Peter Biello: Worth mentioning if we're scaring anybody question a mysterious mountain lions lurking perhaps in someone's backyard. And theres another school of thought, Well, no, there just are too many of them probably we have to reduce that population somehow. Where do you fall in that whole continuum? So for me as a person who's had the Bobcats right off my grits similar carries sticks to a bobcat The Long Tail obviously very different but those facial markings were overlapping for me. Mistaken reports of mountain lions are most commonly bobcats. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. Peter Biello: So if they were female mountain lions here they would be more males just because that's what they're looking for. Sam Evans-Brown: Pretty well I was going to say it is nice to hear about how to identify the facial markings but probably I'd being a to identify the tracks is probably the more useful useful tool that one can have in their tool box. You know I think it's there's a lady Holly Ernst out in California who has done a lot of the genotyping of mountain lions in Northern California the ones that are of course most people have heard about taking down hikers bikers etc. New England Mountain Lion Sighting Bulletin Board's Message Board And so. There are no mountain lions in Connecticut, so why do we keep seeing them? We're gonna cue you up and bring into the program listeners in just a moment but I want to ask about the role that Mountain Lions play in the ecosystem we've been talking a lot about mountain lions traveling and being sort of hard to track as they move. John Holt's ideas were at first dismissed but he refused to be silent. Some of the reports that I looked into that were actually on file at the local fish and game office were even from people who did not live locally. Peter Biello: From New Hampshire Public Radio I'm Peter Biello in for Lark Knoy and this is the exchange. Hey, I know what I saw. (You can download the article frommass.gov/doc/mountain-lions-in-massachusetts-distinguishing-fiction-from-the-facts/download.) Here's a look at 8 commonly found in the Berkshires. Can we go to the site. Love hearing these stories. It is a gravel road and when the plows clear the road in the winter (or grade it in summer) they spread the invasive all along the edge. Peter Biello: This is the exchange on an PR. Early in the morning. Peter Biello: And that will make identification for a layperson rather difficult. Mountain lion ambushes 70-year-old hiker in Utah canyon. He fought it A harvest is kind of twofold. By, March 2023 Fund Drive Rules and Regulations, Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at [email protected]. We'll hear from her periodically through the show. Rick van de Poll: Well education is the real important thrust of of what all of us do as biologists and Game Managers and to make sure that a things like what Sam was saying that in spite of what you believe the mountain lions will not eat your children they will not steal your pets from your backyard and they will not necessarily be seen by you unless you're extremely lucky. The reasons for this conspiracy vary depending upon whom you talk to, but they coalesce around the idea that wildlife agencies would be inconvenienced by the cougars presence, as theyd be forced to respond in ways that would tax their resources. The second one was not only fresh but when I actually put my hand on it it was you know smelled like cat and I it's there's no denying a fresh mountain lions get if you can tell it every story that KOAT. We'd be inundated with scouts in the past when newspaper articles have been written about DNA and scouts. Ive seen more field evidence in a couple of hours tracking out west than Ive seen in 100 years on the East Coast, he said. There are always rumors about what state fish and wildlife agencies in the eastern United States know about mountain lions. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. Peter Biello: Oh okay. I didn't see him online. Have a photo. Patrick Tate: If I could just say one thing. It is what wildlife biologists call an apex carnivore, which means it can overpower pretty much any other creature in its environmentwith the exception of an armed human. The nonbelievers are going to say Show us your evidence and show us prove this to us. By mid-19th century, forests made up only about 30 percent of New England (its notable that today that number stands at approximately 80 percent, nearer to what it was when cougars thrived here). There was a lot of DNA evidence. So there is definitely no downward pressure by anyone. All other reports of mountain lions in Massachusetts have turned out to be other animals. Thank you. Patrick Tate: So the individuals can say that but for an agency that's based on science and what not to to go off with no evidence and then get into that giant debate and all these other issues and put credibility at risk I don't think that would be a great path to take. 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. I would always share potential sightings with Tom French, Ph.D., assistant director of MassWildlifes Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program for nearly 35 years, now retired. Mountain lions dont usually travel more than 100 miles from where they are born. Forty years of reporting on New Hampshire cougar sightings has convinced Harrigan that the state is home to at least a handful of breeding animals. There were pine cones on window sills, a well-used hatchet and a variety of animal figurines on display, and, near the television, a stack of videos including. Today she talked with us a little bit before the show about why the mountain line is so compelling and why we want it to be part of our world. but won big 2night. It is a low, sprawling plant with small 1.4-inch scarlet flowers. What to know about unconfirmed mountain lion sightings in CT Do you get a lot of these these these things that end up being hoaxes. Further, it is already illegal to kill a mountain lion in Massachusetts. She lives near the end of a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Green Mountains. Mountain lion or cat running across. The young adult male was killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011. Peter Biello: Well Karl Jarvis a former reporter for The King's son Nile thank you very much for for calling in and sharing your perspective and to his point Patrick T. I mean yes we haven't met the scientific burden of proof here in New Hampshire as far as physical evidence is is concerned but is there room at Fish and Game For A kind of an informal nod to all of the people who have somehow convinced themselves and possibly some others that yeah there may be occasional sightings here. We'd love to have you in the queue. