It lowers the population in a way thats not going to affect the long-term population. 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. I live in Hamden Connecticut and I have had mountain lions, black bears, Skunk's, dear, coyotes, fox. not all bobcats are heavily spotted either - just to add to the confusion.. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. So, now we know what DEEP says about mountain lions in the state and we know that many people mistakenly believe theyve sighted one but its still possible there are some in CT, right? Tandmlally@yahoo.com. Bobcats typically have brown fur with a reddish tinge that is marked with black or brown spots or stripes, according to the National Zoo. 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. They also have facial ruffs and ear tufts on the tips of their ears, as well as shorter tails. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. 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.. Mountain lions also have tails that can grow up to 3 feet. 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. 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.. Dickson, however, said the agency is not aware of any such reports. They investigate hundreds of mountain lion sightings every year without finding physical evidence of their presence. Officials recommend not running away, as this can trigger a chase. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. Considering that wild animals do not recognize political boundaries, ranges of lions in Connecticut could include adjacent areas of New York and Massachusetts. Typically, they will slink out of there as quickly as they can to get away from humans. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. Stay facing the big cat and try not to turn your back to it, officials said in a Facebook post. 2. Also, there has been a rash of cats and dogs gone missing out of here with the DPs. A young male was hit and killed by a car several years ago, but. 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. Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami, and a conspiracy theory expert, says these types of theories are not uncommon. Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said Massachusetts troopers used reasonable deadly force after Connecticut man shot at police in Springfield in February. 6. And there are different schools of thought about that. 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.. Map reproduced from LaRue et al. Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? 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. A qualitative assessment of . Now the bears, they dont even care if people are home, theyll go right in the house. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. Fight back. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) 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. But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Sunday that bobcats are the only large wild cats found in the state. Bobcats don't shy away from human habitats, while mountain lions tend to only be found in very isolated areas. 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. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. 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. It is not of the animal actually seen in town. 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. 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. Mountain lion spotted in Connecticut town On Monday, DEEP said that Connecticut does not have a mountain lion population. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. We dont have extra money to do secret projects, he says. Mountain Lions: They are officially extinct. We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. In 2011, a young male lion walked 1500 miles from South Dakota to Connecticut, where he was hit and killed on the parkway in Milford. 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.. Im no wilderness expert, but it sure looked like a mountain lion to me, he said. A threat to livestock, they were hunted out of the state and driven to parts more wild. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. The state adds bobcats are often active this time of year, making sightings much more likely. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. 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. Were getting more and more home entries every year. Yet we see nothing about what is being planned except how to scare them away if one sees them. We get a lot of pictures sent to us, and people say, I took this picture of a mountain lion in my backyard. And Ill look at it, and to me, its clearly a bobcat, Hawley said. So, there you have it an answer to the question of whether or not there are mountain lions in CT. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an, on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. My heart was saying, Maybe this is it,. 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. 17), Police investigate death of New London High School student, Long Wharf Theatre to present Live from the Edge in Hamden, Torrington students to stage 'The Sponge Bob Musical' in May, 'American Idol' alums Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken to perform in CT, Talcott Mountain Music Festival starts June 30. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. Ive been doing this for 40 years. Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. From family fun to restaurants and everything in between, everything you need to know about CT is right here. This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Publics Members People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. As I said previously, 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. 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. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. 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. 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. In yet another variant, DEEP is said to be helicoptering mountain lions in to help control the deer population. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. DEEP believes their numbers have increased in recent years. Mountain lions went extinct in Connecticut during the 1800s, but bobcats are still seen regularly. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. The police shoot of Cougars behind the police Academy when they get over populated. 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. In cities, smaller towns, and even sparsely inhabited areas, there is simply not enough large prey for mountain lions to survive on. where the last confirmed kill was in 1885. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. 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. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. Anyone can get fooled. Don't be a fool and be caught off guard by believing they don't exist in Connecticut. Sign up for our newsletter to get our latest and greatest content delivered right to your inbox. Another important difference: bobcats are found in Connecticut while mountain lions are not. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. However, the National Wildlife Federation notes that the mountain lions range spreads all across the Americas, from the Canadian Yukon to The Strait of Magellan, making it the greatest range of any living mammal in the Americas.. 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. . So its this gathering storm. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. At that point, they realized my family was not crazy and it was identified as a cougar and it was about 100 lbs. But Bachelder stresses he knows what he saw. I agreeI am a person with very good knowledge of animals and know the distinct differences between closely related species in some cases The department has said it receives reports every year of mountain lions, though the animal became extinct in Connecticut in the late 1800s. Copyright 2022 WFSB. The only types of lynx that are indigenous to New England are the Canada Lynx and the Lynx rufus (bobcat). Have a question or comment? Sometimes physical evidence shows the sighting was of some other animal, including dogs, cats, fishers, coyotes, bears and bobcats. What about mountain lions, though? WOODBRIDGE Police are offering tips after they said there have been several mountain lion sightings in town. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. Mountain Lions: Large tan cats with a distinctive two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the ground as they walk. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. The Connecticut mountain lion left tracks, scat, fur and game camera photos in four states. But as Eastern cougar search efforts became more organized and still there were no concrete signs of the creatures, many became more skeptical. 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. 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. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. 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. Hey, I know what I saw. NHPR is nonprofit and independent. 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. Here are some physical differences between mountain lions and bobcats: These 2 big cats also behave differently. In 2017, Ann Jarosiewicz and Liz Prete left their jobs as developers and started WasteNot, a building materials recycling company on Cape Cod. Ive lived here 23 years, Ive seen coyotes, Ive seen bobcats, Ive seen foxes, everything else, never seen anything like this before, said Bachelder. MoRRoW187 4 mo. This young male cougar was found to have DNA from other cougars found in South Dakota which means it traveled about 1,800 miles east. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) Hawley: That animal was documented. Having spent much time outdoors hunting deer . Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. There are no mountain lions in Connecticut, so why do we keep seeing them? Bobcats are most frequently misidentified by the public as mountain lions, but theyre not the only animals mislabeled. From sightings of wolves and moose to brown recluses and mountain lions, people in CT have made some wild (pun intended) claims about what animals theyve spotted. Be mindful of small pets and small children wandering too far away from your sight line. Speaker Bill Betty presented evidence and proposed theories that could prove that Connecticut, including , is home to a native population of Eastern mountain lions. Are There a Lot of Spiders in Connecticut? One has been spotted on our street for the last four or five years. I strongly suspect what was observed was a bobcat. said Jenny Dickson, director of DEEPs wildlife division. Hi! Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? Stephen Gencarella, professor of folklore studies at the University of Massachusetts and a Connecticut resident, says, The government coverup is only the latest version of something that could stretch back in the oral tradition to precolonial times. He notes that supposed mountain lion sightings spiked in the late 1800s and early 1900s shortly after the animals disappeared from New Englands woods. According to DEEP the bobcat is the only confirmed species of wild cat in CT as of 2022. 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 . 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