Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Throw rocks, sticks, etc to scare it off. But honest misidentifications are more common. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal. After traveling more than 1,500 miles, the lean, male cat met an untimely end in a collision with an SUV. They reside in all eight counties, however, they exist in greatest number in the northwestern corner of the state. The sightings increased in 2011, after a driver hit and killed a mountain lion who was trying to cross the Merritt Parkway in Milford. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are 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. "The state [Connecticut] explains any cougar evidence, such as the recent mountain lion killed in Milford, as an escaped pet [or one that came from the Mid-West]," Mr. Betty said in an e-mail. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. The Connecticut mountain lion left tracks, scat, fur and game camera photos in four states. Weve had housecats misidentified as mountain lions and even deer, Rego says. Bobcats: Whiskered face and are gray in the winter and tan in the summer, with black spots on their fur that are not always visible. Weve got a growing bear population. But Bachelder stresses he knows what he saw. Hes even had his own false sighting. And there are different schools of thought about that. Theres something in human nature to overestimate the size of wild animals we see, especially if we get a brief glance and if the animal is moving. He adds, Bobcats can get pretty large and some people believe they should have pretty visible spots and very often theyre pretty uniform in color. This is especially true in the summer, when my wifes sighting occurred. For over 30 years, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has been tracking reported mountain lion sightings. And theres another school of thought, Well, no, there just are too many of them probably we have to reduce that population somehow. Where do you fall in that whole continuum? Since then, theyve diverted over an acre of hardwood flooring, roughly 570 kitchen cabinets, and 500 windows from landfills. Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. She had seen an animal on foot in broad daylight. Truth & Reconciliation Commission begins, Odanak chief repeats request for inclusion. 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. Throw rocks, sticks, etc to scare it off, police said in the post. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. of Energy & Environmental Protection. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) MOUNTAIN LION ATTACKS MAN SITTING IN COLORADO HOT TUB After a few moments of the deer trying to maneuver out of the chokehold, it managed to free itself from the claws of the mountain lion.. 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. So, now that youve got the answer on whether or not mountain lions can be found in CT, lets talk about which wild cats are more likely to be seen here. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. Hawley: Yeah. 2. Ive lived here 23 years, Ive seen coyotes, Ive seen bobcats, Ive seen foxes, everything else, never seen anything like this before, said Bachelder. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. He explains that we frequently overestimate the size of animals in the wild, particularly ones we are afraid of. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. 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. They also want to foster the formation and protection of migration pathways for them and other animals to enter new states. 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. Sue Morse, the founder and science director of Keeping Track, a Vermont-based organization dedicated to protecting wildlife habitats, has studied mountain lions over her career as a naturalist, and says the majority of cougar sightings in the Northeast are misidentifications. 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. That's a lynx not a mountain lion. This can trigger a chase. 5. Possible mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge, Mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge, Man arrested for running illegal dental operation in a Danbury hotel room, Meriden police: Father and son sexually assaulted woman in basement, Crash involving three tractor trailers slows traffic on I-84 in Hartford, CT man wanted for murder of woman arrested in Ohio. And even the home entries are kind of changing. 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. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. 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. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. Okay, if thats what you say, what can I tell you. You may also be interested in: Mountain Lion population by U.S. state 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. It continues in Connecticut, where that South Dakota cat was killed in 2011, and in Massachusetts, despite two credible reports in the past quarter century (in one case, DNA-confirmed scat; in the other, verified tracks). Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. It also doesnt mean there wont be more sightings in the future, as these animals have been known to reclaim areas their species once roamed. Hey, I know what I saw. 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 next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an, on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. The police department decided to put out a warning to those in town. 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. As I rushed to meet her in the woods, she told me what she had seen. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection receives 50-100 reports of mountain lions each year, says Paul Rego, a wildlife biologist with the department. 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. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. Everyone thought my family was crazy until it crossed the road into the "Strong Elementary School" play yard during recess with small children playing. 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. I frankly have lost faith in some government institutions for this very reason. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. Only Ignorance would believe that something that once know to be - no longer is Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it is not there. Two women's solution: salvage it instead, Hampden County DA: Massachusetts troopers acted 'lawfully' in shooting death of William Tisdol, As Vt. listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Theres also the lack of visual evidence, more glaring each passing year as so many hikers and hunters now carry phones with cameras. Hey, I know what I saw. You can subscribe to Connecticut Magazine here, or find the current issue on sale here. Uscinski, a Connecticut native, adds that the theory that the government is covering up the existence of mountain lions is likely motivated by a distrust of authority. Bobcats: They are about two to three times larger than their distant relative. 6. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. Rego says that if there were many other animals like the 2011 cat that died in Milford, there would be more visual or physical evidence. of Energy & Environmental Protection. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. 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. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. Not long after, what was believed to be the same mountain lion was struck and killed on Route 15 in Milford. I am 58 years old and another cougar was identified when I was much younger by the Deep in Meriden. As far as the claim that mountain lions live in CT, as we address in the previous section, that has been debunked. National Signing Day 2022-2023: Connecticuts signing list. 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. Mountain lions may be stealthy, but they do leave a trace. They have been documented in Woodbridge and are often quite active this time of year making observations of these normally elusive animals much more likely.. While he might feel like that well known movie character who was doubted at first, Bachelder is confident it was a cougar. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. He points out that when there was a real mountain lion in the state in 2011, his office publicized it immediately. 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. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. Bobcats: They are are the only wild cat found in the state and the most common in North America. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. A qualitative assessment of . But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. Be mindful of small pets and small children wandering too far away from your sight line. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. . 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. His mountain lion was over twice the size of the bobcat which the bobcat had killed half my flock of chickens. Were getting more and more home entries every year. Bobcats, also, only hunt small prey. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. The department has said it receives reports every year of mountain lions, though the animal became extinct in Connecticut in the late 1800s. Having spent much time outdoors hunting deer . However, that doesnt mean that mountain lion sightings are all false or that there havent been roaming cats sighted. It was a spotless cat she estimated at close to 100 pounds. Have a question or comment? Mountain lions, however, arent seen much in the Nutmeg State, even though several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month. Connecticut Dept. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal likely trekked more than 1,500 miles from South Dakota, a journey that was captured by trail camera (above). Like coyotes, moreover, mountain. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Didnt it? Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. Hawley: Yeah. According to the Connecticut DEEP, the bobcat is the only wild cat found in Connecticut. They are very bold. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. Working in the 1980s in southern California, where there are cougars, biologist Paul Beier said that 95 percent of cougar sightings they investigated turned out to be misidentifications. Even in parts of the country where there are documented breeding populations of mountain lions, there are still many false reports. Are There a Lot of Spiders in Connecticut? The journey is chronicled in the 2016 book Heart of a Lion: A Lone Cats Walk Across America by William Stolzenburg. At that point, they realized my family was not crazy and it was identified as a cougar and it was about 100 lbs. Bobcats typically have brown fur with a reddish tinge that is marked with black or brown spots or stripes, according to the National Zoo. You cansubscribe here, orfind the current issue on sale here. By, March 2023 Fund Drive Rules and Regulations, Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. 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. Got a question or comment? Due to mountain lions large size, they require larger meals. What we do not have is a secure predator corridor.. Bobcats don't shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. 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. Speaker Bill Betty presented evidence and proposed theories that could prove that Connecticut, including , is home to a native population of Eastern mountain lions. I agreeI am a person with very good knowledge of animals and know the distinct differences between closely related species in some cases 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. Dont Run. Grandson of an old swamp Yankee, trapped, hunted , fished my whole life. Police have a warning after there were multiple mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge. It was a flooded area. 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