All of the above are Mountain Lions, or Pumas, or Cougars. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. Hunting is legal, but the use of dogs was banned in 1996. I am hoping that more and more people will learn of my own interest in this, and will pass on this information and that I'll receive more reports and, hopefully, sometime, a game camera photo that is definitive. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. "While it seems unlikely, it's not impossible that these animals are showing up in PA," said David Foster, a biology professor at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Mary saw the photo, too, and she immediately agreed, it was a puma. In Tennessee, the most likely places you would find them would be in the forest. The image in the Upper Left was from a Game Camera, sent to me by a friend. That summer, a team from the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg excavated the nearly complete skeleton of the ancient elephant, the first of its kind found in the Commonwealth. Bobcats tend to be darker brown, with lighter belly fur and spots while mountain lions tend to be more uniform brown, tawny color. Some have even reported seeing a "black panther," a near-impossibility because of the rarity of that recessive gene. A phantom creature has been sighted in the vast Delaware State Forest region of Pike County. But more and more people in Pennsylvania, from the Alleghenies to the Poconos to rolling farmlands in York County, claim they are seeing the big cats here, even though the state's "last" native lion, also known as a cougar or puma, was shot and killed in Berks County in 1871 and the feds have declared the Eastern subspecies extinct. Some may also be kept illicitly as pets, which would quickly become a problem as the cat matures. Most of the native mountain lions live in Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, but humans rarely ever see them due to their secretive nature. Then there is Rocky. Are Mountain Lions in Missouri Making a Comeback? Obviously, other pumas must be about, and the series of ridges extending north and east and west from my location could all be included as critical habitat as well. The photographer had no reason to stage the shot -- indeed, the composition and background was terrible, and not what you'd expect for something staged, but the shot wasn't perfectly clear. The State argues that there is no physical evidence, and no credible photographs. "I know they're native to this area. Periodically, via Google searches, I receive reports from people who believe they had seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania, or in other mid-Atlantic states. The rounded ears, So many of these sightings have been proven wrong misidentified bobcats, coyotes or even house cats) that it would be irresponsible for a biologist to accept any of them as fact without absolute physical evidence hair, droppings, tracks or a road-killed animal. A Game Commission vehicle was there, and the Fed Ex driver, after reaching the bottom of a long hill, turned back to check on what he saw. In some areas, entire populations of a species exhibit this trait, for unlike albinism, which results in a conspicuous white color and light-sensitive pink eyes, there are no ill effects with melanism. "People think they can get them declawed and that they're safe, but they still have teeth.". In prior interviews with the Game Commission, the suggestion was made to this writer that what many people may actually be seeing is a bobcat, perhaps in less than ideal circumstances. Caribou meat apparently was part of their diet. While the chances that I'll ever see a puma in Pennsylvania myself are virtually zero, I'm always on the alert -- for the bobcat I've never seen in Pa., for a fisher, bear, deer, red salamander, toad, or snake, and yes, I'm always hoping that I too will become one of those who saw something that officially cannot exist within the state, a puma I know I saw but, of course, could not have! Here in central Pennsylvania we live on the outskirts of what one puma-tracking website has as almost the high point of sightings, extending from north-central Pennsylvania in a southwestern diagonal that extends into the mountains of West Virginia. They once inhabited the entire United States, but were killed off and pushed west. I usually follow-up on these reports and, via email or phone conversations, I receive more details. With the Great Lakes in its way, the cat moved either north or south of the water, and the latter route would have seen it pass through at least some of Pennsylvania. Mountain lions, Goodrich wrote, were more dreaded than wolves as the cat could climb over any fence that could be built. "Given the period of time that has passed without verification of even a single eastern puma, the service concludes that the last remaining members of this subspecies perished decades ago," the Fish and Wildlife Service said in a Federal Register notice. Activities Milford Things To Do Hotels Map Of Activities Delaware Water Gap Hotels Bushkill Lake Harmony Hawley Skytop Tannersville Pocono Mountains Counties About the Poconos Pocono Mountains History Weather Area Services . In Michigan, there has been multiple sightings of 'black panthers,' animals that were thought to be mountain lions, or pumas, except that they were black. In January, the U.S. Accounts abound concerning interaction between these great beasts and people in northeast Pennsylvania, with wolves into the early 19th century and in the case with cougars, well into the early 20th century. They've been extinct in the eastern part of North America for more than a century. The cat was far enough away that I couldn't get a size reference, and I believed the cat was further away than it actually was. 2023 www.poconorecord.com. There are controlled hunting laws in the state of Oregon. