We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. From sightings of wolves and moose to brown recluses and mountain lions, people in CT have made some wild (pun intended) claims about what animals theyve spotted. We're not aware of any more confirmed mountain lion sightings other than the one that was hit by the car many years back. 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. Im always amazed at the sheer volume of people who are interested in cougars, more even than wolves, she says. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. COMPARED TO A HOUSE CAT Bobcats: They are about two to three times larger than their distant relative. 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. Young pumas dispersing from Western habitats are being killed at the source, compromising the Easts critical opportunity for ecosystem health and the return of an apex carnivore., Regardless of where they are found, or whether people want to hunt or protect them, people are enchanted by mountain lions. Mountain lions are commonly identified by trail camera photographs, tracks, and feces. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it,. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Bobcats: Though technically a type of lynx, they are distinct from other species of lynx such as the Canadian lynx. So theres fresh mud. The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Give users the ability to create and share their own custom maps and use zoom, pinch, rotate, and tilt to explore maps in more detail. 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.. The views expressed here are the author's own. A fourth cougar sighting in recent days was reported near the New Canaan border Thursday, according to Animal Control officer Allyson Halm. But honest misidentifications are more common. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. The tail may have one to several indistinct dark bands and a tip that is black on top and whitish below. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. Emaileditor@connecticutmag.com, or contact usonFacebook@connecticutmagazine orTwitter@connecticutmag. It was a flooded area. I frankly have lost faith in some government institutions for this very reason. From family fun to restaurants and everything in between, everything you need to know about CT is right here. Since then, there have been no confirmed cases here, with the state saying: People very often mistake bobcats for mountain lions. 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. 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Weve had coyotes misidentified. 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. NOW - 4:30 PM. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. 2012). While he might feel like that well known movie character who was doubted at first, Bachelder is confident it was a cougar. My first thought literally was, is that a lion?. New Hampshire Public Radio | Police have a warning after there were multiple mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge. Yet we see nothing about what is being planned except how to scare them away if one sees them. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. Betty, who has had a dozen personal sightings in Rhode Island, studies mountain lion evidence and attends national conventions. The current editor of the publication, which is based in New Hampshire, explains why the job is worth sticking around. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. he recalls. 2 Last 5 Years. These tips include carrying safety equipment and walking . Sign up for our newsletterto get the latest and greatest content fromConnecticut Magazinedelivered right to your inbox. This one cat left DNA and/or photographic evidence of its presence in at least four states 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. He published his first book in 1959, 2023 Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC, In the 1950s, the 'Mad Dog murders' terrorized Connecticut, Connecticut Magazine: Best restaurants for dessert for 2023, Connecticut Magazine: CT's best brunch spots for 2023, Meet rising hip-hop star and CT native Felly, Connecticut Magazine: Best vegetarian, vegan restaurants for 2023, Save money by electrifying your homes systems, Stratford's Allan Dias and his brush with rock 'n' roll fame, Review: Hachiroku in New Haven is a slice of Japanese heaven, Geno Auriemma gives bleak assessment as UConn womens basketball looks to find footing in March: 'Poorly coached team. They also generally have spots on their fur. 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. In the decades that followed, many cougar enthusiasts came to share Wrights conclusions, at least at first. Mountain Lions in the State of Texas In Texas, it's always open season on mountain lions. of Energy and Environmental Protection. Especially when pictures are blurry which happens a lot in trail cameras or youll get pictures taken at night or something on Ring cameras that hind leg really does often look like a tail kind of curling up behind the animal.. The upper mile is pretty overgrown in a pretty way. Technical Discussion: Rain tonight, then an *ALERT* heading into the weekend! 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. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. Since May 21, three other lion sightings were reported in the Chubbuck and Pocatello areas and one in Inkom. It's 8:02 p.m., according to the timestamp at the bottom of the image. 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. Sightings can be reported to the McCall Fish and Game office at 208-634-8137. And there are different schools of thought about that. Connecticut Dept. You cansubscribe here, orfind the current issue on sale here. Abbott believes it is possible that more mountain lions such as the one that was killed in Milford in 2011 could migrate here. He published his first book in 1959, The Ghost of North America: The Story of the Eastern Panther. 6. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are Sport hunting for cougars is not sustainable and shouldnt be allowed to go on. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it, he recalls. This can trigger a chase. Beautiful clear day just like this, and there in my backyard I see this huge golden animal, walking through the yard, Bachelder said. 105 of 119 106 of 119 A dead mountain lion, killed on the Merritt Parkway in Milford in June 2011. Be mindful of small pets and small children wandering too far away from your sight line. The only types of lynx that are indigenous to New England are the Canada Lynx and the Lynx rufus (bobcat). Not really, Rego says. We have rolling hills, and more importantly, 200,000 white tails. This is the mountain lion that was hit by a car in Milford after several sightings in the Greenwich area. Didnt it? What we do not have is a secure predator corridor.. Live Now All times eastern. 