An article in last year's New York State Conservationist magazine about mountain lions concluded that none exists in that state, even in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Mountain wilderness. "With all of that said, though, there's a general lack of evidence of mountain lions in Pennsylvania. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. Fish and Wildlife Service. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. After all, skeptics often suggest that puma sightings are just deer sightings, so it would be logical to worry that a hunter might shoot an endangered puma, mistaking it for a brown deer. They regularly join the camp of those angrily claiming the commission has introduced the big cats back into Pennsylvania as a control measure against the state's huge deer population. Mountain lions that are looking for new breeding areas are known as transient and are almost always males. With that hope in mind, I have, for years, asked outdoors people if they ever heard of a mountain lion, or puma, in their area -- with my questioning limited to people in my home state of Pennsylvania. Claws 'N' Paws Animal Park in Lake Ariel has two. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is always open to review evidence, but to date only hoaxes have crossed the PGC. For our list, we only included US states with a stable breeding population. A dark brown puma, backlighted by a strong sun, could appear all black, or very dark, and he accepted that. There are, from time to time, eyewitness accounts from hunters or hikers who claim to have seen the cat. Oregon has a large, stable breeding population of mountain lions. See also: However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. The large, undeveloped interior filled with rocky habitats perfect for mountain lions allows them to safely live and breed. Very, very rarely, when I ask someone who would be a likely candidate (a hunter, someone who owns a camp in the deep woods, travels likely routes often, foresters), 'Have you ever seen a mountain lion?' Hopefully, we'll see the real thing. Wishful thinking? Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. The 'look' is from my Never has this been more accurate than in today's digital, computerized world. That summer, a team from the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg excavated the nearly complete skeleton of the ancient elephant, the first of its kind found in the Commonwealth. Thank you for reading! "They are very strong animals," she said. Where reports dating that far back from escapees? For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. He also noted that if the cat was here, wouldn't they be reproducing and increasing in population by now? The bounty for adult wolves and cougars was raised on March 16, 1819 to $12. He also published a follow-up on Oct. 15 with the same mountain lion-deer hoax photo, as well as personal stories from several local residents who claim they've seen mountain lions in the Poconos. The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on average between 75-120 pounds, has long whiskers and a distinctive swooping tail. 1.8 miles, 2 hours, moderate. When I first discovered this fresh carcass I examined it for throat punctures, thinking that it may have been killed by a puma. I love the big cats and devote a huge amount of my field time photographing African lions, leopards, cheetahs, and in 2011, tigers. While it would seem impossible to confuse the two after seeing them in person, Foster said many of the sightings are in the dark, from roadways and trail cams, with bodies half-concealed. There is a small breeding population in the state, despite being killed off in the 1920s. It had been captured in Florida, and was to be released. With that in mind, lets break down how we classified the states. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. Did they migrate south from Canada? Are the various States guilty of essentially the same thing? Had this been faked, I'd suspect the hoaxter would try for a more authentic background. "Hunters are always saying they see mountain lions, and the Game Commission always says there aren't any," said Robert Hale, owner of Buffalo Gap Outfitters in Dillsburg. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. Periodically, via Google searches, I receive reports from people who believe they had seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania, or in other mid-Atlantic states. But more importantly, he also said that regardless of color, he saw a big cat, with a tail that looked to be about 4 feet long! I can't dismiss the eye-witnesses I've interviewed. What would account for the long tails? An assessment list for Lower Smithfield Township in 1761 when it was part of Northampton County (Monroe having not yet been created) taxed "three pence per pound and shillings per head" laid on the land and inhabitants. An escapee is also possible. In July and August I received seven different reports, and everyone involved had done a search of some type to compare images of bobcats and pumas. So how or why could there be a conspiracy? Newspapers carried stories in 1956 about hunters supposedly seeing and killing wolves in Pike and Monroe Counties. They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. Looking for things to do in the Poconos? redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not In Pennsylvania, I receive a few reports of black, big cats, which makes one wonder -- are there melanistic (black) pumas out there, or are those sightings always wrong. Other states have had sightings, especially as mountain lion populations begin to explore and look to expand. This is huge news for conservationists around the country and a sign that cougars may be heading east once again. In many regions, the population within the state is actually increasing! If you see or photograph a puma in the mid-Atlantic states, please email or call me. So what? Erosion from glacial melt and violence glaciers did to the land left a great litter of boulders, rocks, clay and lakes covering today's landscape. Travis Lau, a spokesperson for the Game Commission, said the state has a "never say never" approach when it comes to mountain lions and acknowledges that Western cats could be moving east. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. (What is meant by "heads" is not clear.). All rights reserved. However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". I'm thinking of the solution often suggested for pesky endangered species out west, namely wolves and grizzly bears. Penn State's Nittany Lion hide sampled for DNA sequencing, Mountain lion reports in Pennsylvania popular, but often a hoax, More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled, Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. The story behind our new web site. The Bushkill Falls are a series of eight waterfalls in a 300-acre wooded enclave hidden amongst the Poconos. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? The next day, another friend, who works for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, called me to ask if I had seen the photo of a Pocono mountain lion with a deer in its jaws. Caribou meat apparently was part of their diet. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Scientists debate whether the large prehistoric mammals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age due to over-hunting, or rapid climate warming. Although unconfirmed, mountain lions continue to be reported in many spots across Pennsylvania, including several reports in the past couple months. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? Some may also be kept illicitly as pets, which would quickly become a problem as the cat matures. Murray said Rocky was emaciated and chained when she found him at a private zoo. Here it is: I still couldn't get the big head/little neck, and the body is a bit stouter/shorter, but a striding cat might be stretched out a bit. Noted Wayne County historian Phineas Goodrich recorded in his 1880 book on local history that the common gray wolf was much more common in this area than the cougar. Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. The Game Commission concluded they were coyotes. People can manipulate, enhance or combine photos and then create their own stories about the subject's origin, location and even identification. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. The name Pocono is derived from the . He saw his cat at very close range -- 20 yards or less, and when I pointed out to him that pumas are never black he said that perhaps it was the light. For example, one man I interviewed said he saw a 'black' puma, and this should disqualify his sighting as a black puma has never been recorded. If youve done any research on your own, you may have noticed that we didnt include a lot of states that have had cougar sightings, especially in the last few years. The cat was far enough away that I couldn't get a size reference, and I believed the cat was further away than it actually was. Fish and Wildlife Service. The cat is known to live in the western U.S. and Florida, South America and Canada. Florida is the only state on the east coast with a breeding population of mountain lions. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? ? In August, Amy Walters said her 12-year-old son was spooked by a mountain lion in Forest County in northwest Pennsylvania while riding his dirt bike. With the Great Lakes in its way, the cat moved either north or south of the water, and the latter route would have seen it pass through at least some of Pennsylvania. If we continue to be bombarded with manipulated photos and untrue claims in most cases by people who just want to get attention then we may be very resistant to accepting the "real McCoy" if or when) one finally arrives. It was definitely a mountain lion, and it had a big buck, white-tailed deer in its jaws. Most of the native mountain lions live in Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, but humans rarely ever see them due to their secretive nature. Kross only saw the animal for a second, but it made a believer out of him. I used to archery hunt for deer, and I spent a lot of time (way too much time) sitting silently in a tree stand waiting for deer. Conversely, an outdoor writer I know told me that when Pa. enacted a menagerie permit law years ago, 'a lot of mountain lions suddenly died,' as the owners of these cats, rather than going through the paperwork, simply released their pumas and claimed that they had died. Would these ridges be declared off-limits for hunting? Cougar vs Mountain Lion What Are the Differences? The image in the Upper Left was from a Game Camera, sent to me by a friend. This happens usually around the 18-month mark. A neighbor scared the animal away before it could finish its meal; the sheeps carcass was used as bait, to catch the big cat. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania Known as the Niagara Falls of Pennsylvania, there are four trails that lead to the cascades from the Bushkill Falls trailhead, each ranging in . No evidence has ever been produced to support those charges. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Armand Martinelli isn't only the mayor of East Stroudsburg, he's also a hunter who is connected with plenty of people in the area. He notes how over the millennia, the region was inhabited by humans, only to be depopulated by migration brought on by the search of food due to a fickle climate, war or epidemic.