He was previously a reporter for the Danbury News-Times and the Ridgefield Press. My buddy told me he saw one in our hometown (in litchfield county) 10 or so years ago and I called bullshit. Im Shelton Lively, a Connecticut resident, and an avid outdoors person. Bachelder says he didnt have his phone on him, so he couldnt take a picture or video, but describes his backyard visitor just like what you see in the stock photo provided by the Woodbridge Police Department. 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. According to Hawley, if mountain lions were present in the state, there would be evidence and not just unconfirmed sightings. Certainly, bobcats are much larger than housecats, but they are not nearly the size of cougars. Reports of mountain lion sitings in Matunuck and the Great Swamp Management Area date back to at least 2004, but have never been confirmed by state officials. They are also known as pumas, cougars and panthers. However, Hawley noted that Eastern bobcats tend to have very few spots compared to bobcats that are out west or even in the Midwest. If they have spots, they are typically in the white, underside part of the bodies or on the insides of their legs. 5:30 PM . Following the recent death of a mountain lion in Milford, and several reported. 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. Since May 21, three other lion sightings were reported in the Chubbuck and Pocatello areas and one in Inkom. Make yourself BIG. 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. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. 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. 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. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. Mountain Lions are the largest predators currently in Rocky Mountain National Park. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. On June 11, 2011, in Milford, CT, a mountain lion was killed by a motor vehicle. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Typically, they will slink out of there as quickly as they can to get away from humans. Make yourself big -- do not bend, squat or sit down. He drove me out to the spot. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. Dashboard for displaying mountain lion reports to the public. And even the home entries are kind of changing. This is the mountain lion that was hit by a car in Milford after several sightings in the Greenwich area. 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. Give it space to turn around without feeling threatened to get away from you and your family. As far as the claim that mountain lions live in CT, as we address in the previous section, that has been debunked. Mountain Lion Sightings in CT. Was the animal a pet set free? They are very bold. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. A young male was hit and killed by a car several years ago, but. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. Yet we see nothing about what is being planned except how to scare them away if one sees them. Its important to stand your ground and not run or hide. Slowly, mountain lions recolonized North America after having retreated to warmer climates in South America during the Pleistocene ice age. Betty displayed several maps of Maine and New Hampshire, demonstrating the trend. 105 of 119 106 of 119 A dead mountain lion, killed on the Merritt Parkway in Milford in June 2011. 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. To learn more about "lion country" in Colorado check here. Since cougars are the second largest cat in North America and a natural predator, they can pose a threat. Thats only a fraction of the supposed sightings. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are 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. By, Corporate Support: Advertising & Sponsorship, Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators., Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators, New Haven's mayor lays out new budget proposal, Hartford Public Library expands services at branches while downtown location remains closed, Connecticut COVID data: Your town's infection rate, hospitalizations & vaccinations, Israeli army kills Palestinian in West Bank; 3 arrested following shooting of CT man, Democrats hold three CT House seats in special elections, As new research suggests COVID-19 is now endemic, physicians push back, Long COVID rates fall by half nationwide, New England rates among lowest, Long COVID researchers in CT to get part of $10 million in federal funding, For the first time in decades, The Old Farmer's Almanac is looking for a new editor, NSC-131 members say they can't find a NH defense lawyer for pending civil rights case, Proposal to rename the Thames River sparks debate among Connecticut tribes. 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. Mountain lions went extinct in Connecticut during the 1800s, but bobcats are still seen regularly. 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. 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? On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. Rego has many reasons why a conspiracy to conceal mountain lions by his colleagues at DEEP is impossible. 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. 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. Hawley: Yeah. 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.. He points out that when there was a real mountain lion in the state in 2011, his office publicized it immediately. But recent expert-confirmed sightingswhich have involved photographs, videos, and DNAin Tennessee support a theory that mountain lions, whose populations out west have continued to expand, are slowly making their way back to this side of the country. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Collection. Bobcat sightings are not uncommon in Connecticut. We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. More recently, unexplained animal sightings in Connecticut and other states became more and more associated with mountain lions. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Re (2): Mountain Lion sighting in Brookfield ct - By Ryan January 31, 2016 at 11:16:51 PM. Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, Cassano Being Honored For Contributions To Manchester Children, Sandwich Giant Again Pledging Sales Proceeds To Major Charity In March, Snow Day For Schools, Parking Ban Issued In Manchester, Book Release Event: Bad Hair Day on Planet Earth, a memoir by Barbara Ruzansky, Jazz Series: Luke Hendon & Jack Soref - An Evening of Gypsy Jazz, The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-Time, Brady Sullivan Properties Supports Elliot Emergency Department, Public Access TV Show Focuses On Non-Profits And Community Heroes, Pairings Released For CIAC Boys Basketball State Tournaments, 4 Students Injured In 2 Collisions On UConn's Horsebarn Hill. The last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut occurred in 2011. National Signing Day 2022-2023: Connecticuts signing list. Employees from the state DEEP, as well as Tolland Public Safety Supervisor John Littell attended the event last night. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. Bobcats don't shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. An attack on a 4-year-old near San Diego is just the latest in a string of mountain lion attacks in California. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. And even the home entries are kind of changing. This one cat left DNA and/or photographic evidence of its presence in at least four states In the wild, they live 8-13 years, but in captivity they can live into their 20s. Mountain lions are about half the size of lions, but they can run up to 50 mph while lions can run only 37 mph. He drove me out to the spot. However, that doesnt mean that mountain lion sightings are all false or that there havent been roaming cats sighted. It was a flooded area. Description. Hawley: That animal was documented. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. 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. Coyotes have been mistaken for mountain lions. Mountain Lions:100 all the way up to 200 pounds, Mountain Lions:Can grow up to 6 feet long. Police have a warning after there were multiple mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge. 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. You can subscribe to Connecticut Magazine here, or find the current issue on sale here. Adult males may be more than 8 feet long (from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail), and can weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. Mountain lion fur is unspotted and tan-brown . 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. 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. Sighting reports of bobcats will help biologists gain an understanding of the current state population. In cities, smaller towns, and even sparsely inhabited areas, there is simply not enough large prey for mountain lions to survive on. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Running joke in the family when we see one is "But of course it wasn't a Mountain Lion, because there are no Mountain Lions in CT". A bill which would change the name to the Pequot River has full support from the Mashantucket Pequot and Eastern Pequot tribes, but the Mohegan Tribe has voiced concerns. While there is currently not much safety training being done in the state for the extinct animal, Betty predicts that cougar safety will eventually be as common in New England as it is in California. This post was contributed by a community member. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. But Bachelder stresses he knows what he saw. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. Grandson of an old swamp Yankee, trapped, hunted , fished my whole life. Register for a user account. A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. After all, if one mountain lion had wandered here, didnt that mean that others could have? The police department decided to put out a warning to those in town. There was a sighting near the Brunswick School on June 5. Contrary to traditional thought, population. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here 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. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. Mountain lions would have inhabited all of what is now Nebraska, roaming the hills and plains as an apex predator, hunting deer, elk and other large game. More sightings that Halm deemed credible came in 2018 from Nursery, Marvin Ridge and Briscoe Roads.. Halm noted that the route between the two recent sightings appears to be straight south. Here are some things to keep in mind if you come across or see a big cat like a mountain lion: The sightings were reported to the state Dept. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. Re (1): Mountain Lion sighting in Brookfield ct - By russ January 30, 2016 at 05:10:25 PM. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. Idaho Fish and Game officers and personnel responded to . Bobcats typically have brown fur with a reddish tinge that is marked with black or brown spots or stripes, according to the National Zoo. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. 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