mountain lion in ct 2020

It was a flooded area. Adult males may be more than 8 feet long (from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail), and can weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. ), or someones coworkers mother had seen one from the back porch of a summer camp back in 07 or maybe 08, and shed tried to get a picture but this was before she got her first iPhone, and by the time shed retrieved her camera from the living room, the cat was long gone. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. He coined the term landscape of fear to describe the relationship between predator and prey in the wild. 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. Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami, and a conspiracy theory expert, says these types of theories are not uncommon. Another possibility is to use the dosdude1 patcher to upgrade the MacBook to Sierra, this being generally possible on any unsupported machines mid-2008 or later. Given the long, shared border between these provinces and New England, along with plentiful evidence that other species cross this border regularly, it seems entirely possible that cougars would also engage in international travel. And yet there I was, on a Saturday in early November, crammed into a booth with Bo Ottmann, 48, and Bill Betty, 72, of Cougars of the Valley, the organization that Ottmann founded in 2007 to gather evidence of and alert the public to the big cats living among us. 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? When I accepted the assignment to write about my quest to uncover the truth regarding the existence of cougars in New England, I had little idea what I was agreeing to. It was a lion-like cat with a tan coat and no spots that was about three times the size of our 30- to 35-pound dog. 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.. And the clincher, What would you say was the most distinguishing feature? The one thing that jumped out at her the tail. In 2011, genetic testing confirmed that a mountain lion originated in South Dakota and traveled more than 1,500 miles before being struck by a car on the Merritt Parkway, according to Reuters. 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. While recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, if someone suspects they encountered a mountain lion, they should not run away, as it might spur a chase. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. It seems humans just cant resist destroying these animals and either dont realize or dont care what damage we have done to our natural environment over the centuries. In the second camp, there are those issuing the denials, pointing to the lack of photographic evidence, or the absence of tracks, or the simple truth that many people dont seem to know the difference between a cougar and a bobcat and a lynx and even, in some cases, a golden retriever. Adult mountain lions can be 7-8 feet long, including their tails. Rego says that the way bobcats stride when they run, often times a rear leg is kicked up in the back and that could be mistaken for a long tail.. To report grouse sightings, please contact Wildlife Division biologist Will Cassidy at [email protected] or 860-418-5961. 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. All of which is to say that if Alexander Crowell wasnt afraid on that long-ago Thanksgiving Day, he probably should have been. Indeed, in 2011, a male cougar was hit and killed by a car in Milford, Connecticut; through its DNA, wildlife biologists were able to trace the cat back to South Dakotas Black Hills, some 2,000 miles distant. We think theyre coming in from Canada, Betty told me. Check out 4 Seconds Until Impact by Bruce Hemming, or Cat Urbigkits books about predator attacks in unlikely places . But you are talking Pacquiao (Pit) vs. Tyson (Dogo) in their prime. What set it off was a National Geographic special on mountain lions in California, right after my daughter and I had two encounters in my driveway, Betty told me. You need to understand that every biologist that works for the state has a duty to deny mountain lions. The bobcat population has since recovered due to improving forest habitat conditions and legal protections. A few years later, though, the scat was retested with DNA analysis and found to be canid, rather than feline, in origin. Learn More . The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. 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. There are no mountain lions in Connecticut, so why do we keep seeing them? Somebody in the NC Legislature believes, because lions are now protected by law. Then saw him a few more times from further away across the road and along the edge sometimes of the woods. Police Chief. My encounter was in Middlesex, VT along the river road (Route 2) just below I89. Wild Turkey Brood Survey I lived in Woodstock, CT in 2005/2006. 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.. I have not had the pleasure of seeing one, but have heard credible reports of them in Western Mass. Mountain Lions: Large tan cats with a distinctive two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the ground as they walk. