Hawley: That animal was documented. Posted on Published: November 4, 2022- Last updated: December 28, 2022. 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. They also want to foster the formation and protection of migration pathways for them and other animals to enter new states. . And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. A mountain lion from South Dakota apparently made an epic journey to suburban Connecticut. Connecticut Public Radio | community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. 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. Yet we see nothing about what is being planned except how to scare them away if one sees them. ago. It had rained previously. Bobcats: They are about two to three times larger than their distant relative. Mountain lions also have tails that can grow up to 3 feet. If it really comes down to it do what you have to do to deter it from following you. For decades afterward, there were reported sightings of the mythical creature prowling the woods around town. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Dickson, however, said the agency is not aware of any such reports. Well also go over what types of wild cats can be found in Connecticut. Seeing a wild cat can be both frightening and exciting, and its common for people to make mistakes in identification, as all most people are used to seeing is the common housecat. It was a flooded area. Im watching it, its big, its got the body, and the thing that really gave it away was the tail, had that mountain lion long tail that goes down to the ground and comes up at the end, saw that and was like, thats a freaking mountain lion.. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. Ive been doing this for 40 years. Police said these have been reported to DEEP, but have not been confirmed as true mountain lion sightings. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Nicole has a degree in Communications from Fairfield University. Hawley: That animal was documented. Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators., Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. It had rained 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. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Stay facing the big cat and try not to turn your back to it, officials said in a Facebook post. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. As far as the claim that mountain lions live in CT, as we address in the previous section, that has been debunked. So why does the conspiracy theory that theyre here in significant numbers persist? Like coyotes, moreover, mountain. There was also one reported on Salem Road and another in the area of Pease Road. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information. They have been documented in Woodbridge and are often quite active this time of year making observations of these normally elusive animals much more likely.. Uscinski, a Connecticut native, adds that the theory that the government is covering up the existence of mountain lions is likely motivated by a distrust of authority. Sometimes in our shock and excitement at seeing wildlife we see what we want to see. Otherwise, Hawley said cats like bobcats want nothing to do with people, and they will generally prey on chickens, small dogs or cats. (My wife didnt get a look at the tail.) And even the home entries are kind of changing. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. Im Shelton Lively, a Connecticut resident, and an avid outdoors person. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. This might serve as proof to some that there, in fact, might still be mountain lions in CT. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it, he recalls. Map reproduced from LaRue et al. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. No, there are no mountain lions in CT, and there havent been for quite some time. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. Be mindful of small pets and small children wandering too far away from your sight line. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. MOUNTAIN LION ATTACKS MAN SITTING IN COLORADO HOT TUB After a few moments of the deer trying to maneuver out of the chokehold, it managed to free itself from the claws of the mountain lion.. Hawley, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says data dont support a breeding population of mountain lions in Connecticut. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. New Hampshire Public Radio | Not really, Rego says. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. Copyright 2023 The Connecticut Explorer | Wisteria on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Connecticut Explorer Home Find Things to do in CT. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. Thus, the name of the mountain where Castle Craig sits.. nicknamed "Cat Hole Mountain!" Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. The gate of a bobcat can often make it look like it has a long tail. MoRRoW187 4 mo. 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Democracy is not a spectator activity. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) The news stunned. Bobcats, of course, can be found all over the state. A couple things to keep in mind if you come across or see a big cat like a Mountain Lion: 1. So, now we know what DEEP says about mountain lions in the state and we know that many people mistakenly believe theyve sighted one but its still possible there are some in CT, right? "Connecticut is cougar heaven . Hey, I know what I saw. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. The police shoot of Cougars behind the police Academy when they get over populated. Speaker Bill Betty presented evidence and proposed theories that could prove that Connecticut, including , is home to a native population of Eastern mountain lions. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, DEEP confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. According to the Connecticut DEEP, the bobcat is the only wild cat found in Connecticut. Below is an evolving list of Connecticut natives and state prep school football players in the Class of 2023 who have signed letters of intent to play football in college. Mountain lions were hunted to extinction near the end of the 19th century. And there are different schools of thought about that. Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said Massachusetts troopers used reasonable deadly force after Connecticut man shot at police in Springfield in February. According to Jason Hawley, a wildlife biologist for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protections Wildlife Division, the department gets around 100 sighting reports of mountain lions each year, but upon further investigation, a good proportion of the sightings end up being bobcats. I agreeI am a person with very good knowledge of animals and know the distinct differences between closely related species in some cases Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators, Connecticut Dept. 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.. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. of Energy & Environmental Protection. Of course. And kept goingeast across the Great Plains to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and on to New England, through backyards and parking lots, across highways and railroad tracks, driven by the most. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. 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. Sometimes people feared fishers (erroneously attributing the blood-curdling screams of foxes to these hard-to-spot creatures), and in the late 1930s, after several animals were slain under strange circumstances in Glastonbury, the. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. And there are different schools of thought about that. 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. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. 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. Since then, theyve diverted over an acre of hardwood flooring, roughly 570 kitchen cabinets, and 500 windows from landfills. Officials used DNA to genetically fingerprint the mountain lion as the same one spotted more than 18 months ago in Minnesota. If a young male Cougar disperses East, instead of West, they're going to keep walking because they're going tokeep looking for an area where they can find a mate, he said. Since then, there have been no confirmed cases here, with the state saying: People very often mistake bobcats for mountain lions. 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. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. 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. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. 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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. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. So theres fresh mud. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. Even so, Abbott has heard of mountain lion sightings from what he deems reliable sources and believes its possible that other animals have made the difficult, some say almost miraculous trek, from the West to Connecticut. Grandson of an old swamp Yankee, trapped, hunted , fished my whole life. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. 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 . 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. WOODBRIDGE Police are offering tips after they said there have been several mountain lion sightings in town. On June 5, a mountain lion was reported being seen on the Bucknell School campus in Greenwich. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. If you have a worldview in which the government is conspiring to do weird stuff, than thats what youre going to see, and all the evidence is going to point to exactly what you believe, he says. However, that doesnt mean that mountain lion sightings are all false or that there havent been roaming cats sighted. People should also make noise and to make themselves as large as possible by raising their arms over their head with a jacket or sweatshirt. 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. When it comes to mountain lions, (also called cougars, pumas, or panthers) is there really a chance you will come across one in the wild, or will you need to visit a zoo to see one of these magnificent animals in real life? We had a mountain lion go thru my property was about 125 lbs left his paw prints in the mug, which were a bigger than my hand and have pictures of it we also had bobcats come through. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. Walking our dog in the woods, she had just seen a giant feline saunter across the path. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. Hey, I know what I saw. The last confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in CT was in 2011 when a driver struck and killed one on the Merrit Parkway. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. According to Hawley, if mountain lions were present in the state, there would be evidence and not just unconfirmed sightings. So its this gathering storm. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Even in parts of the country where there are documented breeding populations of mountain lions, there are still many false reports. 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. Every winter, after a fresh snow, DEEP sends out teams into the fields and woods looking for animal tracks. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. While he might feel like that well known movie character who was doubted at first, Bachelder is confident it was a cougar. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. She adds, I think its because a lot of people are fascinated by wild cats; they are the embodiment of the wild.. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. All rights reserved. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. 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. The state adds bobcats are often active this time of year, making sightings much more likely. 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