mountain lion in ct 2020

The expert opinion held up until a man was killed by a Great White not too far away. State wildlife experts say those big cats have been extinct in Connecticut. Hawley said the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in the state was one that was killed on the Merritt Parkway in 2011 when a car struck the animal near Exit 55. Mountain Lion Weight: 80-160 pounds Length: About 7-8 feet long Tail: 2-3 feet long (up to half of the total length) Identification The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. Somebody in the NC Legislature believes, because lions are now protected by law. Bobcats are found across Connecticut, but even fully grown they are much smaller than what she was describing, only weighing between 18 and 35 pounds. As they watched in amazement, the cat casually moved off and disappeared into the surrounding woods. May 12, 2021. Mountain Lions: Large tan cats with a distinctive two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the ground as they walk. Up to several inches of snow expected for northern CT, NWS says, Passenger in car that nearly hit FBI agents in CT gets 3 years, Police: CT man hiding in back seat tried to rob female driver, Yale police investigating false report of active shooter, NY man charged with CT car theft extradited, state trooper says, CT advocates resume push for aid-in-dying bill, Wilton Police Chief John Lynch announces retirement, RTM narrowly votes to accept voting infrastructure grant, Milford changes rules on accessory dwellings, Termination upheld for CT fire lieutenant in drug scandal, 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 athletics operated at $53 million deficit following Kevin Ollie payment. On November 22, about 20 miles north of Rowlett there was another . She was also the voice behind the weekly Connecticut Real Estate newsletter by CT Insider. Ive attended talks with Sue Morse. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. Hes spent this winter hoping for colder temperatures so he can use it. How big was the animal? It was definitely a cougar. Two mountain lion encounters in his driveway. It jumped 28 feet across the road. About two years ago in July 2020, there were around 1,500 reports of bobcat sightings in the state, with some bobcat sightings in Brookfield and Ridgefield that year. However, the Department of Energy and. Fish and Wildlife Service unofficially declared the Eastern cougar extinct. That's not to say that pits are not formidable dogs, they are. Vermont-based naturalist SueMorse has spent decades studying, tracking, andphotographing cougars outwest. I must have looked doubtfulwe were within spitting distance of a heavily trafficked road and only 12 miles from downtown Hartfordbut both Ottmann and Betty told me that cougars actually prefer more populated areas, since thats where deer tend to congregate. Well, I KNOW there was at least one mountain lion in NE because years ago (maybe 35 or so) I lived in Longmeadow, MA. A mountain lion was responsible for that too. Anyway I got to see that set of eyes way closer than I ever wanted, by the time my hand got on my pistol she was gone. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it,. Stay Connected Sign up. My daughter and I were driving north in West Granby, near the Simsbury, Ct. line just after lunch one summer day a few years ago. Was INCREDIBLE! They are most definitely here. The reason why experts wont admit to a breeding population existing is that there is NO PROOF. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. The tail, I said. I saw on three occasions in about the same location a beautiful mtn lion with the long bushytail that curves at the end. I lived in great Barrington mass and I took photos of tracks in a field in April of 2009 (and of course lost them). Morse has been tracking cougars for 45 years, mostly in the mountains of the West, where their existence is not in doubt. The map from that publication is shown below, with the current mountain lion range in green and confirmed mountain lion locations as black dots. Got a question or comment? The young typically remain with their mother for 2 years. Mountain lion hunting tags were sold in 2013 through a lottery system for the state's first lion hunt. Dogos have been DOCUMENTED killing mountain lion / wolf. I think I may have pissed her off since I was up in that area X2 this week. Wildlife do really crazy things, and you just never know.. The real reason that they wont admit that a breeding population exists, is that listing a population of endangered species would wreak ECONOMIC havoc in a number of arenas, mostly logging/forestry. To Betty and Ottmann, the dominant narrative of the occasional itinerant cougar from the West is not particularly relevant to the facts on the ground. There are many officials in denial up here, but we know what we saw and there are too many sightings by the local folks to be ignored. Also known as 'cougars' or 'pumas,' mountain lions are reclusive creatures that feed mainly on deer, raccoons, rodents and various small mammals, experts say. For helpful information on identifying mountain lion tracks and more, visit the Missouri Department of . Mountain lion facts. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. 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. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. TOLLAND A local woman reported Friday that she saw a mountain lion in the area of Sand Hill Road, . Were getting more and more home entries every year. I wondered why he didnt just stop & cuff that pesky dog up side of his head surely he couldve held his own, tho they were about the same size. Because he lives among them, Harrigan understands that no one knows the woods better. There have been 40 confirmed mountain lion sightings since 2002 in the state, according to the Wildlife Department. As livestock farming came to dominate the landscape, pressure on the big cats slowly mounted on two fronts: The number of farmers wanting them dead was increasing, while the rapid transition from forest to farmland meant their habitat was shrinking. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. We think theyre coming in from Canada, Betty told me. Weight: 70-170 lbs. 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. Early spring 2019 I caught a glimpse of one entering over grown brush on the side of the road very very early in the morning. 