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it, he recalls. Males can reach up to two metres in length and weigh over 60 kilograms. On one side, there are those (as represented here by Sue Morse, Kim Royar, and Christopher Spatz, along with a number of others I spoke with) who contend that the lack of verifiable evidence is proof that the animals are not here. By Cameron Arcand October 3, 2021 at 2:07pm. Once at dusk driving in the Berkshires, he saw what he initially thought was a cat-like creature that was far bigger than a bobcat leap across the road. The Mountain Lion will return to feed on the prey for up to 10 days. LOS ANGELES (AP) A mountain lion that was part of a National Park Service study was fatally struck by a vehicle on a highway near Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. I only saw the back side, but he was huge. Mountain lions found in eastern Nebraska typically are dispersing young animals on the move to find new territory. of Energy & Environmental Protection. Action Alerts. Yale New Haven Health Check; . The females are where its at, she said. Today, instead of focusing on cougar sightings in Eastern states, many cougar enthusiasts want to protect the animal from being hunted in the regions in which they are currently found. Unlike male cougars, the femaleslike this Montana cat with her cubdont tend to strike out for new territory, which makes it unlikely that a breeding population would establish itself far from the cougars current habitatsbut not impossible. By 1825, only 25% of Connecticut was forested due to deforestation from agricultural activities and other uses of timber. Out & About | Best New England Holiday Events for 2019. In the 37 years Ive been working, things have changed in ways Id never have predicted. Put bluntly, Morse does not believe that New England is home to cougars. Harold Davis just bought a new snowplow. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Adult females can be 7 feet long and weigh between . Because while male cougars eventually strike out on their own and occasionally wander far from home, females are, as Morse puts it, hardwired to remain close to their mothers home range. I reported it to Connecticut DEEP, only to be told there are no cougars in Connecticut. But right now youre dealing with top-notch guys. UConn women's basketball's Dorka Juhsz, Amari DeBerry play 'word sneak' at press conference, Fight breaks out after CT high school basketball game between Bassick, Wilbur Cross, Amanda Bynes, Steve from 'Blues Clues' to appear at 90s Con in CT, Connecticut paranormal convention coming back this spring, Bridgeport woman competes to find love on Paramount+ dating show, Self-taught pianist Serene to perform at Grace Farms. At the time, a specialist from the Iowa Department of Natural. She IS, perhaps, the most knowledgeable and experienced person in this arena and I listened intently to her presentation (Richmond, VT 2018). It was huge! Hes also unafraid to take unpopular positions when he deems it necessary: Shortly before our meeting, hed signed a petition in favor of keeping ATVs off public roads. 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. In yet another variant, DEEP is said to be helicoptering mountain lions in to help control the deer population. The big cat sighting is the third in the past month in New Canaan, and close to the previous one, Aug. 8, on White Oak Shade Lane.. An expert said it was probably a basking shark. Its distinctive featurethe one that sets it apart from other North American wild catsis its tail, which is thick and often as long as its body. Typically, they will slink out of there as quickly as they can to get away from humans. Morse founded Keeping Track in the belief that getting citizens interested and engaged in wildlife will have the knock-on effect of getting them interested and engaged in how land-use decisions affect wild populationsand might provide the impetus for conservation efforts. Mountain lions weigh 105 to 140 pounds and can be up to eight feet long from the nose to the tip of the tail. And so when they come to him with a sighting, hes prepared to believe. Bill Betty of Matunuck, a mountain lion expert who spoke at the South Kingstown Land Trust barn Oct. 30, thinks there is ample evidence pointing to the existence of a mountain lion in Matunuck. The deer dont eat the exotics, but they eat the competitors. I started to get nervous so I was scanning the area low and high in the trees. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. My husband and where riding our Motorcycle down Rte 110 near Milan NH 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. We need cougars and we need wolves back in the Northeast, because a landscape of fear is a well-balanced landscape.. I saw an adult cougar/catamount twice within a two week period. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. Learn More Who We Are & What We Do. Mountain lions (commonly called cougar or puma) vary in size and weight. 10186. The regions top predator, the coyote, is classified by biologists as a mesopredator (a type that in New England includes skunks and raccoons), which feeds primarily on smaller animals. As I turned a corner going north toward Waterbury, I saw the cat come up from the cornfield, saunter across the highway, turn and look in my direction and then amble off into the brush. In the 1930s, Bruce Wright, an influential wildlife manager from New Brunswick, Canada, began gathering reports of sightings of mountain lions in the East and searching for their tracks. I also had a coworker report a similar experience around the same time. Two were confirmed in Logan County (2014 and 2015), and one . Beautiful creature. Bios and videos of the New Haven Register's 90th First-Team All-State Football players. 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. To obtain grouse distribution and harvest information, the Wildlife Division is asking grouse hunters to submit hunting reports through the Ruffed Grouse Hunter Log . 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