Adult females typically weigh between 15 and 30 pounds and measure from 28 to 32 inches in length. @Edward Case, Mountain Lions are the largest predators currently in Rocky Mountain National Park. Are these elusive cats prowling the East once again? They have been absent from this state since the late 1800s; however, there have been a few isolated sightings. And even the home entries are kind of changing. This post was contributed by a community member. A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. Possible mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge, Mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge. She was also the voice behind the weekly Connecticut Real Estate newsletter by CT Insider. I think its good he attended, Gottier said of Littell. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. It was a spotless cat she estimated at close to 100 pounds. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. People have been known to submit photos of real mountain lions taken in other states and claim they were taken in Connecticut. The last confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in CT was in 2011 when a driver struck and killed one on the Merrit Parkway. The Damned Story: Eastern mountain lions, or pumas or cougars, were last officially seen in Connecticut near the end of the 19th century. A harvest is kind of twofold. 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.. 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.. These sightings have not been confirmed as true mountain lion sightings. Live Now All times eastern. Roadkills can be reported to 860-424-3011. Employees from the state DEEP, as well as Tolland Public Safety Supervisor John Littell attended the event last night. I enjoy exploring CT and reporting back to my readers about fun things to do in Connecticut. As I said previously, By, March 2023 Fund Drive Rules and Regulations, Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org. Here are the Winter Storm Anthony snowfall totals so far, Melting Pot restaurant in Darien closes down. It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. The state says no, theyre extinct, that cant be. Population estimates are thought to be around 20 individuals which is considered caring capacity based on the amount of land and . Do Not Approach! Bobcat sightings are not uncommon in Connecticut. (My wife didnt get a look at the tail.) The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. Bobcats, also, only hunt small prey. These tips include carrying safety equipment and walking . State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. What about mountain lions, though? Re (2): Mountain Lion sighting in Brookfield ct - By Ryan January 31, 2016 at 11:16:51 PM. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . 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.. In the 1930s, Bruce Wright, an influential wildlife manager from New Brunswick, Canada, began gathering reports of sightings of mountain lions in the East and searching for their tracks. Weve had coyotes misidentified. 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. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. As a carnivore biologist, Hawley says he would love it if mountain lions were here. Height at shoulder: 25-30 in. That had to be a mountain lion. 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. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. He drove me out to the spot. Well also go over what types of wild cats can be found in Connecticut. 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. For decades, wildlife experts should have been seeing occasional scat and paw prints in the winter. The gate of a bobcat can often make it look like it has a long tail. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. In Florida, where mountain lions are known as panthers, dozens are killed each year by cars. Typically, they will slink out of there as quickly as they can to get away from humans. I frankly have lost faith in some government institutions for this very reason. 5:00 PM. 2. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. State conservation officials believe this photo, taken in Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain lion. The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book, Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. Although common at the time of European settlement, the last known historical specimen in Missouri was killed in the Bootheel area in 1927. Dashboard for displaying mountain lion reports to the public. It certainly would be a spectacular sight to witness a cat as large as a mountain lion out in the wild, but, for now, in Connecticut, its not in the cards. A threat to livestock, they were hunted out of the state and driven to parts more wild. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. If needed, throw rocks, sticks, etc. These were reported to CT DEEP and though the sightings may not have been confirmed as true mountain Lion sightings, this post is to spread awareness on the issue in case youre presented with such situation. According to the Connecticut DEEP, the bobcat is the only wild cat found in Connecticut. Canton and Simsbury have also had about 70 sightings. DEEP says Connecticut does not have a mountain lion population. But what might be his most compelling argument is that since this is Connecticut, the budget is too limited. Mountain Lions in the State of Texas In Texas, it's always open season on mountain lions. Make noise. Despite annual reports since the 1950s, no confirmed sighting was made in the state until the 1990s. Mountain lions were hunted to extinction near the end of the 19th century. The current editor of the publication, which is based in New Hampshire, explains why the job is worth sticking around. Sighting of this animal also occurred in Michigan and New York. It was a flooded area. Its extremely rare for a person to see a wild animal and to underestimate its size. Hey, I know what I saw. We have plenty of suitable habitat, he says. Breweries in New Haven, CT you MUST Visit! Over a period of a year and a half, this mountain lion left DNA evidence in at least four states. Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami, and a conspiracy theory expert, says these types of theories are not uncommon. Tolland resident Loren Gerber said that he and his wife have both seen cougars in the area. It is the only confirmed presence of a cougar in recent years. Your support makes this news available to everyone. Fish and Game staff have distributed door hangers in neighborhoods the lion has been using. community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. 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. This article appeared in theNovember 2019issue ofConnecticut Magazine. Want to post on Patch? Mostly shaded. 5. But its also a great story that lays out how an animal this large, at 150 pounds, traveling through even rural areas, leaves signs and is detected. Idaho Fish and Game officers and personnel responded to . Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. Another mountain lion was killed on a Connecticut highway. 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. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. I agreeI am a person with very good knowledge of animals and know the distinct differences between closely related species in some cases 2012). And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. Peter Yankowski is a breaking news reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. As far as the claim that mountain lions live in CT, as we address in the previous section, that has been debunked. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. This one cat left DNA and/or photographic evidence of its presence in at least four states For decades afterward, there were reported sightings of the mythical creature prowling the woods around town. Hawley: Yeah. Email editor@connecticutmag.com. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. A couple things to keep in mind if you come across or see a big cat like a Mountain Lion: 1. Grandson of an old swamp Yankee, trapped, hunted , fished my whole life. Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. The Division also collects carcasses of road-killed bobcats as part of the study. Mountain Lions: They are officially extinct. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. 3. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Mountain lions are solitary animals, traveling alone except during mating season or when a female is supporting young. Were getting more and more home entries every year. Technical Discussion: Rain tonight, then an *ALERT* heading into the weekend! Bobcats are most frequently misidentified by the public as mountain lions, but theyre not the only animals mislabeled. New Hampshire Public Radio | Working in the 1980s in southern California, where there are cougars, biologist Paul Beier said that 95 percent of cougar sightings they investigated turned out to be misidentifications. 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. 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