The name Pocono is derived from the . Mountain lions were once widespread across North America, but their range shrunk dramatically as they were pursued through unregulated hunting and by farmers aiming to protect their livestock, and moved off the landscape by habitat fragmentation. 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. Recently, on a back road in Pennsylvania, a friend and I had our first sighting of a coyote in Pennsylvania. Joseph Pugliese 2.2K views 7 years ago Beautiful Bobcat in our yard as our. This, after they were told that there were no pumas in Pa. This happens usually around the 18-month mark. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. He wrote that not being a roving animal, the mountain lion was much sooner destroyed than the wolf, and he said that if there were any left, it would have to be in the most desolate places in the county. 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. Would these ridges be declared off-limits for hunting? (National Park Service). It seems unlikely, considering captives have never shown this trait, but people are reporting big black cats. Mountain lions have a lifespan of about 8 to 13 years old in the wild. If you see a puma (mountain lion-cougar), contact me. Unfortunately, their web site no longer seems active, and has been taken over by some wacky drug product. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. I've looked in the PGC game laws booklet and saw nothing on this, which I guess you could conclude means a puma would not be legal to shoot. We hope you enjoy this foray into the most weird and wonderful our beloved Pocono Mountains have to offer. Confirmed cougar sightings have increased in the Midwest and Great Lakes states in recent years.". Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. The hunting policy of the state may be the cause of the dropping population, and pressure on the Fish and Game Commission has increased. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? Obviously, other pumas must be about, and the series of ridges extending north and east and west from my location could all be included as critical habitat as well. Who knows? None of these sightings has been authenticated, and many of them, including a recent, alleged mountain lion picked up on a surveillance camera in Lackawanna County, turned out to be bobcats. So how or why could there be a conspiracy? Where reports dating that far back from escapees? I've done this myself once, in Tanzania, when I saw a black house cat that I thought was a black leopard! 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. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Luxury Cabin Rentals: Pocono Mountain Getaways | Glamping Hub They know what they saw, regardless of what the facts say, and they know they saw a puma. I receive about one email or phone call a month, on average, from people that I do not know who are contacting me because their sighting compelled them to do a Google search on puma sightings, and they found my site and previously posted questions. Heres What the Data Says. Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans?
Those special two were across a river just outside Glacier National Park in Montana, and consisted of a mother and two cubs (Mary saw both cubs, I only saw one, and we did so separately, as we were driving two vehicles). I'll be anxious to learn of your report. Mountain lions live almost everywhere in the state of Washington. They often would catch sheep in broad daylight. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. 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. The reintroduction of mountain lions into South Dakota is one of the great wins of modern conservation. In books I've read critical or skeptical or down-right dismissive of the idea of pumas in the East, the argument has been advanced that the hopefull puma-dreamer/spotters arguing that the State needs to prove pumas don't exist does not mean that in the State not proving this means that pumas indeed do exist in this state. Mountain lions that are looking for new breeding areas are known as transient and are almost always males. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. This ideal habitat allows for a large population of 2,000 mountain lions to thrive. One of the three branches or clans of the Lenape Tribe at the end of the 17th century was known as the Wolf (Minsi). However, if you've seen a mountain lion, or other mystery creature, or evidence of either, in Pennsylvania, contact outdoor writer Marcus Schneck at
[email protected].). Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. Had this been faked, I'd suspect the hoaxter would try for a more authentic background. 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. Albinos are often very light sensitive, and they certainly are conspicuous, and most do not live very long. 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. Mountain lions can live in almost any habitat including forests, prairies, deserts, and swamps. "It's one of those things where I'll believe it when I see it," said Jason Farmer of Pocono Summit, my hunting partner for the last eight years. 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. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? 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. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The skeleton was reassembled at the State Museum, where it has been on display ever since. I've seen about 20 mountain lions, or pumas, in the field, but all but 2 were in Chile.
These creatures lurking in Pa.'s woods can hurt or kill you PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. An animal's coat can stray far from the norm. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". 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). Here's more about mountain lions in Pennsylvania: If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. "We should be getting more pictures. 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. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. He said he'd never forget the sighting, but it was only when he saw another, a few months ago, in daylight, from his cabin, that he decided it was time to tell someone. 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. 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. I am hoping that more and more people will learn of my own interest in this, and will pass on this information and that I'll receive more reports and, hopefully, sometime, a game camera photo that is definitive. The other three images are from my file, selected to most closely approximate the pose of the cat from the game camera. Learn more about us & read our affiliate disclosure. People can manipulate, enhance or combine photos and then create their own stories about the subject's origin, location and even identification. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Let me know if you have seen one! Accounts abound concerning interaction between these great beasts and people in northeast Pennsylvania, with wolves into the early 19th century and in the case with cougars, well into the early 20th century. The Florida panther is an endemic subspecies of cougar that has lived in the everglades region for a very long time. The other two clans were the Turtle and Turkey. They have almost been killed off a few times, but conservation efforts have helped to keep their numbers stable.
The mountain lion population in Nevada is essential to the control of deer and rodent populations in the mountainous regions of the state. "From people that I trust have had visual sightings, they've seen mountain lions.". 2023 www.poconorecord.com. In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. Check out the tails of the two! Arkansas isnt somewhere that we would generally think of when looking for mountain lions, but they are on the rebound! However, if you've seen a mountain lion, or other mystery creature, or evidence of either, in Pennsylvania, contact outdoor writer Marcus Schneck at
[email protected].). Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The next day, the photo disappeared from the site. 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. I wanted to know if they're here, so I called some people I trust and asked them one simple question: Are there mountain lions in Pennsylvania? 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! Claws 'N' Paws Animal Park in Lake Ariel has two. Scientists debate whether the large prehistoric mammals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age due to over-hunting, or rapid climate warming. So, couldn't that same argument apply to pumas in the Northeast? Are the various States guilty of essentially the same thing? Would my mountain ridge be declared 'Critical Habitat' for the puma? 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. the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. Archived Questions of the Month Cougar Network tracks mountain lion expansion from the western U.S. to the east. I'm wondering, then, if the complete dismissal of sightings of Eastern pumas (other than the acknowledgement of released or escaped pets) isn't motivated by economics. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. There also were camels, sloth and hyena, which migrated elsewhere. Currently, mountain lions seem to be making a comeback in regard to their historic range. 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 . Yet, except for Florida, which has about 100 of them "Florida panthers"), no eastern state has a verifiable population of these large 100- to 200-pound cats that were extirpated 100 years ago. DCNR gave the following as examples: the saber-tooth cat; a small, three-toed horse; the Pleistocene beaver, and the mastodon. 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. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is always open to review evidence, but to date only hoaxes have crossed the PGC. There are deserts, mountains, and swamps in the state of Utah, all of which are suitable for mountain lions. Mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week, along with other smaller prey as the opportunity arises. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. These experiences are still available, but the reality is there is so much more for the mature traveler to enjoy in the Pocono Mountains. Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. The same goes for New York and several other eastern states. Note the long, usually thick tail.