90th Annual New Haven Register All-State Football First Team. Snowy winter AM just before us neighbor kids were heading to catch the bus, we (myself, my dad and neighbor) all watched a large cat cross the yard and leave huge prints and a distinct tail drag mark in the snow! Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. 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. They are here in the Catskill Mountains, so named for the magnificent felines. And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. Put bluntly, Morse does not believe that New England is home to cougars. And, 18 months ago, a Cedar Rapids man bagged a mountain lion that was perched in a tree while deer hunting south of Marengo. This isnt to say she believes none of these animals has stepped foot on New England soil over the past century. For who but we humans can look across the landscape and not acknowledge our role in the diminishment of cougars and the myriad ways in which we have knocked the landscape out of balance? While other states have their Bigfoot and sea monster sightings, in Connecticut, and throughout much of the Northeast, we see mountain lions even when were told such sightings are unlikely, if not outright impossible. My mother always said she saw one across the street from our house one night in the late 50s early 60s. So theres fresh mud. Wildlife is unpredictable (and several people go missing in wild areas, parks especially, every year -Probably not because of alien abduction). Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. 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. The CDFW defines a mountain lion attack as an incident resulting in direct physical contact between a human and a mountain lion resulting in physical injury or death to the person. Advocates of the proposed Aid in Dying bill made an emotional plea to state legislators in Hartford on Wednesday to approve the legislation, introduced 15 separate times in Connecticut since 1994. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. Females ranges are much smaller so it will take reintroduction or a few savvy wildlife biologist in the dead of night. Mountain lions are nocturnal hunters, mostly going after deer. It had rained previously. When I shared their story with the staff at the center where my sister lived, I expected surprise and interested. Now that USFW has declared them extinct, why not formally reintroduce them. Nearby grocery stores include Food Lion, Star Food. And DNA analysis shows us that felis concolor is genetically the same across the USI think it is irrelevant, but interesting. I also know of someone who said they showed F&G a photo of one from a game camera in NH. One summer I saw what I assumed was the same cougar several different times in my neighborhood which was near a long strip of woods along I 91 and used to be a large open field across the road from our home. Mountain Lion Update - May 8, 2020, by Sam Wilson, Furbearer and Carnivore Program Manager. It may not surprise you to learn that I was quite intrigued by this third group. But no. In yet another variant, DEEP is said to be helicoptering mountain lions in to help control the deer population. I kept trying to make it be something else because I was shocked that I was, indeed, watching a mountain lion pass in front of me. Hawley: That animal was documented. It has a long, black-tipped tail and black . I saw an adult cougar/catamount twice within a two week period. P.O. The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. Even though the experts say there arent any mountain lions in CT, there are. Also known as cougars, panthers or pumas, mountain lions range in color from tan to grey, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service. The last catamount killed in Vermont stands under glass just inside the doors to the Vermont Historical Museum in Montpelier, a hop, skip, and a jump down the block from the statehouse. And there are different schools of thought about that. Lizzie Post Would Like Your Attention. vital part of this countries ecosystem. Bobcats: Though technically a type of lynx, they are distinct from other species of lynx such as the Canadian lynx. CT Style. Officially, there are no mountain lions in New England, although there is a good possibility the big cats could be here, Tate said. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are Dismissing most of the sightings as probable bobcats, Morse asserted that the scientific evidence has not been proven. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. 8 January. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. 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. Mountain lions have traveled through Fairfield County in the past. They also have facial ruffs and ear tufts on the tips of their ears, as well as shorter tails. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Mountain lions have been dispersing away from these population areas, and researchers recently mapped all confirmed mountain lion observations from 1990-2008 (LaRue et al. He/she was UNMISTAKEABLY a mountain lion: stretched out straight, long tail straight out behind him, golden/beigey color, and smallish head, little ears. We were about 50 feet from it and it stood taller than any labrador and we watched it tail and all slink down the side of the lawn and the rabbits being surprised out of the bushes. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. One cat will leave more than 10,000 tracks per day. Our wildlife biologists and enforcement agents are mostly political bureaucrats who dont often venture more than 100yards from the truck. We know that the closest established breeding population is in either the Everglades of Florida theres a small population down there and then out in South Dakota and Nebraska. THAT is a mountain lion! The big cat has been extinct here since the mid-1800s. Email editor@connecticutmag.com. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. However, many of their claimsespecially Mr. Bettys contention of roughly a dozen personal sightings in New Englandare hard to take seriously. Ottmann grew up and still lives just minutes from the tavern; his familiarity with the establishment was obvious (after we met in the parking lot, he led me into the building through the kitchen, greeting each of the staff by name). Well as shorter tails about mountain lions have traveled through Fairfield County in late... 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