Even so, for decades, skeptics dismissed mountain lion sightings in Connecticut out of hand, pointing out that if the cats were here in anywhere close to the number of reported sightings, there would be DNA and physical evidence of their presence, not to mention photos and videos. After all, if one mountain lion had wandered here, didnt that mean that others could have? 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.. Bobcats, of course, can be found all over the state. Posted on Published: November 4, 2022- Last updated: December 28, 2022. Walking our dog in the woods, she had just seen a giant feline saunter across the path. "The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of. Throw rocks, sticks, etc to scare it off. The Connecticut mountain lion left tracks, scat, fur and game camera photos in four states. 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. 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. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. On June 5, a mountain lion was reported being seen on the Bucknell School campus in Greenwich. We're not aware of any more confirmed mountain lion sightings other than the one that was hit by the car many years back. According to wildlife biologist Jason Hawley, the lack of evidence of mountain lions in Connecticut is the evidence. Then in June 2011, there were reports of a mountain lion in Greenwich and, for the first time, a photo. Are there any mountain lions in CT? It was a flooded area. 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. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said Massachusetts troopers used reasonable deadly force after Connecticut man shot at police in Springfield in February. I would not have it any other way. Hawley: That animal was documented. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. Dont Run. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, DEEP confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. 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 sightings increased in 2011, after a driver hit and killed a mountain lion who was trying to cross the Merritt Parkway in Milford. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. The last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut occurred in 2011. Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. He published his first book in 1959, The Ghost of North America: The Story of the Eastern Panther. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection thinks it's unlikely. Certainly, bobcats are much larger than housecats, but they are not nearly the size of cougars. New London would be the last place I'd expect to see a mountain lion in CT. My sister is on 9 acres in Harwinton and watched a mountain lion cross the driveway which is about a quarter mile surrounded by woods and unpaved. 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? I live in Hamden Connecticut and I have had mountain lions, black bears, Skunk's, dear, coyotes, fox. 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.. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. 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. Mountain lions also have tails that can grow up to 3 feet. So, there you have it an answer to the question of whether or not there are mountain lions in CT. A young male was hit and killed by a car several years ago, but. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. He was previously a reporter for the Danbury News-Times and the Ridgefield Press. Bobcats, also, only hunt small prey. It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. 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. 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. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows. Im watching it, its big, its got the body, and the thing that really gave it away was the tail, had that mountain lion long tail that goes down to the ground and comes up at the end, saw that and was like, thats a freaking mountain lion.. MoRRoW187 4 mo. Sign up for our newsletter to get our latest and greatest content delivered right to your inbox. I frankly have lost faith in some government institutions for this very reason. Copyright 2022 WFSB. 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. Ask people who spend time outside Connecticut cities and you will hear firsthand or secondhand accounts of mountain lions. We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. In some versions, state officials dont want to alarm people about the feline predators in their midst. You can subscribe to Connecticut Magazine here, or find the current issue on sale here. Im always amazed at the sheer volume of people who are interested in cougars, more even than wolves, she says. I am 58 years old and another cougar was identified when I was much younger by the Deep in Meriden. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. But as Eastern cougar search efforts became more organized and still there were no concrete signs of the creatures, many became more skeptical. 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. Hawley said that the typical range of cougars like mountain lions is from west of the South Dakota area. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. 3. 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. Typically, they will slink out of there as quickly as they can to get away from humans. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Okay, if thats what you say, what can I tell you. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. 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. 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Democracy is not a spectator activity. 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. WOODBRIDGE, CT (WFSB) Police in Woodbridge said they have received reports of mountain lion sightings in town. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . 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. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. He drove me out to the spot. No, there are no mountain lions in CT, and there havent been for quite some time. 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. 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. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. 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. 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. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. 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. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. Robert Tompkins said he saw a mountain lion in Sharon about five years ago. This might serve as proof to some that there, in fact, might still be mountain lions in CT. There was also one reported on Salem Road and another in the area of Pease Road. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Nicole has a degree in Communications from Fairfield University. 