A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. A threat to livestock, they were hunted out of the state and driven to parts more wild. As I rushed to meet her in the woods, she told me what she had seen. 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. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. Mountain lion Over 7 ft in length Over 100 lbs Uniform tan color Long tails Bobcat Under 3ft in length Under 50lbs Dark spots Tufts of fur in ears These 2 big cats also behave differently. 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. And theyre not going to find one, because the females don't disperse like that. 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. 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. WOODBRIDGE, CT (WFSB) - Police in Woodbridge said they have received reports of mountain lion sightings in town. Instead, people should remain facing the cat and not turn their back on it, make noise and make themselves appear as large as possible by raising their arms over their heads with a jacket. Otherwise, Hawley said cats like bobcats want nothing to do with people, and they will generally prey on chickens, small dogs or cats. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. Stay facing the big cat and try not to turn your back to it, officials said in a Facebook post. They are very bold. Bobcats don't shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) But what might be his most compelling argument is that since this is Connecticut, the budget is too limited. The Canada Lynxs geographic territory in New England only extends as far south as northern New Hampshire and parts of Maine, though. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. That mountain lion was hit by a car and killed on the Merritt Parkway in Milford, CT. After the incident, Connecticut environmental officials were able to determine that the 140-pound cat had . Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. 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They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. Heres what to know about mountain lions (and other large cats) in Connecticut. They usually either don't disperse at all or they'll kind of overlap their mother's home range, or they'll disperse very short distances.. 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? 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.. Sometimes in our shock and excitement at seeing wildlife we see what we want to see. 3. 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. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. What we do not have is a secure predator corridor.. The big cat. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. Mountain Lions:They can have similar coloring and their tails can look alike, which has lead to some house cats being mistaken for them, even though mountain lions are much, much bigger. Weve got a growing bear population. It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. Woodbridge police provided this photo of a mountain lion, after several reported sightings in the area. Are there any mountain lions in CT? We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. As a carnivore biologist, Hawley says he would love it if mountain lions were here. This can trigger a chase. The department has said it receives reports every year of. 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. How much wild life is out there? And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. After all, if one mountain lion had wandered here, didnt that mean that others could have? Dont Run. Mountain lion sightings in New Hampshire have increased along . And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. It had rained previously. This was maybe a decade ago. 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.. The state adds bobcats are often active this time of year, making sightings much more likely. 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. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an, on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. 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. Make noise. Figure 1 - Mountain lion range and confirmed sightings from 1990-2008. Officials are reminding residents to be mindful of small pets and children wandering out of sight, to not approach the animal and give it space to turn around if faced with a big cat, like a mountain lion. 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. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. Chief Rick OBomsawin of Odanak First Nation currently based in Quebec, whose ancestral lands include Vermont says no one contacted Odanak officials during the state's Truth and Reconciliation selection process. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. ago. 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And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. A month after the cat was struck and killed, researchers confirmed it had traveled more than 1,500 miles from the Black Hills of South Dakota. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. What to know about unconfirmed mountain lion sightings in CT. Nicole Funaro was formerly a statewide trending reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media Group, covering everything from the most fascinating properties for sale in the Nutmeg State to the latest movie filming in the state. Mountain Lions: Large tan cats with a distinctive two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the ground as they walk. 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. She said the size made her do a double take and indeed she seen it had a very long tail, Bullsh** Be mindful of small pets and small children wandering too far away from your sight line. Officially, the last mountain lions were hunted to extinction here in the late 1800s. Connecticut Dept. Hey, I know what I saw. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. Somebody needs to take charge of this outfit and do something about the interactions with the citizenry. of Energy & Environmental Protection. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. The one confirmed case, sometimes referred to as the " Connecticut Mountain Lion " happened in June 2011 when an SUV struck and killed a cougar in Milford. Beautiful clear day just like this, and there in my backyard I see this huge golden animal, walking through the yard, Bachelder said. Police said these have been reported to DEEP, but have not been confirmed as true mountain lion sightings. When we lived in Suffield, we had MANY Mountain Lion sightings.probably 4-5 sightings (which qualifies as many to me) and they were definitely not Bobcats, @Craig, what town is Wtn? The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. 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. I know the difference between bobcats, lynx, & mt lions. And there are different schools of thought about that. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Connecticut Wildlife magazine (ISSN 1087-7525) is published bimonthly by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection . Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. Hes even had his own false sighting. According to DEEP the bobcat is the only confirmed species of wild cat in CT as of 2022. Hawley: Yeah. A month after the cat was struck and killed, researchers confirmed it had traveled more than 1,500 miles from the Black Hills of South Dakota. 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 . McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. There was also one reported on Salem Road and another in the area of Pease Road. "The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of nature and the tenacity and adaptability of this species," Connecticut DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty said during a press briefing. We know that strays have wandered through New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts; that does not indicate that a sighting means we have a resident mountain lion in the Berkshires. Although there are numerous reported sightings of mountain lions in Connecticut every year, the animals have actually been extinct in this state for more than a century. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. It requires engagement and attendance, just like on Election Day. 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.. They have NEVER observed a single mountain lion track. While this isn't the norm, it is becoming slightly more common as mountain lions are striking out further east in search of territory. She had seen an animal on foot in broad daylight. Weve had coyotes misidentified. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. 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. Not long after, what was believed to be the same mountain lion was struck and killed on Route 15 in Milford. 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. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. As a
In some versions, state officials dont want to alarm people about the feline predators in their midst. 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. We're not aware of any more confirmed mountain lion sightings other than the one that was hit by the car many years back. In yet another variant, DEEP is said to be helicoptering mountain lions in to help control the deer population. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. As far as the claim that mountain lions live in CT, as we address in the previous section, that has been debunked. State lawmakers have entertained bills to establish a bear hunting season for years, but so far, none of those proposals has passed. "The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. There is also something appealing about the idea that there is an animal out there so cunning that it has escaped our notice and the eyes of our cameras. Icould hear the panic in my wifes voice. Grandson of an old swamp Yankee, trapped, hunted , fished my whole life. I enjoy exploring CT and reporting back to my readers about fun things to do in Connecticut. A harvest is kind of twofold. 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. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. No, there are no mountain lions in CT, and there havent been for quite some time. Sport hunting for cougars is not sustainable and shouldnt be allowed to go on. However, the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut was in 2011. Have a question or comment? He was previously a reporter for the Danbury News-Times and the Ridgefield Press. However, the captive lion theory was also wrong. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. 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. 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. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: [email protected]. I believe that was about 10 years ago. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. Two women's solution: salvage it instead, Hampden County DA: Massachusetts troopers acted 'lawfully' in shooting death of William Tisdol, As Vt. Truth & Reconciliation Commission begins, Odanak chief repeats request for inclusion. It was a flooded area. A harvest is kind of twofold. Stay facing the big cat and try not to turn your back to it. The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book Heart of a Lion: A Lone Cats Walk Across America by William Stolzenburg. Be as loud as you can paired with being as big as you can. 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. Bobcats are most frequently misidentified by the public as mountain lions, but theyre not the only animals mislabeled. However, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) says. Were getting more and more home entries every year. Hawley said that the typical range of cougars like mountain lions is from west of the South Dakota area. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. 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Democracy is not a spectator activity. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. Bobcats dont shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. 2012. Im Shelton Lively, a Connecticut resident, and an avid outdoors person. Then in June 2011, there were reports of a mountain lion in Greenwich and, for the first time, a photo. This is a carousel. NHPR is nonprofit and independent. Okay, if thats what you say, what can I tell you. Almost every state has some sort of legend of something thats hiding somewhere, he says. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. Were getting more and more home entries every year. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. So, there you have it an answer to the question of whether or not there are mountain lions in CT. 40K views 8 years ago Multiple people in North Stonington claim they've spotted a mountain lion roaming around. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. 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. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. It was a flooded area. Hawley says that they would be finding carcasses of mountain lion prey and mountain lion tracks if these animals had recolonized the state, and this simply isnt happening. There is a big difference between Tuesday when none of us saw a moose in our region and then Thursday we did, Morse says. So why does the conspiracy theory that theyre here in significant numbers persist? And the last confirmed sighting prior to the 2011 instance would be a couple hundred years ago, according to Hawley. It had rained previously. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. Thats only a fraction of the supposed sightings. 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. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal. 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