Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information. Two mountain lion sightings have been confirmed in Tennessee. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. of Energy & Environmental Protection. From sightings of wolves and moose to brown recluses and mountain lions, people in CT have made some wild (pun intended) claims about what animals theyve spotted. Hes even had his own false sighting. About 80 people gathered at Tolland High School Thursday night to take in a mountain lion lecture sponsored byConserving Tolland. Theyll say, Hey, you can see in the picture that it has a long tail, and when I look at the picture, I say, I see how you would see that because they way these cats walk, theyll kind of stand and trail their rear leg. Mountain lions inhabit the badlands and Missouri River breaks regions of North Dakota. As a Contrary to traditional thought, population studies have shown that mountain lions prefer rolling hills and more heavily developed areas to remote mountain regions. Pepper spray has also been proven as an effective weapon against the animal. There are mountain lions in connecticut. Even so, Abbott has heard of mountain lion sightings from what he deems reliable sources and believes its possible that other animals have made the difficult, some say almost miraculous trek, from the West to Connecticut. Connecticut Dept. Bobcats: They are are the only wild cat found in the state and the most common in North America. So why does the conspiracy theory that theyre here in significant numbers persist? Dashboard for displaying mountain lion reports to the public. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. 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. community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. According to Hawley, if mountain lions were present in the state, there would be evidence and not just unconfirmed sightings. Its extremely rare for a person to see a wild animal and to underestimate its size. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. Slowly, mountain lions recolonized North America after having retreated to warmer climates in South America during the Pleistocene ice age. 4 . Mostly shaded. The photo is black and white. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. Bobcats dont shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. Since May 21, three other lion sightings were reported in the Chubbuck and Pocatello areas and one in Inkom. Connecticut Public Radio | This is the mountain lion that was hit by a car in Milford after several sightings in the Greenwich area. Register for a user account. 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.. It went through my yard, went up behind, I have some property, past my barn, went into the woods, east, lots of woods back there, just disappeared.. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. While there is currently not much safety training being done in the state for the extinct animal, Betty predicts that cougar safety will eventually be as common in New England as it is in California. One on Salem Rd and another in the area of Pease Rd in our town. 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. Hawley: Yeah. Coyotes have been mistaken for mountain lions. On June 11, 2011, in Milford, CT, a mountain lion was killed by a motor vehicle. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. The U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service reports that mountain lions typical habitat is steep, rocky canyons or mountainous terrain, but they generally can be found wherever deer are present. Then in June 2011, there were reports of a mountain lion in Greenwich and, for the first time, a photo. But a high-profile sighting in 2011 stirred up renewed interest in the animals here, when a mountain lion from South Dakota was hit and killed by a car on a Connecticut highway. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. Betty displayed several maps of Maine and New Hampshire, demonstrating the trend. Since cougars are the second largest cat in North America and a natural predator, they can pose a threat. to scare it off. Email editor@connecticutmag.com. But as Eastern cougar search efforts became more organized and still there were no concrete signs of the creatures, many became more skeptical. We have plenty of suitable habitat, he says. Hawley says that they would be finding carcasses of mountain lion prey and mountain lion tracks if these animals had recolonized the state, and this simply isnt happening. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. What would motivate DEEP officials to do this isnt clear. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. The police department decided to put out a warning to those in town. Hey, I know what I saw. Be mindful of small pets and small children. He said that the conservation organization,Cougars of the Valley, has compiled 300 sightings in the Farmington Valley region of the state alone. My wife is not a wildlife expert, but is not prone to flights of fancy. Over time, this will help us evaluate problem areas, movement barriers for wildlife, and potential for human-puma conflict. It was a spotless cat she estimated at close to 100 pounds. He also quoted the work of geneticist Melanie Culver, who has proven that all North American puma species are genetically virtually identical. So theres fresh mud. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, mountain lions became extinct in Connecticut in the 1800s, and bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. . Report a new sighting Sightings List 1 2 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. Adult males typically weigh between 18 and 35 pounds and measure from 32 to 37 inches in length. Mountain lions also have tails that can grow up to 3 feet. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. I enjoy exploring CT and reporting back to my readers about fun things to do in Connecticut. Sometimes people feared fishers (erroneously attributing the blood-curdling screams of foxes to these hard-to-spot creatures), and in the late 1930s, after several animals were slain under strange circumstances in Glastonbury, the Hartford Courant dubbed the lion-like creature supposedly responsible, the Glawackus. The last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut occurred in 2011. Today, instead of focusing on cougar sightings in Eastern states, many cougar enthusiasts want to protect the animal from being hunted in the regions in which they are currently found. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . Weight: 160 lbs. Betty, however, said that the sheer number of sightings and evidence substantiates a native population of cougars. Im watching it, its big, its got the body, and the thing that really gave it away was the tail, had that mountain lion long tail that goes down to the ground and comes up at the end, saw that and was like, thats a freaking mountain lion.. 