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. A couple things to keep in mind if you come across or see a big cat like a Mountain Lion: 1. A quick Google search reveals that the theory is not limited to Connecticut and similar tales are told throughout the Northeast. Bobcats don't shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. Bobcats dont shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. Also, there has been a rash of cats and dogs gone missing out of here with the DPs. Were getting more and more home entries every year. "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. Dickson, however, said the agency is not aware of any such reports. 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. To date, no footage of a mountain lion has surfaced. The state says no, theyre extinct, that cant be. 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. Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. New Hampshire Public Radio | These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. Black panthers, which are not found in the U.S., are actually black jaguars or leopards. Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. But what about the sightings in Connecticut that are made by experienced outdoorsmen and women, people who know the difference between bobcats and mountain lions? Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. 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 follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. She said the size made her do a double take and indeed she seen it had a very long tail, Bullsh** Hawley: Yeah. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. Time changes all and Im not going to shut the door on the future and say that a breeding population of cougars is not here because the day after tomorrow they could be here its just a matter of time., Though a deer hunter herself, Morse is opposed to the way mountain lions have been hunted in the western U.S., where they are found. So its this gathering storm. 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. 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. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. However, that doesnt mean that mountain lion sightings are all false or that there havent been roaming cats sighted. 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. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, DEEP confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. It was a flooded area. WOODBRIDGE, CT (WFSB) - Police in Woodbridge said they have received reports of mountain lion sightings in town. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. Bachelder said he did a double take Friday evening when he looked out the back window of his home on Pease Road. 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. not all bobcats are heavily spotted either - just to add to the confusion.. Woodbridge police reported that there were a few incidents in the area recently, with one involving a resident reporting they encountered a mountain lion with their family on their lawn. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Do not bend, squat, or sit down. ago. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. 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The last confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in CT was in 2011 when a driver struck and killed one on the Merrit Parkway. 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.. 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. So theres fresh mud. Officials used DNA to genetically fingerprint the mountain lion as the same one spotted more than 18 months ago in Minnesota. Hawley: Yeah. They also generally have spots on their fur. My first thought literally was, is that a lion?. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. One on Salem Rd and another in the area of Pease Rd in our town. 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. WOODBRIDGE Police are offering tips after they said there have been several mountain lion sightings in town. And even the home entries are kind of changing. The gate of a bobcat can often make it look like it has a long tail. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. Hey, I know what I saw. A harvest is kind of twofold. But Bachelder stresses he knows what he saw. Make yourself BIG. Thus, the name of the mountain where Castle Craig sits.. nicknamed "Cat Hole Mountain!" Those are the two closest populations that we have here. BOSTON (Reuters) - A mountain lion killed on a Connecticut highway in June was a wild animal from South Dakota that prowled more than 1,500 miles eastward before meeting his death 70 miles. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. And even the home entries are kind of changing. Are There a Lot of Spiders in Connecticut? After traveling more than 1,500 miles, the lean, male cat met an untimely end in a collision with an SUV. 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. 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. Just had one over in Windsor last week. For decades, wildlife experts should have been seeing occasional scat and paw prints in the winter. Tim Abbott, the regional land conservation and greenprint director for the Housatonic Valley Association, says that during a lecture on mountain lions last winter at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, when the speaker asked if anyone had seen a mountain lion, half of the roughly 400 people in attendance raised their hands. 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. They reside in all eight counties, however, they exist in greatest number in the northwestern corner of the state. That's a lynx not a mountain lion. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. The police shoot of Cougars behind the police Academy when they get over populated. Make noise. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. His mentor, Aldo Leopold, a prominent wildlife biologist, also believed this, but felt if people learned about these populations, they would be hunted to extinction. Were getting more and more home entries every year. Peter Yankowski is a breaking news reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. This can trigger a chase. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? He points out that when there was a real mountain lion in the state in 2011, his office publicized it immediately. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. He drove me out to the spot. I feel a little bit like Roy Scheider in Jaws, you know, youve got to shut down the beaches, he said. ago. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. Since then, theyve diverted over an acre of hardwood flooring, roughly 570 kitchen cabinets, and 500 windows from landfills. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. 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. Heres what to know about mountain lions (and other large cats) in Connecticut. Email editor@connecticutmag.com. 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. While mountain lions in Connecticut, a healthy fear of humans and bears in their midst the of! 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