Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. of Energy and Environmental Protection. Height at shoulder: 25-30 in. Emaileditor@connecticutmag.com, or contact usonFacebook@connecticutmagazine orTwitter@connecticutmag. Okay, if thats what you say, what can I tell you. After all, if one mountain lion had wandered here, didnt that mean that others could have? People have been known to submit photos of real mountain lions taken in other states and claim they were taken in Connecticut. This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Publics Members
We have people eating dinner in their kitchen, they hear a noise, all of a sudden a bear walks in, so they run into their bedroom to get away from the bear, while the bears out ransacking their refrigerator. Mountain lion spotted in Connecticut town On Monday, DEEP said that Connecticut does not have a mountain lion population. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. Police have a warning after there were multiple mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. Betty displayed several maps of Maine and New Hampshire, demonstrating the trend. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. However, lions are unpredictable and can be dangerous. This is the mountain lion that was hit by a car in Milford after several sightings in the Greenwich area. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are
DEEP says Connecticut does not have a mountain lion population. Mountain lions, however, arent seen much in the Nutmeg State, even though several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month. WOODBRIDGE, CT (WFSB) Police in Woodbridge said they have received reports of mountain lion sightings in town. Hes even had his own false sighting. Multiple people in North Stonington claim they've spotted a mountain lion roaming around. Mostly shaded. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. The Division also collects carcasses of road-killed bobcats as part of the study. Give today. Tandmlally@yahoo.com. These hangers include safety tips about living with mountain lions, and what to do if people observe or encounter one. Weight. Eastern Cougar Sightings Mountain Lions in New York. You can subscribe to Connecticut Magazine here, or find the current issue on sale here. 4:30 PM. The photo is black and white. 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. Were getting more and more home entries every year. Are there any mountain lions in CT? According to the Smithsonians National Zoo, bobcats are part of the lynx genus, which means they are related to other cats like the Canadian lynx, Iberian lynx and Eurasian lynx. Join as a $8 per month sustainer and get our brand-new owl umbrella! They also want to foster the formation and protection of migration pathways for them and other animals to enter new states. As a carnivore biologist, Hawley says he would love it if mountain lions were here. 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. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. This post was contributed by a community member. He drove me out to the spot. 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. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows. But what might be his most compelling argument is that since this is Connecticut, the budget is too limited. Copyright 2022 WFSB. 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. Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. 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. State conservation officials believe this photo, taken in Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain lion. The police department decided to put out a warning to those in town. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. Otherwise, Hawley said cats like bobcats want nothing to do with people, and they will generally prey on chickens, small dogs or cats. Speaker Bill Betty presented evidence and proposed theories that could prove that Connecticut, including, is home to a native population of Eastern mountain lions. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. 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. But as Eastern cougar search efforts became more organized and still there were no concrete signs of the creatures, many became more skeptical. 1 Last 365 Days. Mistaken reports of mountain lions are most commonly bobcats. This might serve as proof to some that there, in fact, might still be mountain lions in CT. Re (3): Mountain Lion sighting in Brookfield ct - By weather01089 February 1, 2016 at 04:55:52 PM. "We have yet to see anything that suggests they're around here." Sighting reports of bobcats will help biologists gain an understanding of the current state population. They are very bold. Ive lived here 23 years, Ive seen coyotes, Ive seen bobcats, Ive seen foxes, everything else, never seen anything like this before, said Bachelder. DEEP believes their numbers have increased in recent years. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. It's 8:02 p.m., according to the timestamp at the bottom of the image. Stay facing the animal and try not to turn your back to it. Bobcats typically have brown fur with a reddish tinge that is marked with black or brown spots or stripes, according to the National Zoo. They also have facial ruffs and ear tufts on the tips of their ears, as well as shorter tails. For over 30 years the CT DEEP has been tracking reported sightings and maintain it has never observed or found proof that mountain lions are still here in the state. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. Instead, people should remain facing the cat and not turn their back on it, make noise and make themselves appear as large as possible by raising their arms over their heads with a jacket. For decades, wildlife experts should have been seeing occasional scat and paw prints in the winter. In the wild, they live 8-13 years, but in captivity they can live into their 20s. This was maybe a decade ago. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, DEEP confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. 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. Make noise-- be as loud as you can while you make yourself as big as you can. Experts Warn Residents to Take Precautions After Recent Mountain Lion Sightings By Bay City News Published June 11, 2021 Updated on June 11, 2021 at 6:50 am NBC Universal, Inc. There have been no "confirmed" reports of mountain lions, AKA Puma concolor, in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s. It says genetic testing revealed that a mountain lion hit by a car and killed on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford on June 11, 2011 originated from South Dakota and had traveled to Connecticut though Wisconsin and Minnesota a distance of around 1,800 miles a record distance for a land mammal. The Canada Lynxs geographic territory in New England only extends as far south as northern New Hampshire and parts of Maine, though. So its this gathering storm. Inevitably, the New England states will acknowledge that they have some mountain lions.. My first thought literally was, is that a lion?. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. Somebody needs to take charge of this outfit and do something about the interactions with the citizenry. Betty recommended that anyone who encounters a cougar should make themselves large, raise their hands and yell. Didnt it? Those are the two closest populations that we have here. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. Anyone can get fooled. 4 . So its this gathering storm. However, because they are capable of traveling great distances, they have turned up in all parts of North Dakota. Make noise. These sightings are so persistent that there is a conspiracy theory that says DEEP officials know mountain lions are in the state but cover up their existence. Reports of mountain lion sitings in Matunuck and the Great Swamp Management Area date back to at least 2004, but have never been confirmed by state officials. So why does the conspiracy theory that theyre here in significant numbers persist? 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. He published his first book in 1959, 2023 Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC, In the 1950s, the 'Mad Dog murders' terrorized Connecticut, Connecticut Magazine: Best restaurants for dessert for 2023, Connecticut Magazine: CT's best brunch spots for 2023, Meet rising hip-hop star and CT native Felly, Connecticut Magazine: Best vegetarian, vegan restaurants for 2023, Save money by electrifying your homes systems, Stratford's Allan Dias and his brush with rock 'n' roll fame, Review: Hachiroku in New Haven is a slice of Japanese heaven, Geno Auriemma gives bleak assessment as UConn womens basketball looks to find footing in March: 'Poorly coached team. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Nicole has a degree in Communications from Fairfield University. Beautiful trail! It was a flooded area. Im Shelton Lively, a Connecticut resident, and an avid outdoors person. Colorado and California have the highest estimated populations of mountain lions in the United States. 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 journey is chronicled in the 2016 book, Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. Have you seen a puma or bobcat in your neighborhood? 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. Bobcats are most frequently misidentified by the public as mountain lions, but theyre not the only animals mislabeled. We're not aware of any more confirmed mountain lion sightings other than the one that was hit by the car many years back. Many years back ears, as well as shorter tails states and claim they were taken in in! 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