Ask people who spend time outside Connecticut cities and you will hear firsthand or secondhand accounts of mountain lions. 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. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it,. There have been no "confirmed" reports of mountain lions, AKA Puma concolor, in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. NOW - 4:30 PM. 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. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are 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. He drove me out to the spot. State wildlife experts say those big cats have been extinct in Connecticut for more than 100 years. Do not run. And there are different schools of thought about that. A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. And theres another school of thought, Well, no, there just are too many of them probably we have to reduce that population somehow. Where do you fall in that whole continuum? Explore the most popular trails in my list Mountain lion sightings with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. 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. However, because they are capable of traveling great distances, they have turned up in all parts of North Dakota. She adds, I think its because a lot of people are fascinated by wild cats; they are the embodiment of the wild.. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference. 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. Put your arms over your head with a jacket or sweatshirt. 2 Last 5 Years. Adult males typically weigh between 18 and 35 pounds and measure from 32 to 37 inches in length. And even the home entries are kind of changing. As far as the claim that mountain lions live in CT, as we address in the previous section, that has been debunked. Here are some physical differences between mountain lions and bobcats: These 2 big cats also behave differently. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. 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. So, there you have it an answer to the question of whether or not there are mountain lions in CT. In 2011, in the affluent suburbs of Connecticut, there were several reported sightings of a mountain lion, and much pooh-poohing from authorities, until a sport utility vehicle struck and killed . 5:00 PM. But honest misidentifications are more common. WOODBRIDGE, CT (WFSB) Police in Woodbridge said they have received reports of mountain lion sightings in town. We have rolling hills, and more importantly, 200,000 white tails. 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. 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, . Woodbridge police shared tips for if you encounter a big cat: On Friday July 8, 2022 there was a few reported Mountain Lion sightings the last few days one actually involving an encounter with ones family in their lawn. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. 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. 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. Report a new sighting Sightings List 1 2 You know, weve had so many home entries this year. From Litchfield County, can confirm. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. Typically, mountain lion sightings occur from a distance and usually around dawn or dusk. Here are the Winter Storm Anthony snowfall totals so far, Melting Pot restaurant in Darien closes down. 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.. 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, @Craig, what town is Wtn? Skip to content. Tolland resident Loren Gerber said that he and his wife have both seen cougars in the area. Many, many times, in many different ways along its travel up through Minnesota, Michigan and to Canada, down through New York, through hair samples, blood samples, trail camera photos. Connecticut Public Radio | 6. Mountain Lions: Large tan cats with a distinctive two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the ground as they walk. A mountain lion in winter. 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.. The police department decided to put out a warning to those in town. Bachelder says he didnt have his phone on him, so he couldnt take a picture or video, but describes his backyard visitor just like what you see in the stock photo provided by the Woodbridge Police Department. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. From family fun to restaurants and everything in between, everything you need to know about CT is right here. I have a fence in the backyard, it was above the bottom rail, so its back was probably this big, this long, the tail, said John Bachelder. Register for a user account. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal . Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. She didnt claim to see the mountain lions long tail, but optical illusions can lead people to think theyve seen a tail. 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. Re (1): Mountain Lion sighting in Brookfield ct - By russ January 30, 2016 at 05:10:25 PM. 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. She had seen an animal on foot in broad daylight. Betty displayed several maps of Maine and New Hampshire, demonstrating the trend. NHPR is nonprofit and independent. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. Officially, the last mountain lions were hunted to extinction here in the late 1800s. He said that the conservation organization,Cougars of the Valley, has compiled 300 sightings in the Farmington Valley region of the state alone. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. 4:30 PM. Speaker Bill Betty presented evidence and proposed theories that could prove that Connecticut, including, is home to a native population of Eastern mountain lions. 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. There was a sighting near the Brunswick School on June 5. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. The mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, or puma. They are named for their short (bobbed) tail which is often about six inches in length. It is also the most common wild cat found in North America. A month after the cat was struck and killed, researchers confirmed it had traveled more than 1,500 miles from the Black Hills of South Dakota. She was calling from a trail in Pootatuck State Forest, the 1,200-acre strip of nature occupying the hills above Squantz Pond in New Fairfield. ', '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. There is also something appealing about the idea that there is an animal out there so cunning that it has escaped our notice and the eyes of our cameras. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. You really couldnt ask for a better place for mountain lions.. However, lions are unpredictable and can be dangerous. 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. And the last confirmed sighting prior to the 2011 instance would be a couple hundred years ago, according to Hawley. 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. Are there any mountain lions in CT? Connecticut Dept. Throw rocks, sticks, etc to scare it off. Hawley said the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in the state was one that was killed on the Merritt Parkway in 2011 when a car struck the animal near Exit 55. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Mountain lions are also great jumpers and swimmers. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. 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. 1.Customize your maps Style your maps with custom markers, lines, colors, polygons, and images. Native: Yes. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. Therefore, there are no western and eastern species to differentiate between. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. 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. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Publics Members Fish and Game staff have distributed door hangers in neighborhoods the lion has been using. However, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEE. 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. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. Two mountain lion sightings have been confirmed in Tennessee. Do not bend, squat, or sit down. Hawley: Yeah. 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. Beautiful clear day just like this, and there in my backyard I see this huge golden animal, walking through the yard, Bachelder said. According to authorities, the mountain lion was reportedly seen on Friday including on. So is the second largest extant cat in North America still managing to eke out a living in the . of Energy and Environmental Protection. This one cat left DNA and/or photographic evidence of its presence in at least four states Mountain lions went extinct in Connecticut during the 1800s, but bobcats are still seen regularly. 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