Some may also be kept illicitly as pets, which would quickly become a problem as the cat matures. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. Dispersal can be mean treks as long as 1,000 miles in search of territory. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. This number of car strikes is in spite of having low population densities and the significant efforts to reduce car strikes, such as reduced speed limits, warning signs, and obstacles (fences and road underpasses) built along or under roads that cut through panther habitat. Bears have been fought off with rocks, sticks, binoculars or even bare hands, the game commission says. The reports, though, continue. One came to her as the result of an owner's divorce. Mountain Lion Sighting Nov. 11, 2021 A California Mountain Lion was seen at approximately 4:52 p.m. on Nov. 11 near the University Glen water tanks and later on the main part of the campus near Santa Barbara Street and Camarillo Street. Pennsylvania Game Commission officials say it's very unlikely it was a mountain lion. I also seen deer in my yard, a coyote, a mink, a wood turtle and a bear earlier this year as well. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, feline predators such as the eastern cougar, which is also known as the mountain lion, are "extirpated," meaning they're all but wiped out in the northeastern United States. This content is restricted to subscribers of OutdoorNews.com. They usually go after rabbits and small game but can kill animals as large as deer, according to pennlive.com. Have a news tip? They're common in the rural areas of the Lehigh Valley but are moving into more populated areas as evidenced by a600-pound specimen (pictured) that was tranquilized in March after neighbors in Forks Township and Easton's College Hill section called authorities. So, if a. $1 per month for 6 months (you will be billed $6) and then your subscription will renew at standard subscription rates. The coloration in adults is uniform. So, if you live close to here please keep this in mind while you are hiking or walking along the wooded areas. State officials question the lack of proof from recent sightings. Big Cat, long tail, Mountain Lion past directly in front of my car. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. Orange and tan house cats are also confused for cougars. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. It's only found in thewestern part of the state. adroll_current_page = "other"; Coyoteseat wildlife including mice, voles, deer, rabbits and woodchucks. Conservation agents searched for the animal last night and resumed looking this morning. Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents have periodically reported big cat sightings to local police, prompting minor scares that can last a few days. I stopped while i was driving, and as i approached it SLOWLY as not to scare it, it glared at my truck walked towards it,then sat. "With all of that said, though, there's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania. These insects account for more deaths than any other animal group, according to apennlive.com report. The one pictured is in a New York zoo. This photo of a cougar was taken in Michigans Upper Peninsula (photos obtained by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources). While juvenile males do make long journeys when they are young, they rarely make it to the Lake States (Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin). Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Black bear can be easily told apart from cougars: black bears have five toes to cougars four and their footpads are more elongated. Males do not tolerate other males in their territory, and they will fight other males to maintain their territory. Courtesy photo. I know I am not the only one who spotted this cat around the woods right outside town . On some investigations, Foster has teamed up with Stacey Griffiths, who started the Central PA Mountain Lion Sightings page earlier this year. Murray said Rocky was emaciated and chained when she found him at a private zoo. Turkey vultures return to Ohio a sure harbinger of the coming spring? I have seen Bobcats. If you see a mountain lion. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. Angel, her African lioness who snarls at strangers, is a big girl. Don't treat the bite with ice, cold packs or sprays. Lion sightings they got. An escapee is also possible. "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. 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. Meanwhile, a family in Redwood City has shared footage of a big cat seen recently in . They came out and investigated. In January, the U.S. But after consultations with biologists inside and outside the university, he determined it was an unusual bear track showing just four toes and no claws. If you have seen a mountain lion (also commonly called cougar, panther, or puma) in Pennsylvania or surrounding states (New York, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio), please give Kerry Gyekis a detailed description of the animal such as length of body, length of tail, approximate weight, size, thickness, coloring, etc. Florida panther population estimate updated. Ears are another way to identify the cat: cougars have rounded ears and bobcat ears have a black tuft. "I hear rumors all the time about mountain lion sightings," said Brian Anderson, deputy game protector for Northumberland County. While there are many unconfirmed sightings of mountain lions in Ohio, there is not believed to be any living in the state. The DNR maintains mountain lion sightings using a system to receive, record and review mountain lion reports. Much of the prime habitat in the West is already occupied by larger more dominate males, so juvenile males make long journeys to disperse to setup a new territory or find an area where they can push out the dominate male. Mountain lions' canines are 3 to 4 inches long. Eventually they will reach areas where they never lived, or once lived,and will repopulate that area. Recent post: Why Is It Called Beaver Stadium? They often carry their tails erect, which is rare for cougars and when done clearly has a bow to it; and house cats can have long coats, which is a sharp contrast from the short coat of a cougar. They haven't been . For a limited time, you can get full access to breaking news, all original Outdoor News stories and updates from the entire Great Lakes Region and beyond, the most up-to-date fishing & hunting reports, lake maps, photo & video galleries, the latest gear, wild game cooking tips and recipes, fishing & hunting tips from pros and experts, bonus web content and much, much more, all on your smartphone, tablet or desktop For just a buck per month! "They are very strong animals," she said. This was yesterday around 5pm 11/6/19. The very sad news: there was a PGC ear tag on it. Juvenile females do not disperse like males, which limits cougar range expansion. It's cable reimagined No DVR space. LaRue, M.A., Nielsen, C.K., Dowling, M., Miller, K., Wilson, B., Shaw, H., Anderson, C.R. This demonstrates just how difficult it is for this secretive animal to travel without being seen and followed. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. Skip to the beginning of the images gallery, FISH: Pennsylvania Frog and Toad Breeding Phenology, Questions and Answers about Centipedes, Ladybirds and Butterflies, The Effect of Coyotes on Pennsylvanias Deer Herd, Protected Species in Pennsylvania: The Bog Turtle, Protected Species in Pennsylvania: Northern Flying Squirrel. The report says 58 people suffered allergic reactions and died from stings in Pennsylvania between 2001-13. They will not find a female in these areas, so they eventually make their way back to the western range or die in the attempt. Isolated juvenile males have been found as far east as Michigans Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin. The only population that survived was the Florida panther (Puma concolor couguar), and it only survived with great help from conservationists. About the year 1967 I drove my corvair in a meadow and two red cats about a year old came across the road behind me south of Hancock PA. Figure 3. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. Always interesting to see the pompous asses state unequivocally that hundreds of their citizens are blind, on drugs, or lying because they have not seen one! Cougars are recolonizing the Midwest: Analysis of cougar confirmations during 19902008. 0:57 A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". What is the fascination in Pennsylvania that they always want to kill a mountain line if they find one theyre indigenous they belong there just leave the damn things alone. Based on its extensive research, the Service concluded this subspecies of big cats had disappeared from the east by the 1930s. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. San Julian can even send scat to be tested for cougar DNA. And, if. There may well be a mountain lion out there that has been illegally released.". They said it took up most of the dirt road. Records show that more than 600 cougars were killed in Centre County alone during the 1800s. Lion sightings they got. Images from a homeowner's surveillance camera show a tan cat with a long body, beyond a chain-link fence. Hawley, J.E., Rego, P.W., Wydeven, A.P., Schwartz, M.K., Viner, T.C., Kays R., Pilgrim, K.L., and Jenks, J.A. Bobcats (2a; photo credit: Dave Jackson) and coyotes (2b; photo credit Scott Weikert) are often confused for cougars (2c). Mountain lions also were reportedly sighted in Cape St . Mountain Lions Background: In 2011, the U.S. The mountain lion sightings locations can help with all your needs. Union and Huntingdon , Pa. .. One doesn't think about big cats being in this eastern part of the . Journal of Mammalogy 97(5):1435-1440. So glad to post. Black markings decorate the tip of the tail, ears, and around the snout. Females tend to go an average of 18-30 miles, while males travel much farther (45-170 miles). They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. She feeds and cares for them with donations and grants. The Eastern Cougar Foundation, a clearinghouse for cougar sightings, claims it has received proof that big cats do exist in Missouri, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois and Kentucky, and in Ontario and New Brunswick, Canada. If a mountain lion walks around an area enough, many different humans will notice. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Bobcat and coyote tracks have been misidentified as cougar tracks. 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.". While it is possible for a cougar to make this journey, it is highly unlike for individuals to survive the journey. Dispersing cats do not stay in new areas because there are no females. They were extirpated from Indiana by the late 1800s. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has determined that due to no concrete evidence, and in spite of multiple (but unconfirmed ) sightings, the eastern mountain lion has been. Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax, http://aginfo.psu.edu/news/august01/lion.tif. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. From 2015 through 2017, at least 100 pumas were spotted in the county, according to Tribune data gathered in 2018. 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. The bobcat wouldn't survive. Confirmed Mountain Lion Reports Watch our Mountain Lions in Missouri video to learn why mountain lions are roaming into our state, how we confirm reported sightings, and what to do in the very unlikely event you encounter a mountain lion. Symptoms usually disappear after four days. If you see any of these four wild animals in Pennsylvania, definitely keep a safe distance. Offer valid thru 3/31/23. Pennsylvania is too inhabited to support a population of cougars, unless there are major changes in cougar biology, cougar behavior, and public opinion. The woman, a 66-year-old grandmother, asked not to be identified because she's a senior and didn't want people "bothering" her about it.