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. I couldnt tell you how happy I would be if mountain lions were actually recolonizing the state of Connecticut, Hawley says, but its just not happening., Hawley spoke about bobcats, mountain lions and bears on The Colin McEnroe Show: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators.. Betty said that, according to officials, it's thought that there has been no reproducing, native population in the state since the 1920s. I might also add that I notified the State wildlife division about evidence of a bear in my neighborhood in Windham County and never received even an acknowledgement. Betty, however, said that the sheer number of sightings and evidence substantiates a native population of cougars. Five summers ago, a mountain lion made regional headlines after it was photographed in Greenwich and later struck and killed by a motor vehicle on the parkway in Milford a young male that DEEP officials determined through DNA evidence had traveled east all the way from South Dakota. Tolland resident Loren Gerber said that he and his wife have both seen cougars in the area. Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. Or at least theyre not supposed to be. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. As I rushed to meet her in the woods, she told me what she had seen. Another important difference: bobcats are found in Connecticut while mountain lions are not. The last confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in CT was in 2011 when a driver struck and killed one on the Merrit Parkway. Get started. Want to post on Patch? Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, DEEP confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. Coyotes have been mistaken for mountain lions. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. To answer these and other questions about sightings of mountain lions, I turned to DEEPs Rego, who has investigated many purported cougar sightings over the past three decades. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. Adult females typically weigh between 15 and 30 pounds and measure from 28 to 32 inches in length. Booth DEEP and local authorities around Connecticut have confirmed that the majority of mountain lion sightings in the state turn out to be sightings of bobcats. According to authorities, the mountain lion was reportedly seen on Friday including on. There are an estimated 3,000 - 7,000 Mountain lions in Colorado. Sign up for our newsletter to get our latest and greatest content delivered right to your inbox. Have a question or comment? There are mountain lions in connecticut. 'Bo was a legend', Los Charros Cantina closes in Essex, will relocate to Branford, Elizabeth's Cafe in Madison to be razed for new restaurant, housing, CT fathers coaching daughters in girls basketball navigate life lessons at home and on the court, 5 CT companies hiring for 100 or more positions, Celebrity gossip and sightings in and around CT, February 2023, John Mayer to appear on Impractical Jokers Thursday, Stamford's Alive At Five concert series announces 2023 dates, Dionne Warwick, '80 for Brady producer bring music review to CT. Bobcats don't shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. In Florida, where mountain lions are known as panthers, dozens are killed each year by cars. And the last confirmed sighting prior to the 2011 instance would be a couple hundred years ago, according to Hawley. Betty later showed maps covered with dots, each of which represented sightings of mountain lions in Connecticut and the rest of New England. Copyright 2023 The Connecticut Explorer | Wisteria on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Connecticut Explorer Home Find Things to do in CT. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. 47 6 thatphanom.techno@gmail.com 042-532028 , 042-532027 After all, if one mountain lion had wandered here, didnt that mean that others could have? 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. In some versions, state officials dont want to alarm people about the feline predators in their midst. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. Give it space to turn around without feeling threatened to get away from you and your family. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. There also should have been evidence of animals killed by the predators and roadkill. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. If you follow local news outlets and local social media pages, youll notice a common theme when it comes to wildlife sightings people often mistake one type of animal for another. Dont Run. Fish and Game staff have distributed door hangers in neighborhoods the lion has been using. Theyll say, Hey, you can see in the picture that it has a long tail, and when I look at the picture, I say, I see how you would see that because they way these cats walk, theyll kind of stand and trail their rear leg. But Bachelder stresses he knows what he saw. More recently, unexplained animal sightings in Connecticut and other states became more and more associated with mountain lions. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. Weve had housecats misidentified as mountain lions and even deer, Rego says. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. Got a question or comment? 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. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. In 1991 mountain lion tracks were found . Hawley: Yeah. She didnt claim to see the mountain lions long tail, but optical illusions can lead people to think theyve seen a tail. Typically, they will slink out of there as quickly as they can to get away from humans. This might serve as proof to some that there, in fact, might still be mountain lions in CT. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. Native: Yes. 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. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. The state explains any cougar evidence, such as the recent mountain lion, under one of three theories: a subspecies relic of the Eastern mountain lion; a Western cougar that migrated to the area; or an escaped or abandoned pet. 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.. One on Salem Rd and another in. Ive been doing this for 40 years. When it comes out that there are mountain lions in Connecticut where all these people who denied them apologize to the people who know they saw them? 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