most destructive things' since colonization. Foster, the Messiah College professor, said he has investigated about 15 reported mountain lion sightings since late May, and believed "three or four are pretty likely a mountain lion." 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. Pocono Mountains - Wikipedia 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. 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. 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. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. "They're getting a lot of that out west. Controlled hunting of mountain lions is allowed within the state. As the latest hoaxed photo of a mountain lion supposedly killed in Pennsylvania died a slow death on Facebook yesterday, the head of an organization tracking the eastern movements of the big cats was preparing a presentation for a Pennsylvania audience tonight. The 2,400-square-mile area has long been a popular outdoor recreation area boasting hunting, fishing, skiing, and more. Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs. 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. When I first discovered this fresh carcass I examined it for throat punctures, thinking that it may have been killed by a 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. They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. 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. 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. It's sort of like big foot, some people say they've seen him.". Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions. In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. As they get older, the cubs begin to leave the den and explore. "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. The State argues that there is no physical evidence, and no credible photographs. Where reports dating that far back from escapees? This is actually a good thing, as genetic isolation generally weakens a species. Among other uses, the tax was levied "for destroying wolves, foxes, heads and crows." Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? - pennlive.com "From people that I trust have had visual sightings, they've seen mountain lions.". The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. An escapee is also possible. And book one of these Poconos cabins rentals for the best outdoor access to these activities. I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? 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. I haven't seen any reports like that.". Knowing that pumas range widely, would my ridge be the only one closed? 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. He saw a big cat. Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions - AZ Animals Of course, the writer's comments were hearsay, but it does make sense. And, some may be escaped or illegally released pets. It had been captured in Florida, and was to be released. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. Mountain lions can live in almost any habitat including forests, prairies, deserts, and swamps. It is an Italianate Villa home that features authentic Victorian furniture and finishing. A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. Local outlets carried reports of cougar encounters at least into the 1910s. The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. The coat can be spotted or solid. redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not 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. I don't believe someone's imagination could stretch a six inch long tail to three feet! I'm a photographer, yet I've never had a chance to snap a photograph of one of these bears. Would my mountain ridge be declared 'Critical Habitat' for the puma? The state of Texas is home to many mountain lion populations, but the numbers are incredibly hard to find. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? "He doesn't like men too much," said Suzanne Murray, owner of East Coast Exotic Animal Rescue in this south-central Pennsylvania town. And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. 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. Let me know if you have seen one! What is the Kiboko backpack? Did they migrate south from Canada? "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. Mountain lions are well-established in 14 western states and have also recently been confirmed in 10 Midwestern states: Nebraska, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. Note the long, usually thick tail. 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. 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. Thank you for reading! Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. Had this been faked, I'd suspect the hoaxter would try for a more authentic background. 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. 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. "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. What do I think of the Canon 1D Mark IV? The bones were found perfectly preserved. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania Who knows? PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. Why do I advocate manual exposure so avidly? Although a large proportion of the Lenape Nation was dispersed far from their ancestral homelands in the 18th century, colonial settlers and their descendants struggled to live in this region with wolves and cougars inhabiting the forests.

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