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. Known to exist in the state for over well over a hundred years. Peter Biello: We at this e-mailed comment from Michael. That animal had come from South Dakota, traveling more than 1,500 miles to get to New England.. If these people say they saw something, Im going to listen., If theres one thing people on all sides of the debate can agree on, its that a breeding population of cougars is essential to the overall health of New Englands ecosystems, which currently lack an apex predator. Mike thanks for your call. A mountain lion can weigh well over 150 pounds, while a bobcat might weigh up to 35 pounds and reach 45 inches (tip of nose to end of tail); a coyote 50 pounds and 53 inches; or a lynx 35 pounds and 40 inches. And I can recall its information but I can't confirm or verify anything. She quotes a biologist in Lyme New Hampshire who who is keeping two mountain lions himself so in the not too distant past in the early nineteen hundreds it was perhaps more common and still in Maine. The tail, I said. Harrigan nodded. Sam. For me as a person who's handled many bobcats and looked at many pictures Bobcat the White chin Bobcat right off is what comes out to me and then the black the the roughs on our Bobcats we'll have sometimes have black fringes on them. Peter Biello: Well I want to ask Patrick about one of these stories a few years ago you had a story about someone who claimed to. 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. Caller: Well I think Patrick I recognized your name. Human/Wildlife Interactions in California: Mountain Lion Depredation, Public Safety, and Animal Welfare Overview and Background More than half of California is mountain lion habitat. How far were you from this cat. In April 1997, experienced tracker John McCarter found scat near a beaver carcass at the Quabbin Reservation. Patrick Tate: No downward pressure at all I think actually Sean turned up and we found the evidence there a number of people would finally say finally we can put this debate to bed. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. I started asking a lot of questions, and realized theres only one explanation for the answers I was getting: They are here., You could have 30 in Connecticut alone. Rick van de Poll: Absolutely. Through DNA they approximate area in the United States or North America where I was born. First off if the standard for an agency to go forward with the public and put out a press release that them outlines here their believers are going to say I told you they'd been here the whole time. What's going on. Shop. Patrick Tate: So I'm not sure what subspecies of cat they're using to differentiate by those markings but once she was describing the White other face in the black. Tracking experts Paul Rezendes, Charles Worsham, George Leoniak, and Dr. Mark Elbroch examined the photos. One cat will leave more than 10,000 tracks per day. Post a New Message | Search | New England Mountain Lion Sighting Bulletin Board . The big cat has been extinct here since the mid-1800s. Peter Biello: So Rick seems like you agree that the tail is a big giveaway whether or not it's a mountain lion Absolutely. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. Peter Biello: Mm hmm. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. Theres probably 100 in Connecticut, Ottmann interrupted, rolling a cigarette as he spoke. Growing up in northern Vermont, Id heard stories of sightings, though always a few steps removed from the tellersomebodys cousin had seen a cougar cross the road on their way home from deer camp up in Canaan (or was it Coventry? All of that remains unanswered but it is an extremely interesting question. And as the biologist who's gonna stand on this and if I'm going to say this is a proven picture I need to be able to stand on it so soundly and have the evidence so I going to go through it with a fine tooth comb kept picking pieces apart trying to answer these pieces. And still the the folks there did weren't able to come up with it with 100 percent certainty what deposited that scat. I mean no doubt a seen Bobcat seen his stuff. The truth is, I was by this point dubious. You have permission to edit this article. I have one that's more elaborate than that. Let us know your story and share your photos! A lot of times. Here are few facts you should know about bats and a few myths to forget. Caller: Are probably. So. And they asked me about the tail which I just did not remember that tail out of that whole experience. And consider, for a moment, the concern and outright fear an official acknowledgment of such a carnivorous and predatory creature might evoke. Rick shaking his head so Rick now correct me please. Mountain lions became scarce in the East after a bounty system wiped out most predatory animals. MassWildlifecannot investigate or confirm mountain lion reports without any evidence. Abbott acknowledged that mountain lions out west have huge ranges. Sam Evans Brown. By mid-19th century, forests made up only about 