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. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. Here are some things to keep in mind if you come across or see a big cat like a mountain lion: The sightings were reported to the state Dept. But what might be his most compelling argument is that since this is Connecticut, the budget is too limited. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Almost daily, there are claims of mountain lion sightings in CT, though. Especially when pictures are blurry which happens a lot in trail cameras or youll get pictures taken at night or something on Ring cameras that hind leg really does often look like a tail kind of curling up behind the animal.. Dont Run. Tim Abbott, the regional land conservation and greenprint director for the Housatonic Valley Association, says that during a lecture on mountain lions last winter at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, when the speaker asked if anyone had seen a mountain lion, half of the roughly 400 people in attendance raised their hands. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. 3. Emaileditor@connecticutmag.com, or contact usonFacebook@connecticutmagazine orTwitter@connecticutmag. The whole trail is very . Another mountain lion was killed on a Connecticut highway. And there are different schools of thought about that. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. These hangers include safety tips about living with mountain lions, and what to do if people observe or encounter one. The sightings havent been confirmed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), and there are no videos or photos. Booth DEEP and local authorities around Connecticut have confirmed that the majority of mountain lion sightings in the state turn out to be sightings of bobcats. 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.. There also should have been evidence of animals killed by the predators and roadkill. She was also the voice behind the weekly Connecticut Real Estate newsletter by CT Insider. Be mindful of small pets and small children wandering too far away from your sight line. 2012). It is the only confirmed presence of a cougar in recent years. 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. We have rolling hills, and more importantly, 200,000 white tails. People have been known to submit photos of real mountain lions taken in other states and claim they were taken in Connecticut. Re (2): Mountain Lion sighting in Brookfield ct - By Ryan January 31, 2016 at 11:16:51 PM. 1 Last 365 Days. "Mountain lions are considered extinct in the northeast." Bobcats are not uncommon in Connecticut, according to the state, although their population is limited throughout the state, with the. In another version, its about habitat protection and the onerous federal regulations the state would have to follow if we found a mountain lion within the state. Do Not Approach! Description. 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. This mountain lion was documented by DNA samples from Minnesota and Wisconsin between December 2009 and early 2010. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. However, that doesnt mean that mountain lion sightings are all false or that there havent been roaming cats sighted. While other states have their Bigfoot and sea monster sightings, in Connecticut, and throughout much of the Northeast, we see mountain lions even when were told such sightings are unlikely, if not outright impossible. The only types of lynx that are indigenous to New England are the Canada Lynx and the Lynx rufus (bobcat). But honest misidentifications are more common. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. In 2011, a young male lion walked 1500 miles from South Dakota to Connecticut, where he was hit and killed on the parkway in Milford. COMPARED TO A HOUSE CAT Bobcats: They are about two to three times larger than their distant relative. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. These tips include carrying safety equipment and walking . 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. 2023 Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC, Serious crash closes CT stretch of I-95 South, state police say, Fairfield man charged in alleged high-speed chase, shootout, CT Capitol police arrest 14 people following peaceful protest, DCF denies 'deficiencies' cited in report on CT child deaths, Suspect in 2021 fatal shooting arrested, Hamden police say, Police warn of spike in vehicle thefts in CT town, Elicker presents $662.7m budget that would raise spending $29.5m, Norwalk council hears call for school spending, delays budget cap, NJ man faces more charges in alleged money laundering scheme, Late West Haven audit sees vulnerabilities for more fraud, several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month, one that was killed on the Merritt Parkway in 2011, U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service, mountain lions became extinct in Connecticut in the 1800s, Geno Auriemma gives bleak assessment as UConn womens basketball looks to find footing in March: 'Poorly coached team. 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As unlikely as it sounds, it was a more believable theory than some of the alternatives, among them that the cat was evidence of a breeding population in the state that was being kept secret by DEEP. Well also go over what types of wild cats can be found in Connecticut. 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. The Damned Story: Eastern mountain lions, or pumas or cougars, were last officially seen in Connecticut near the end of the 19th century. he recalls. My buddy told me he saw one in our hometown (in litchfield county) 10 or so years ago and I called bullshit. 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. Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami, and a conspiracy theory expert, says these types of theories are not uncommon. So theres fresh mud. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. Arms over your head, with a jacket or sweatshirt. That had to be a mountain lion. He published his first book in 1959, 2023 Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC, In the 1950s, the 'Mad Dog murders' terrorized Connecticut, Connecticut Magazine: Best restaurants for dessert for 2023, Connecticut Magazine: CT's best brunch spots for 2023, Meet rising hip-hop star and CT native Felly, Connecticut Magazine: Best vegetarian, vegan restaurants for 2023, Save money by electrifying your homes systems, Stratford's Allan Dias and his brush with rock 'n' roll fame, Review: Hachiroku in New Haven is a slice of Japanese heaven, Geno Auriemma gives bleak assessment as UConn womens basketball looks to find footing in March: 'Poorly coached team. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. Stay facing the animal and try not to turn your back to it. Instead, people should remain facing the cat and not turn their back on it, make noise and make themselves appear as large as possible by raising their arms over their heads with a jacket. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it,. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that. When it comes out that there are mountain lions in Connecticut where all these people who denied them apologize to the people who know they saw them? If needed, throw rocks, sticks, etc. 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.. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. So its this gathering storm. Also known as cougars, panthers or pumas, mountain lions range in color from tan to grey, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service. Mistaken reports of mountain lions are most commonly bobcats. We're not aware of any more confirmed mountain lion sightings other than the one that was hit by the car many years back. While Betty had plenty of evidence to support a mountain lion population, the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection still lists the mountain lion as extinct under the Endangered Species Act. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. Residents of Greenwich, Conn., have reported seeing a mountain lion roaming the woods -- even though the species is extinct in the region, MyFoxNY.com reports. From family fun to restaurants and everything in between, everything you need to know about CT is right here. Have you seen a puma or bobcat in your neighborhood? Connecticut Dept. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. In the decades that followed, many cougar enthusiasts came to share Wrights conclusions, at least at first. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. I know the difference between bobcats, lynx, & mt lions. Icould hear the panic in my wifes voice. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. Live Now All times eastern. Or at least theyre not supposed to be. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Mountain Lions:They can have similar coloring and their tails can look alike, which has lead to some house cats being mistaken for them, even though mountain lions are much, much bigger. This young male cougar was found to . The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. The nearest known populations of mountain lions are in Wyoming, Colorado, North . To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. Sign up for our newsletter to get our latest and greatest content delivered right to your inbox. Sport hunting for cougars is not sustainable and shouldnt be allowed to go on. Sometimes people feared fishers (erroneously attributing the blood-curdling screams of foxes to these hard-to-spot creatures), and in the late 1930s, after several animals were slain under strange circumstances in Glastonbury, the. Although mountain lions were part of Nebraska's native fauna, they were extirpated by the end of the 19th century. And even the home entries are kind of changing. Mountain lions went extinct in Connecticut during the 1800s, but bobcats are still seen regularly. I feel a little bit like Roy Scheider in Jaws, you know, youve got to shut down the beaches, he said. 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. A fourth cougar sighting in recent days was reported near the New Canaan border Thursday, according to Animal Control officer Allyson Halm. 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. Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. Re (3): Mountain Lion sighting in Brookfield ct - By weather01089 February 1, 2016 at 04:55:52 PM. You can subscribe to Connecticut Magazine here, or find the current issue on sale here. Technical Discussion: Rain tonight, then an *ALERT* heading into the weekend! Theres also the lack of visual evidence, more glaring each passing year as so many hikers and hunters now carry phones with cameras. Eastern cougars (mountain lions) do not have a native, self sustaining population in New York State. In the wild, they live 8-13 years, but in captivity they can live into their 20s. ', '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. 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. Bobcats: Though technically a type of lynx, they are distinct from other species of lynx such as the Canadian lynx. Not long after, what was believed to be the same mountain lion was struck and killed on Route 15 in Milford. 6. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. Possible mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge, Mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge. Its important to stand your ground and not run or hide. 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. The current editor of the publication, which is based in New Hampshire, explains why the job is worth sticking around. And the last confirmed sighting prior to the 2011 instance would be a couple hundred years ago, according to Hawley. But recent expert-confirmed sightingswhich have involved photographs, videos, and DNAin Tennessee support a theory that mountain lions, whose populations out west have continued to expand, are slowly making their way back to this side of the country. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal . She adds, I think its because a lot of people are fascinated by wild cats; they are the embodiment of the wild.. When we lived in Suffield, we had MANY Mountain Lion sightings.probably 4-5 sightings (which qualifies as many to me) and they were definitely not Bobcats. So, there you have it an answer to the question of whether or not there are mountain lions in CT. Even in parts of the country where there are documented breeding populations of mountain lions, there are still many false reports. It had rained previously. Otherwise, Hawley said cats like bobcats want nothing to do with people, and they will generally prey on chickens, small dogs or cats. Re (1): Mountain Lion sighting in Brookfield ct - By russ January 30, 2016 at 05:10:25 PM. Want to post on Patch? 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. Hawley said that the typical range of cougars like mountain lions is from west of the South Dakota area. Beautiful trail! There was a sighting near the Brunswick School on June 5. In cities, smaller towns, and even sparsely inhabited areas, there is simply not enough large prey for mountain lions to survive on. mountain lions in washington. It was a flooded area. For decades afterward, there were reported sightings of the mythical creature prowling the woods around town. WOODBRIDGE Police are offering tips after they said there have been several mountain lion sightings in town. Even though human persecution has driven them locally extinct in the eastern part of the state, Texas mountain lion hunting is allowed year-round with no bag limits.