mountain lion connecticut

A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Hawley: Yeah. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. One on Salem Rd and another in the area of Pease Rd in our town. A threat to livestock, they were hunted out of the state and driven to parts more wild. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. I feel a little bit like Roy Scheider in Jaws, you know, youve got to shut down the beaches, he said. Well also go over what types of wild cats can be found in Connecticut. She was calling from a trail in Pootatuck State Forest, the 1,200-acre strip of nature occupying the hills above Squantz Pond in New Fairfield. I enjoy exploring CT and reporting back to my readers about fun things to do in Connecticut. 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. We get a lot of pictures sent to us, and people say, I took this picture of a mountain lion in my backyard. And Ill look at it, and to me, its clearly a bobcat, Hawley said. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book, Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. Mountain lion sightings in New Hampshire have increased along . A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. More recently, unexplained animal sightings in Connecticut and other states became more and more associated with mountain lions. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. Since then, there have been no confirmed cases here, with the state saying: People very often mistake bobcats for mountain lions. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. 2. Figure 1 - Mountain lion range and confirmed sightings from 1990-2008. . Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. 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 Hartford Courant dubbed the lion-like creature supposedly responsible, the Glawackus. And even the home entries are kind of changing. Its extremely rare for a person to see a wild animal and to underestimate its size. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. As far as the claim that mountain lions live in CT, as we address in the previous section, that has been debunked. In Connecticut, some folks in Sharon say they have seen mountain lions. What we do not have is a secure predator corridor.. 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. . The department has said it receives reports every year of mountain lions, though the animal became extinct in Connecticut in the late 1800s. Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said Massachusetts troopers used reasonable deadly force after Connecticut man shot at police in Springfield in February. He drove me out to the spot. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. Give today. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. Theres also the lack of visual evidence, more glaring each passing year as so many hikers and hunters now carry phones with cameras. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. For decades afterward, there were reported sightings of the mythical creature prowling the woods around town. And even the home entries are kind of changing. Were getting more and more home entries every year. This can trigger a chase. Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. It went through my yard, went up behind, I have some property, past my barn, went into the woods, east, lots of woods back there, just disappeared.. 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. As a carnivore biologist, Hawley says he would love it if mountain lions were here. She said the size made her do a double take and indeed she seen it had a very long tail, Bullsh** 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. He drove me out to the spot. The news stunned. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. It requires engagement and attendance, just like on Election Day. 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. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. 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? DEEP says Connecticut does not have a mountain lion population. And even the home entries are kind of changing. And there are different schools of thought about that. not all bobcats are heavily spotted either - just to add to the confusion.. Hi! Sometimes physical evidence shows the sighting was of some other animal, including dogs, cats, fishers, coyotes, bears and bobcats. Another important difference: bobcats are found in Connecticut while mountain lions are not. 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.. 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. Make yourself BIG. Weve got a growing bear population. Of course. MoRRoW187 4 mo. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. One has been spotted on our street for the last four or five years. But as Eastern cougar search efforts became more organized and still there were no concrete signs of the creatures, many became more skeptical. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. That maybe, just maybe, what my wife and others saw wasnt a bobcat that seemed bigger in the thrill of the moment, but a real, honest-to-goodness mountain lion, a long-lost ghost of the forest. According to the Smithsonians National Zoo, bobcats are part of the lynx genus, which means they are related to other cats like the Canadian lynx, Iberian lynx and Eurasian lynx. We dont have extra money to do secret projects, he says. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it,. Icould hear the panic in my wifes voice. 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. Copyright 2023 The Connecticut Explorer | Wisteria on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Connecticut Explorer Home Find Things to do in CT. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. The U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service reports that mountain lions typical habitat is steep, rocky canyons or mountainous terrain, but they generally can be found wherever deer are present. 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. In another version, its about habitat protection and the onerous federal regulations the state would have to follow if we found a mountain lion within the state. According to DEEP the bobcat is the only confirmed species of wild cat in CT as of 2022. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. 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. Bobcats: They are about two to three times larger than their distant relative. Certainly, bobcats are much larger than housecats, but they are not nearly the size of cougars. He was the only confirmed mountain lion in all of Connecticut but was seen several times right after he arrived in the state before being accidentally killed. It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. This was maybe a decade ago. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. Also known as cougars, panthers or pumas, mountain lions range in color from tan to grey, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. Thats only a fraction of the supposed sightings. 17), Police investigate death of New London High School student, Guide to Legal Cannabis Dispensaries in CT, recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, CT pit bull that was almost euthanized goes viral, gets adopted. But Bachelder stresses he knows what he saw. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. It is the only confirmed presence of a cougar in recent years. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. I frankly have lost faith in some government institutions for this very reason. We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. 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. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. Woodbridge police shared tips for if you encounter a big cat: On Friday July 8, 2022 there was a few reported Mountain Lion sightings the last few days one actually involving an encounter with ones family in their lawn. He points out that when there was a real mountain lion in the state in 2011, his office publicized it immediately. It certainly would be a spectacular sight to witness a cat as large as a mountain lion out in the wild, but, for now, in Connecticut, its not in the cards. Anyone can get fooled. She had seen an animal on foot in broad daylight. 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