It continues in Connecticut, where that South Dakota cat was killed in 2011, and in Massachusetts, despite two credible reports in the past quarter century (in one case, DNA-confirmed scat; in the other, verified tracks). Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. Mountain lions also have tails that can grow up to 3 feet. This was maybe a decade ago. Bobcats: They are are the only wild cat found in the state and the most common in North America. Hawley: That animal was documented. Okay, if thats what you say, what can I tell you. The one confirmed case, sometimes referred to as the " Connecticut Mountain Lion " happened in June 2011 when an SUV struck and killed a cougar in Milford. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. 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. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. 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.. 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.. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. A harvest is kind of twofold. Paul Rego, a wildlife biologist with the DEEP, told Connecticut . No, there are no mountain lions in CT, and there havent been for quite some time. Mountain lions went extinct in Connecticut during the 1800s, but bobcats are still seen regularly. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. Many years ago there was a mountain lion that stayed in a wood pile in my mother's back yard. Once at dusk driving in the Berkshires, he saw what he initially thought was a cat-like creature that was far bigger than a bobcat leap across the road. Copyright 2023 The Connecticut Explorer | Wisteria on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Connecticut Explorer Home Find Things to do in CT. I know the difference between bobcats, lynx, & mt lions. If it really comes down to it do what you have to do to deter it from following you. National Signing Day 2022-2023: Connecticuts signing list. 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. So its this gathering storm. BOSTON (Reuters) - A mountain lion killed on a Connecticut highway in June was a wild animal from South Dakota that prowled more than 1,500 miles eastward before meeting his death 70 miles. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. It had rained previously. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Clean_Caterpillar225 4 mo. 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. Got a question or comment? I always hold out the possibility of a sighting to be genuine, but at the same time, over decades of experience, we know that the vast majority are misidentifications and a small number are actually hoaxes, he says. According to the Connecticut DEEP, the bobcat is the only wild cat found in Connecticut. However, the National Wildlife Federation notes that the mountain lions range spreads all across the Americas, from the Canadian Yukon to The Strait of Magellan, making it the greatest range of any living mammal in the Americas.. "The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of. Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. Only Ignorance would believe that something that once know to be - no longer is Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it is not there. Since then, there have been no confirmed cases here, with the state saying: People very often mistake bobcats for mountain lions. So, there you have it an answer to the question of whether or not there are mountain lions in CT. The department has said it receives reports every year of mountain lions, though the animal became extinct in Connecticut in the late 1800s. 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. Truth & Reconciliation Commission begins, Odanak chief repeats request for inclusion. According to French's article: "To date, the only other confirmed evidence of a wild Mountain Lion in Massachusetts was found on March 4, 2011, when Steve Ward . On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. Anyone can get fooled. The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book Heart of a Lion: A Lone Cats Walk Across America by William Stolzenburg. . Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. Sign up for our newsletter to get our latest and greatest content delivered right to your inbox. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. 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. That report was accompanied by a blurry photo, an indistinct paw print, and a scat sample. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. 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. In Connecticut, some folks in Sharon say they have seen mountain lions. Bobcats typically have brown fur with a reddish tinge that is marked with black or brown spots or stripes, according to the National Zoo. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. In 2017, Ann Jarosiewicz and Liz Prete left their jobs as developers and started WasteNot, a building materials recycling company on Cape Cod. He was previously a reporter for the Danbury News-Times and the Ridgefield Press. Typically, they will slink out of there as quickly as they can to get away from humans. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. They also generally have spots on their fur. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. Hey, I know what I saw. Make noise. Ive been doing this for 40 years. From family fun to restaurants and everything in between, everything you need to know about CT is right here. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal . Sometimes physical evidence shows the sighting was of some other animal, including dogs, cats, fishers, coyotes, bears and bobcats. Stay facing the big cat and try not to turn your back to it. Make yourself BIG. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. 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. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Hawley: That animal was documented. 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. Ancient_Ad126 4 mo. Adult males can be around 8 feet in length and weigh between 130 and 150 pounds, while adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds. According to Hawley, if mountain lions were present in the state, there would be evidence and not just unconfirmed sightings. She had seen an animal on foot in broad daylight. Bobcats don't shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. The news stunned. Young pumas dispersing from Western habitats are being killed at the source, compromising the Easts critical opportunity for ecosystem health and the return of an apex carnivore., Regardless of where they are found, or whether people want to hunt or protect them, people are enchanted by mountain lions. My wife is not a wildlife expert, but is not prone to flights of fancy. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. Icould hear the panic in my wifes voice. I frankly have lost faith in some government institutions for this very reason. But honest misidentifications are more common. 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. Give today. Even in parts of the country where there are documented breeding populations of mountain lions, there are still many false reports. Sometimes referred to as the ghosts of the forest, mountain lions or cougars are stealthy hunters that are hard to spot, even in areas they are known to inhabit. If it really comes down to it do what you have to do to deter it from following you. 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. Hes even had his own false sighting. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. You cansubscribe here, orfind the current issue on sale here. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. They also want to foster the formation and protection of migration pathways for them and other animals to enter new states. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. I am 58 years old and another cougar was identified when I was much younger by the Deep in Meriden. Connecticut Public Radio | It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. Weve got a growing bear population. Otherwise, Hawley said cats like bobcats want nothing to do with people, and they will generally prey on chickens, small dogs or cats. 2023 Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC, Report: CT man killed in police shootout after dispute at casino, Police: CT man jumped off overpass after causing head-on crash, Police: Fugitive captured after crashing stolen car on Merritt, Danbury apartment project gets environmental green light, Senior center benefit to feature 'roadshow-style' appraisals, Ridgefield teens learn about dementia through interactive lesson, 24 Connecticut towns don't have stores that accept food stamps, CT could lose thousands of affordable housing units, Greenwich police offer new emergency alert system, Norwalk business moves to make room for CT's first Wegmans, 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, UConn men's basketball freshman Yarin Hasson enters transfer portal, 7 cute villages and hamlets in CT to explore this spring, Feds: Four Connecticut men face drug charges for allegedly flooding Waterbury with fentanyl, heroin, Branford gym for 50+ reaches milestone with help from members who paid dues during COVID lockdown, Police: Meriden father and son had child sex abuse videos on their phones, Connecticut softball top performers (Apr. 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