The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. According to DEEP the bobcat is the only confirmed species of wild cat in CT as of 2022. Although mountain lions were part of Nebraska's native fauna, they were extirpated by the end of the 19th century. Mountain lions are about half the size of lions, but they can run up to 50 mph while lions can run only 37 mph. 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. Mountain lions went extinct in Connecticut during the 1800s, but bobcats are still seen regularly. The New Hampshire Department of Justice is pursuing civil charges against two members of the hate group for allegedly hanging a racist banner in Portsmouth last summer. Experts Warn Residents to Take Precautions After Recent Mountain Lion Sightings By Bay City News Published June 11, 2021 Updated on June 11, 2021 at 6:50 am NBC Universal, Inc. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. Walking our dog in the woods, she had just seen a giant feline saunter across the path. This young adult, male Mountain Lion was struck and killed by a SUV in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2012. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. What to know about unconfirmed mountain lion sightings in CT. Nicole Funaro was formerly a statewide trending reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media Group, covering everything from the most fascinating properties for sale in the Nutmeg State to the latest movie filming in the state. Below is an evolving list of Connecticut natives and state prep school football players in the Class of 2023 who have signed letters of intent to play football in college. Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators., Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators, For the first time in decades, The Old Farmer's Almanac is looking for a new editor, NSC-131 members say they can't find a NH defense lawyer for pending civil rights case, Cautiously optimistic: Maple syrup producers expect a good season this year, In Spokane, Washington, officials test a housing strategy rejected by NH lawmakers. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. It was a lion-like cat with a tan coat and no spots that was about three times the size of our 30- to 35-pound dog. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are The whole trail is very . That had to be a mountain lion. Anyone can get fooled. Ive seen bobcats before, this wasnt a bobcat. And its a lose-lose situation, because theres really not a whole lot you can tell them in most cases thats going to change their mind.. The views expressed here are the author's own. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Sometimes in our shock and excitement at seeing wildlife we see what we want to see. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Police have a warning after there were multiple mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. What about mountain lions, though? So is the second largest extant cat in North America still managing to eke out a living in the . However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. National Signing Day 2022-2023: Connecticuts signing list. That maybe, just maybe, what my wife and others saw wasnt a bobcat that seemed bigger in the thrill of the moment, but a real, honest-to-goodness mountain lion, a long-lost ghost of the forest. Report a Moose Sighting Select the link above to report your sighting. DEEP sightings: Where the bears are in CT. Jim Shay. Over a period of a year and a half, this mountain lion left DNA evidence in at least four states. Yet we see nothing about what is being planned except how to scare them away if one sees them. It provided absolutely irrefutable proof that a wild Mountain Lion, at least occasionally, can make its way to New England. Even so, for decades, skeptics dismissed mountain lion sightings in Connecticut out of hand, pointing out that if the cats were here in anywhere close to the number of reported sightings, there would be DNA and physical evidence of their presence, not to mention photos and videos. Adult males may be more than 8 feet long (from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail), and can weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. Im Shelton Lively, a Connecticut resident, and an avid outdoors person. Ive been doing this for 40 years. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. Fish and Game staff have distributed door hangers in neighborhoods the lion has been using. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. There are mountain lions in connecticut. "We have yet to see anything that suggests they're around here." We know that the closest established breeding population is in either the Everglades of Florida theres a small population down there and then out in South Dakota and Nebraska. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. Five summers ago, a mountain lion made regional headlines after it was photographed in Greenwich and later struck and killed by a motor vehicle on the parkway in Milforda young male that DEEP officials determined through DNA evidence had traveled east all the way from South Dakota. In yet another variant, DEEP is said to be helicoptering mountain lions in to help control the deer population. 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. Population estimates are thought to be around 20 individuals which is considered caring capacity based on the amount of land and . Sue Morse, the founder and science director of Keeping Track, a Vermont-based organization dedicated to protecting wildlife habitats, has studied mountain lions over her career as a naturalist, and says the majority of cougar sightings in the Northeast are misidentifications. Fv 27, 2023 . But as Eastern cougar search efforts became more organized and still there were no concrete signs of the creatures, many became more skeptical. If you have a worldview in which the government is conspiring to do weird stuff, than thats what youre going to see, and all the evidence is going to point to exactly what you believe, he says. ', 'Saturday Night Live' skit with Woody Harrelson takes place at Naval Submarine Base New London, Bo Hickey, former New Canaan hockey, football coach and NFL player, has died. A quick Google search reveals that the theory is not limited to Connecticut and similar tales are told throughout the Northeast. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that. Bobcats top out at about 40 pounds (most are much lighter than that) and are only. Description. According to authorities, the mountain lion was reportedly seen on Friday including on. This mountain lion was documented by DNA samples from Minnesota and Wisconsin between December 2009 and early 2010. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. It also doesnt mean there wont be more sightings in the future, as these animals have been known to reclaim areas their species once roamed. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal . We know that the closest established breeding population is in either the Everglades of Florida theres a small population down there and then out in South Dakota and Nebraska. If a young male Cougar disperses East, instead of West, they're going to keep walking because they're going tokeep looking for an area where they can find a mate, he said. However, because they are capable of traveling great distances, they have turned up in all parts of North Dakota. DEEP believes their numbers have increased in recent years. Mountain lions are commonly identified by trail camera photographs, tracks, and feces. And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. Hes even had his own false sighting. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal . Fight back. You really couldnt ask for a better place for mountain lions.. Then in June 2011, there were reports of a mountain lion in Greenwich and, for the first time, a photo. Connecticut is cougar heaven, Betty said. In the decades that followed, many cougar enthusiasts came to share Wrights conclusions, at least at first. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection receives 50-100 reports of mountain lions each year, says Paul Rego, a wildlife biologist with the department. I might also add that I notified the State wildlife division about evidence of a bear in my neighborhood in Windham County and never received even an acknowledgement. Mountain Lions in the State of Texas In Texas, it's always open season on mountain lions. Conserving Tolland President and founder Roseann Kellner Gottier said that the issue has become important for the region and is glad the lecture was well-attended. As a carnivore biologist, Hawley says he would love it if mountain lions were here. A fourth cougar sighting in recent days was reported near the New Canaan border Thursday, according to Animal Control officer Allyson Halm. A threat to livestock, they were hunted out of the state and driven to parts more wild. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. Grandson of an old swamp Yankee, trapped, hunted , fished my whole life. According to one internet source, there are 3 types of wild cats that can be found in Connecticut mountain lions, bobcats, and lynxes. A mountain lion in winter. Weight: 70-170 lbs. While recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, if someone suspects they encountered a mountain lion, they should not run away, as it might spur a chase. In 2011, genetic testing confirmed that a mountain lion originated in South Dakota and traveled more than 1,500 miles before being struck by a car on the Merritt Parkway, according to Reuters. They are also known as . Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Bobcats, also, only hunt small prey. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. This might serve as proof to some that there, in fact, might still be mountain lions in CT. Got a question or comment? These were reported to CT DEEP and though the sightings may not have been confirmed as true mountain Lion sightings, this post is to spread awareness on the issue in case youre presented with such situation. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. Betty, however, said that the sheer number of sightings and evidence substantiates a native population of cougars. Adult males typically weigh between 18 and 35 pounds and measure from 32 to 37 inches in length. I couldnt tell you how happy I would be if mountain lions were actually recolonizing the state of Connecticut, Hawley says, but its just not happening., Hawley spoke about bobcats, mountain lions and bears on The Colin McEnroe Show: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators.. For over 30 years the CT DEEP has been tracking reported sightings and maintain it has never observed or found proof that mountain lions are still here in the state. And the last confirmed sighting prior to the 2011 instance would be a couple hundred years ago, according to Hawley. Betty said that, according to officials, it's thought that there has been no reproducing, native population in the state since the 1920s. And there are different schools of thought about that. They vary in size and weight, with males reaching up to 200 pounds and eight feet in length (one-third of their length is the tail). According to Jason Hawley, a wildlife biologist for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protections Wildlife Division, the department gets around 100 sighting reports of mountain lions each year, but upon further investigation, a good proportion of the sightings end up being bobcats. The nearest known populations of mountain lions are in Wyoming, Colorado, North . Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. They usually either don't disperse at all or they'll kind of overlap their mother's home range, or they'll disperse very short distances.. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. For more information on cougars in Connecticut, visit theCougars of the Valley siteor theConnecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. More sightings that Halm deemed credible came in 2018 from Nursery, Marvin Ridge and Briscoe Roads.. Halm noted that the route between the two recent sightings appears to be straight south. There also should have been evidence of animals killed by the predators and roadkill. 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