The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) also reports evidence that humans arrived during the last glaciation or soon after. It has long been popular with honeymooners, but today the Poconos are a popular destination for families, skiers, adventure seekers, NASCAR fans, and those from urban areas around New England, New York City, Philadelphia . These cubs are born blind and helpless. Unfortunately, their web site no longer seems active, and has been taken over by some wacky drug product. The first is the mating season which can occur during the late to early spring months. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? do I get an immediate, 'Oh yeah!' The mountain lion population in Nevada is essential to the control of deer and rodent populations in the mountainous regions of the state. This animal was undoubtedly a bobcat. Biologists who investigate these reports claim that several may, indeed, be mountain lions, but most likely they're animals that have escaped from captivity or have been released by their owners. 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?' Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. "I kind of doubt they saw a cougar, but I'm not God.". Let me know if you have seen one! Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? They ponder rare fossil evidence unearthed and seek to make sense of stratified geology, both fleeting in the face of what we call progress. The next day, the photo disappeared from the site. Transient males have been sighted as far east as New York! The hunting policy of the state may be the cause of the dropping population, and pressure on the Fish and Game Commission has increased. But many others believe wild mountain lions are traveling from Western states, where as many as 30,000 could exist, and across the Midwest to Pennsylvania seeking new territory. 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 knows and was familiar with bobcats, and it was not a weird house cat that he and his friends misjudged in size. "If my son would have been on a pedal bike, without a helmet on, that thing would have nailed him," said Walters, 44. As a state known for its mountains, its no wonder that mountain lions live here! In captivity mountain, lions can live to be about 20 years old. Perhaps one or more of these Pocono sightings represent early pioneers reclaiming their former territories. Me? I've read a lot about this, and the usual explanation is the very human desire to see something, to see what someone wants to see, and thus these people are seeing bobcats or brown cats or dogs or foxes and, because they 'want' to see a puma, they do. More common critters co-existed with early Native Americans in the Poconos, including two species long since removed: the wolf and mountain lion (also known colloquially as panthers and cougars). Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. I was heading up the road and I saw an animal with a long tail.". The coat can be spotted or solid and varies in color from light browns, reddish and silvery grey. And again, while they may have been mistaken, they certainly were completely convinced that they had seen a puma. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. Editor's note: The Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent have collaborated for a series of stories called Mountain Beasts: Pocono cryptids, legends and lore. In 2011, a confirmed mountain lion was killed by a vehicle in Connecticut and which had been determined that it had wandered east from the Mid-West. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Images from a homeowner's surveillance camera show a tan cat with a long body, beyond a chain-link fence. Well, right behind our property lies a mountain ridge, one of several that makes a continuous forest that extends, with little interruption, for scores of miles in three directions. They once inhabited the entire United States, but were killed off and pushed west. Let me explain this. The other three images are from my file, selected to most closely approximate the pose of the cat from the game camera. It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. Are there pumas, or mountain lions, in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic States? You've got a mountain lion story or photo? If you see a puma (mountain lion-cougar), contact me. 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. There's a whole world to learn about and Colby is content to spend his life learning as much as he can about it! Mountain Lions do remain in the western states and there is evidence that in 2011, a mountain lion migrated about 1,500 miles from South Dakota to Connecticut where it was killed by a. A law was passed March 10, 1806, requiring the county to pay the person producing the scalp of a full-grown wolf or cougar, $8, and for the scalp of a young whelp or cub, $4. The last documented sighting of an eastern cougar was one killed in Maine in 1938. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. Illinois can also now be added to this list a mountain lion was found on the outskirts of Chicago. So how or why could there be a conspiracy? The last of three glaciations covered 30% of Pennsylvania, including much of the Poconos, from around 20,000-10,000 B.C. I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one game camera image that still looks very credible to me. The other site, The Cougar Network, is still active, and is reporting the cats expanding range from the West, but offers little about the phenomenon of Pennsylvania cats. The State Museum of Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, displays a taxidermy mount of a mountain lion in glass case, with the notation, "This lion, found near Hawk Mountain in Berks County around 1871, is the last native mountain lion known to have been shot in Pennsylvania.". In his 1973 book "Faces in Clay" Leslie lays open the archaeological treasures of stone arrow or spear points and tools lost long ago by a succession of native peoples. No projectile points or spearheads were found with the remains, indicating the animal may have died naturally rather than killed by native hunters. All rights reserved (About Us). They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, where they can freely roam 50,000 to 80,000 acres of land. But more and more people in Pennsylvania, from the Alleghenies to the Poconos to rolling farmlands in York County, claim they are seeing the big cats here, even though the state's "last" native lion, also known as a cougar or puma, was shot and killed in Berks County in 1871 and the feds have declared the Eastern subspecies extinct. When I first discovered this fresh carcass I examined it for throat punctures, thinking that it may have been killed by a puma. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. 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. After a gestation period of 90 days, female mountain lions will give birth to litters of about one to six cubs. In January, the U.S. I've seen so many examples of these distortions, exaggerations and lies over the last couple of years that I've grown very dubious about anything I see on a computer. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. Flying over the area, I've looked down and commented upon the amount of habitat that would be available for a puma, if only they existed. Ashley Catherine Fontones, Pocono Record. Woolly mammoth bones were discovered in Bradford County in 1983. Although there was no evidence that the 2011 mountain lion ever set foot in Pennsylvania, DNA evidence confirmed that it had been both west and east of the state. Did they migrate south from Canada? The agency has declared extinct the eastern cougar, one of 11 subspecies ofmountain lions native to North America. And when our officers go out to investigate reports of mountain lions, or when our staff reviews photos that are sent to us, often we're able to verify some other animal mistakenly was reported as a mountain lion.". Would a puma then qualify as a native species? So what? This is not a Pennsylvania puma! 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. Still, people say they know what they saw out there. The Pocono Mountains are . Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. In some areas, entire populations of a species exhibit this trait, for unlike albinism, which results in a conspicuous white color and light-sensitive pink eyes, there are no ill effects with melanism. Now, if there were any escapes, and if any of these bred with a possible minuscule number of eastern pumas, a relic native population, wouldn't the gene pool be corrupted? Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. I've spoken to PGC personnel, two being friends, and neither believe there are pumas in Pa. One cited how a bobcat's tail can be much longer than you expect, although I've never seen a bobcat tail longer than, at most, twice the size of the tails illustrated above of the bobcat. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania A brief look, yes, but no question we saw a coyote. Although there was no evidence that the 2011 mountain lion ever set foot in Pennsylvania, DNA evidence confirmed that it had been both west and east of the state. Additionally, California banned the hunting of cougars back in 1972, encouraging population growth. Mountain lions live almost everywhere in the state of Washington. Mountain lions (cougars, pumas, and more) are among the top predators that live in the United States. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? In 2016, a trail cam photo in South Jersey was later determined to show a house cat. Joseph Pugliese 2.2K views 7 years ago Beautiful Bobcat in our yard as our. with a fluted projectile point were found near Middletown, Orange County, New York. Cougar Network tracks mountain lion expansion from the western U.S. to the east. Imagination? Again, I've been told that some Game Commission personnel have admitted that pumas may exist in Pennsylvania, but they rationalize this by saying that the pumas are not breeding and they are not from original wild stock. Here, they've not been," Lau said in an e-mail. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. 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. A recent alleged sighting in South Abington Township, Lackawanna County, had Facebook groups abuzz. The reintroduction of mountain lions into South Dakota is one of the great wins of modern conservation. The coat can be spotted or solid. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. But this one was black, and he knows mountain lions are some variant of brown. I am bothered by the constricted neck of the cat on the game camera; 2. the tail is curved down, rather than up, but it may have been in mid-swing; 3. the goldenrod-appearing flower, and the background of cars, gives a sense of scale and location. I believe Kross fully, but I wanted to hear more. I Googled "Pocono mountain lion" and there it was the same photo, except the caption claimed that it was taken in Oklahoma, not Pennsylvania, and various posted comments asserted that the photo was manipulated. A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. About half of the state of Montana is ideal for mountain lions, primarily in her western and central regions. This ideal habitat allows for a large population of 2,000 mountain lions to thrive. Hunting is legal, but the use of dogs was banned in 1996. A typical home range is around 150 square miles for adult males and 50 square miles for adult females in our region. In this at this distant epoch, archaeologists attempt to clear some of the mists and mysteries of prehistoric times. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead? I usually follow-up on these reports and, via email or phone conversations, I receive more details. Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos / p o k n o z /, are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania.They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the north, Wyoming Valley and the Coal Region to the west, and the Lehigh Valley to the south. 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. Other states have had sightings, especially as mountain lion populations begin to explore and look to expand. Foster said mountain lions and bobcats could not breed. They have almost been killed off a few times, but conservation efforts have helped to keep their numbers stable. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. So many of these sightings have been proven wrong misidentified bobcats, coyotes or even house cats) that it would be irresponsible for a biologist to accept any of them as fact without absolute physical evidence hair, droppings, tracks or a road-killed animal. It was decided that this shouldn't influence the decision and, in fact, an infusion of new genes produces a hybrid vigor, lessening the chance of in-breeding. The Game Commission concluded they were coyotes. While the chances that I'll ever see a puma in Pennsylvania myself are virtually zero, I'm always on the alert -- for the bobcat I've never seen in Pa., for a fisher, bear, deer, red salamander, toad, or snake, and yes, I'm always hoping that I too will become one of those who saw something that officially cannot exist within the state, a puma I know I saw but, of course, could not have! "It's fall bow-hunting season soon," he said. No evidence has ever been produced to support those charges. (570) 325-3229. Now, forty years ago coyotes were rare or almost nonexistent in Pennsylvania, and had had that same sighting back then, when coyotes were thought not to exist within the state we would have had the 'facts' to doubt what we saw. In the area around the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia there are mountains and deep caves that contain some of the coal mines that were a major part of the state's industry in the early part of the 19 th century. And book one of these Poconos cabins rentals for the best outdoor access to these activities. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. You know, the Penn State Nittany Lions.". "We've been here 45 years and I've probably been told by people at least 100 times that they've seen a cougar or mountain lion," said owner Vince Hall. That's true. Still, these resilient animals reside in secluded areas across the United States, with current data suggesting they may even be returning to their historical regions! Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. ? A few could, perhaps, be mistaken idenity. 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. One man sent me a game camera photo that was blurry but looked like a mountain lion, or puma, as I like to call them. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. Interesting, too, are the reports I've heard from people who were told that they would be in big trouble if they shot a puma. Mary saw the photo, too, and she immediately agreed, it was a puma. They are there to help us. Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? I have not spoken with a Game Commission officer personally, so I don't know whether anyone killing a puma in Pennsylvania could do so without legal repercussions. The first settlers kept sheep to supply their household with wool. Here in central Pennsylvania we live on the outskirts of what one puma-tracking website has as almost the high point of sightings, extending from north-central Pennsylvania in a southwestern diagonal that extends into the mountains of West Virginia. But an image captured by one family's. Both sheep and young cattle fell prey to wolves, unless they were under constant watch. The Florida panther is an endemic subspecies of cougar that has lived in the everglades region for a very long time. Mountain lions, which continue to be reported across Pennsylvania throughout the year, are officially extinct east of the Mississippi River and north of Florida, according to the U.S. Because the neck bothered me, I decided to do some Photoshop on the puma in the lower left, moving his head higher up and changing the image to a contrasty black and white - to give a silhouette for comparision. What equipment do we take in the field? Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. Hunting is legal in the state, but it is heavily controlled and restricted. Over the last two years I have occasionally posted a Question of the Month soliciting sightings from people who believed that they have seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania or in other areas in the mid-Atlantic states. However, if you've seen a mountain lion, or other mystery creature, or evidence of either, in Pennsylvania, contact outdoor writer Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.). Colorado has a large number of mountain lions within its borders, mostly due to the high elk population, dense forests, and isolated mountain ranges. Although in captivity, they can live much longer. Most nature magazines state whether the photos were taken "under controlled conditions" rather than in the wild.). For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. Murray has cared for four mountain lions since she took over the rescue in 1998. I've done this myself once, in Tanzania, when I saw a black house cat that I thought was a black leopard! Biologists traced it back to the Black Hills of South Dakota, from where it ventured nearly 2,000 miles looking for a new mate. 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. The question is just like in the story of the boy who cried wolf) if that day ever arrives, how will we believe those first, true sightings after so many hoaxes have been perpetrated on the public? September 21st, 2008, 08:14 PM #74. In 2015, a Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was placed near the site where the mastodon was found.