30 percent of New England (it's notable that today that number stands at approximately 80 percent, nearer to what it was when cougars thrived here). We strolled across the tavern parking lot and ducked into the forest, where Ottmann maintains a portion of his $15,000 worth of wildlife recording equipment (hes had no luck capturing a cougar on camera, though, despite more than a decade of trying). So that that's more or less I think why I'm here and why I got into this in nineteen ninety nine I found a what appeared to be a print of a mountain lion and that was in the Osprey mountains and I thought well OK that's that's a print. The engineers Dan Colgan our senior producer is Allan Grimm. And it's not really strong. There have been several sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. Squam Lake: Home of mountain lions - Concord Monitor Evidence considered could include "the body of a dead mountain lion or a live wild-captured animal; photos or video, in which a mountain lion can be identified and MassWildlife can confirm the location; DNA evidence from hair, scat, etc. The Connecticut mountain lion is the best documented wild Mountain Lion in New England. Caller: Hey guys how you doing. They reported seeing the big tail and everything everything. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. Listeners give us a call if you'd like. Japanese knotweed and phragmites are the bane of my existence on our road. Now that to me seemed to indicate that they had done the secondary workup that in my opinion proved the existence of probably a disperse or possibly from South Dakota like the one in 2011. Well they are the same. It was his great coolness and daring (either that, or fear) that enabled Crowell to shoot the animal at a distance of one rod only (roughly 16 feet), first hitting it in the leg with his shotgun, then dispatching it with a bullet to the head from a borrowed rifle. Patrick Tate: Martin Like what about Panther Panther saying animals same animal and like a bit of trivia Guinness Book of World Records says the animal with the most names is in English alone they're supposedly 40 names for Mount lion. Open MF, 8 a.m.4 p.m. (closed noon12:30 for lunch). Betty had driven up from his home in Rhode Island. The deadline for fuel assistance applications is Sunday, but most state emergency funds are still unspent. From came from out west they tracked it all the way back to the Black Hills in the Dakotas. I saw the tail end of a literally from behind the shoulder The Long Tail mountain lion crossing the highway going from Password to often Village downtown. We're going to talk a little bit more about habitat first but then we'll get into sightings. Peter Biello: Nice to be here. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. And you know it's rather interesting because certainly there are those you as a case of mistaken identity or they wanted to see something that perhaps they actually didn't. Rick van de Poll: Yes. I have seen them fly and do so especially into trees when in danger, either real or imagined. Here's why reports are so tough to prove mass.gov/doc/mountain-lions-in-massachusetts-distinguishing-fiction-from-the-facts/download, There are 69 invasive plant species in Massachusetts. Thanks also to Rick van de Poll naturalist and founder of ecosystem management consultants of New England and Sam Evans Brown host of an HP podcast outside in about the natural world and how we use it. It's bigger but bigger and better world. Big cats used to be kept as pets in the U.K . I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V., I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. People even report House Cats as mountain lions in a surprising number of cases. Both cases meet the evidence requirements of MassWildlife. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. If you need assistance, please contact the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. So maybe a good pet for you but not for your neighbor if you just stop by unannounced. So Pat you field a lot of calls about people seeing or reportedly seeing mountain lions. Bats have no interest in your hair! And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. What time of day was it? Please let us know how we can improve this page. Also, Bobcats are spreading into areas in which they have not been seen before. You might think that it would be easy to tell the two cat species apart. We had six copies printed out each. In 1994, scat collected after a sighting in Craftsbury, Vermont, was found to contain cougar hair (the animals are prone to ingesting their hair while grooming), and the commissioner of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department circulated a memo with the following line: It is possible that cougars of unknown origin may be breeding to a limited extent in Vermont. There's no logic for why they'd be listed as an endangered species. Less than a year later I found a scat on the swamp range and I was working at the time with a fellow at the Michigan wildlife habitat Federation. So the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station has a database on mountain lion and they can identify. Q:While walking October Mountain just recently, I am sure I saw a mountain lion. Re (3): Mountain Lion sighting in Brookfield ct - By weather01089 February 1, 2016 at 04:55:52 PM. Yes and you want to share what you learned. But you can continue the conversation on Facebook or at our Web site and HP Borg. The second story window through about 30 feet away from it. She lives near the end of a gravel road in a modest, low-slung house tucked into the flanks of the Green Mountains. It had rained previously. So I certainly can't dispute anything that they said there's no evidence for me to go by to verify or say what my thoughts are on the situation. Have you seen a mountain lion? - Burlington Free Press I mean they're a survivor.