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? Conversely, an outdoor writer I know told me that when Pa. enacted a menagerie permit law years ago, 'a lot of mountain lions suddenly died,' as the owners of these cats, rather than going through the paperwork, simply released their pumas and claimed that they had died. "I thought I had a sighting in the late '90s," Delaware Water Gap National Recreation park ranger Chris Kross said. She also houses a bobcat named Nia she took in from a couple who couldn't handle her. Melanism is the reverse, where there is an abundance of dark or black pigmentation. As they get older, the cubs begin to leave the den and explore. Although unconfirmed, mountain lions continue to be reported in many spots across Pennsylvania, including several reports in the past couple months. What do I think of the Canon 1D Mark IV? And book one of these Poconos cabins rentals for the best outdoor access to these activities. Here's more about mountain lions in Pennsylvania: If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. In many regions, the population within the state is actually increasing! He also noted that if the cat was here, wouldn't they be reproducing and increasing in population by now? All rights reserved. In Pennsylvania, I receive a few reports of black, big cats, which makes one wonder -- are there melanistic (black) pumas out there, or are those sightings always wrong. Many people have claimed to see them, and this writer chronicled numerous such reports in the local press from the mid-1990s to the 2010s. Still, these resilient animals reside in secluded areas across the United States, with current data suggesting they may even be returning to their historical regions! The last known mountain lion in Pennsylvania was killed in Berks County in 1874. Imagine my surprise. The earliest wave arrived at the end of the last Ice Age; the last wave is the Lenape or Delaware Tribe, which made contact with colonial settlers in the 1600s. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? Mountain Lions - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service) NPS.gov Park Home Learn About the Park Nature Animals Mammals Mountain Lion Mountain Lion Last updated: May 4, 2018 Was this page helpful? One came to her as the result of an owner's divorce. The bones were found perfectly preserved. Depends on who you talk to, I guess. I Googled "Pocono mountain lion" and there it was the same photo, except the caption claimed that it was taken in Oklahoma, not Pennsylvania, and various posted comments asserted that the photo was manipulated. Instead, the person usually pauses, sometimes with a sheepish or embarrassed expression on his face, and seems reluctant to continue. That's true. The story behind our new web site. Features Writer Micaela Hood is signing off with the Pocono Record after five years of covering arts, culture, entertainment and sports in northeastern . This will be one of your best identification marks, along with size. I hope no one ever shoots a puma to prove their existence here, but I hope someone gets a great photo, of the cat, of a road-kill, of tracks, and that I see it. Mountain lions have an interesting life cycle that consists of a few different characteristics. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? This happens usually around the 18-month mark. It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. Interestingly, almost all of the people I've spoken to who claim to have seen a puma have not seen a bobcat, an animal that is common enough in Pennsylvania to support a legal trapping season! Most of the people I've spoken with live in this belt, but biologists friends I've spoken with have told me of their own reports, first-hand, from hunters in the Poconos who saw pumas, too. Caribou remains, dated by radiocarbon in excess of 10,000 B.C. A mastodon's skull was first located in Marshalls Creek, Monroe County, on July 5, 1968. You've got a mountain lion story or photo? Mountain Lion in Pocono's Pennsylvania Kacie PA 7.9K views 2 years ago Mountain lion in bucks county pa or not? Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? Sadly, the hunting guidelines for cougars in Idaho are lax, with 400-600 cats being killed each year. The same goes for New York and several other eastern states. "We've been here 45 years and I've probably been told by people at least 100 times that they've seen a cougar or mountain lion," said owner Vince Hall. In the wild, adult mountain lions can weigh anywhere from 65 to 220 pounds. Ashley Catherine Fontones, Pocono Record. The Pocono Mountains are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Hopefully, we'll see the real thing. I'll offer my own little anecdote. There isnt an official estimate on mountain lions in the state. See also: In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. Michelle LaRue, executive director of the Cougar Network and a research ecologist at the University of Minnesota, will discuss the eastern expansion of cougars from their core range in the western U.S. at 7 p.m. in Moravian College's Haupert Union Building, Bethlehem. He notes how over the millennia, the region was inhabited by humans, only to be depopulated by migration brought on by the search of food due to a fickle climate, war or epidemic. He wrote that not being a roving animal, the mountain lion was much sooner destroyed than the wolf, and he said that if there were any left, it would have to be in the most desolate places in the county. The state of Arizona is home to a large, stable population of mountain lions. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled, Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. In this at this distant epoch, archaeologists attempt to clear some of the mists and mysteries of prehistoric times. So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. Now, forty years ago coyotes were rare or almost nonexistent in Pennsylvania, and had had that same sighting back then, when coyotes were thought not to exist within the state we would have had the 'facts' to doubt what we saw. The first is the mating season which can occur during the late to early spring months. If youve done any research on your own, you may have noticed that we didnt include a lot of states that have had cougar sightings, especially in the last few years. What is the Kiboko backpack? "From three really reliable sources who are always around the woods from Monroe County to Bradford, there is no doubt that there are mountain lions in Pennsylvania," East Stroudsburg University football team offensive coordinator and avid hunter Mike Terwilliger said. "The cougars examined in the Northeast in the past 70 years are likely released or escaped captives. (National Park Service). He's sitting in a plastic doghouse, paws crossed, amber eyes locked on the two men ticking him off by their mere presence out beyond the fence. And this genetic mix has been recognized, and the Florida puma is still protected. Leslie estimated that the first humans making up the Paleo-Indians lived in the upper Delaware valley as early as 11,000 B.C. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? Many have a desire to see some clear-cut evidence. Recently, a man I spoke with told me that he was reminded of a sighting he and two friends had 20 years earlier, and after recalling the incident he was motivated to call his college buddies and reflect on their observation. Let me explain this. Packer Hill Ave. Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. As the latest hoaxed photo of a mountain lion supposedly killed in Pennsylvania died a slow death on Facebook yesterday, the head of an organization tracking the eastern movements of the big cats was preparing a presentation for a Pennsylvania audience tonight. Others would like to see some scientific proof. The bounty for adult wolves and cougars was raised on March 16, 1819 to $12. If so, what would happen to the hunting industry in all of these states? My friend was a former hunter and fisherman, and spent a lot of time in the woods, as did I, but neither of us had ever seen a coyote. There is also a small population of cougars in Florida. Noted Wayne County historian Phineas Goodrich recorded in his 1880 book on local history that the common gray wolf was much more common in this area than the cougar. Woolly mammoth bones were discovered in Bradford County in 1983. An article in last year's New York State Conservationist magazine about mountain lions concluded that none exists in that state, even in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Mountain wilderness. The State cites that there are no road-kills, and in a heavily trafficed state like Pennsylvania there should be kills. At the end of the last Ice Age, many animals in Pennsylvania died out. All of these forests are, with few exceptions, open to hunting, and hunting is a very important industry in Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? Outdoor adventures abound, and so do our fabulous shopping and restaurants. The last native mountain lion known to be killed in Pennsylvania is on display in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. I've done this myself once, in Tanzania, when I saw a black house cat that I thought was a black leopard! I've seen so many examples of these distortions, exaggerations and lies over the last couple of years that I've grown very dubious about anything I see on a computer. If we don't see it, it doesn't exist. Although a large proportion of the Lenape Nation was dispersed far from their ancestral homelands in the 18th century, colonial settlers and their descendants struggled to live in this region with wolves and cougars inhabiting the forests. If pumas do exist in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, could they all be released cats or escapees? A law was passed March 10, 1806, requiring the county to pay the person producing the scalp of a full-grown wolf or cougar, $8, and for the scalp of a young whelp or cub, $4. Some may be animals that dispersed into the region from western populations. Most, quite honestly, don't know or can't believe or accept what they saw, they really can't believe their eyes. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! "There hasn't been one solid piece of proof to believe they are here. Colorado is the perfect habitat for mountain lions. And when our officers go out to investigate reports of mountain lions, or when our staff reviews photos that are sent to us, often we're able to verify some other animal mistakenly was reported as a mountain lion.". More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. Both were a threat to the farmer and family who carved a home in the ancient wilderness of the Poconos. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Viewers can never be certain that what they're seeing on a computer is actually what it's purported to be. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? They mostly live in the far western Trans-Pecos region of the state, where they can freely roam 50,000 to 80,000 acres of land. Once a mountain lion matures, it will leave its mother and find its own territory. It's 90-something degrees, but Rocky's stare feels like ice down your pants. Mountain lions are well-established in 14 western states and have also recently been confirmed in 10 Midwestern states: Nebraska, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. This ideal habitat allows for a large population of 2,000 mountain lions to thrive. Everyone is familiar with albinism, the absence of pigmentation that results in a white, essentially pigment free animal, defined by pink skin and pink eyes. However, my friend and I discussed this, and agreed, we saw what we saw, and had it been 40 years ago or four months ago, we knew we saw a coyote. If you're interested in this, please pass on this link, and if you see a cat, please let me know! We hope you enjoy this foray into the most weird and wonderful our beloved Pocono Mountains have to offer. I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. This one streaked across the road in the early evening, and fortunately, it stopped when it climbed a hill on the other side where I had another view from my side of the truck. "It was in Worthington State Forest just across the Delaware River from Smithfield Beach). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The bobcat wouldn't survive. I have not spoken with a Game Commission officer personally, so I don't know whether anyone killing a puma in Pennsylvania could do so without legal repercussions. For our list, we only included US states with a stable breeding population. While it would seem impossible to confuse the two after seeing them in person, Foster said many of the sightings are in the dark, from roadways and trail cams, with bodies half-concealed. Mountain lions, which continue to be reported across Pennsylvania throughout the year, are officially extinct east of the Mississippi River and north of Florida, according to the U.S. It was estimated to be a young adult American Mastodon that had died about 12,000 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating. The woman, a 66-year-old grandmother, asked not to be identified because she's a senior and didn't want people "bothering" her about it. Those cats for which DNA evidence was recovered had come east from South Dakota, part of the known, modern-day, U.S. mountain lion range. How, Who, and Why? Now, if there were any escapes, and if any of these bred with a possible minuscule number of eastern pumas, a relic native population, wouldn't the gene pool be corrupted? A dark brown puma, backlighted by a strong sun, could appear all black, or very dark, and he accepted that. If there were wild cougars in our midst, the Game Commission also pointed out, eventually there would be solid evidence such as a carcass, scat and paw prints that could be verified. The states beautiful wilderness and mountainous terrain are prime mountain lion habitats. The Cougar Network, working with state agencies, have documented multiple mountain lions as far east as Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan in recent years, as well as that cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. More about mountain lions in Pennsylvania: If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Unfortunately, their web site no longer seems active, and has been taken over by some wacky drug product.