McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. So theres fresh mud. 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. Theres something in human nature to overestimate the size of wild animals we see, especially if we get a brief glance and if the animal is moving. He adds, Bobcats can get pretty large and some people believe they should have pretty visible spots and very often theyre pretty uniform in color. This is especially true in the summer, when my wifes sighting occurred. Dont Run. His mentor, Aldo Leopold, a prominent wildlife biologist, also believed this, but felt if people learned about these populations, they would be hunted to extinction. However, the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut was in 2011. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. In the decades that followed, many cougar enthusiasts came to share Wrights conclusions, at least at first. They are named for their short (bobbed) tail which is often about six inches in length. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. Although there are numerous reported sightings of mountain lions in Connecticut every year, the animals have actually been extinct in this state for more than a century. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. Everyone thought my family was crazy until it crossed the road into the "Strong Elementary School" play yard during recess with small children playing. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. Only Ignorance would believe that something that once know to be - no longer is Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it is not there. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Bobcats dont shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. Map reproduced from LaRue et al. Rego says that the way bobcats stride when they run, often times a rear leg is kicked up in the back and that could be mistaken for a long tail.. It would come regularly during its yearly migration. I am 58 years old and another cougar was identified when I was much younger by the Deep in Meriden. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. Weve got a growing bear population. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. Stephen Gencarella, professor of folklore studies at the University of Massachusetts and a Connecticut resident, says, The government coverup is only the latest version of something that could stretch back in the oral tradition to precolonial times. He notes that supposed mountain lion sightings spiked in the late 1800s and early 1900s shortly after the animals disappeared from New Englands woods. Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators., Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators, Pastry artwork pits bakery against town of Conway in free speech suit, In latest school funding trial, state attorneys argue NH districts' budgets are bloated, Lawmakers, advocates, families in NH react to Biden Admin's proposed Title IX change, Give Back NH: The New England Grassroots Environment Fund. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal . 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. Don't be a fool and be caught off guard by believing they don't exist in Connecticut. As I said previously, She had seen an animal on foot in broad daylight. 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.. Like coyotes, moreover, mountain. Sometimes referred to as the ghosts of the forest, mountain lions or cougars are stealthy hunters that are hard to spot, even in areas they are known to inhabit. The Damned Story: Eastern mountain lions, or pumas or cougars, were last officially seen in Connecticut near the end of the 19th century. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. While the state says it was likely a bobcat, one of the people who reported the sighting says it was unlike anything hes ever seen before. Ask people who spend time outside Connecticut cities and you will hear firsthand or secondhand accounts of mountain lions. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. (https://wildlifeinformer.com/what-to-do-if-you-encounter-a-mountain-lion/). For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. MoRRoW187 4 mo. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. In cities, smaller towns, and even sparsely inhabited areas, there is simply not enough large prey for mountain lions to survive on. While he might feel like that well known movie character who was doubted at first, Bachelder is confident it was a cougar. ago. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. We have people eating dinner in their kitchen, they hear a noise, all of a sudden a bear walks in, so they run into their bedroom to get away from the bear, while the bears out ransacking their refrigerator. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. 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. People have been known to submit photos of real mountain lions taken in other states and claim they were taken in Connecticut. The Canada Lynxs geographic territory in New England only extends as far south as northern New Hampshire and parts of Maine, though. 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. Peter Yankowski is a breaking news reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. Once at dusk driving in the Berkshires, he saw what he initially thought was a cat-like creature that was far bigger than a bobcat leap across the road. Not really, Rego says. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. A qualitative assessment of . 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. ago. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. Wait a minute--there was a sighting in New London County a few years back, and my wife read an article about a mountain lion or cougar being struck by a vehicle in Milford a few years back. 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. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. Seeing a wild cat can be both frightening and exciting, and its common for people to make mistakes in identification, as all most people are used to seeing is the common housecat. By, Corporate Support: Advertising & Sponsorship, Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators., Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators, CT could lose thousands of affordable housing units in next few years, With a visit to New Haven, Lamont makes pitch to plant more trees in cities ahead of Earth Day, New London expands housing as General Dynamics Electric Boat prepares to hire thousands, Connecticuts Hispanic performing artists adapt to inflation with hope for future generations, Connecticut's summer enrichment program is awarded $11.5 million to continue, Connecticut COVID data: Your town's infection rate, hospitalizations & vaccinations, As new research suggests COVID-19 is now endemic, physicians push back, Long COVID rates fall by half nationwide, New England rates among lowest, Construction waste clogs landfills, worsens climate change. Ancient_Ad126 4 mo. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. 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. We get a lot of pictures sent to us, and people say, I took this picture of a mountain lion in my backyard. And Ill look at it, and to me, its clearly a bobcat, Hawley said. He drove me out to the spot. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. In Florida, where mountain lions are known as panthers, dozens are killed each year by cars. However, the National Wildlife Federation notes that the mountain lions range spreads all across the Americas, from the Canadian Yukon to The Strait of Magellan, making it the greatest range of any living mammal in the Americas.. 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