The report came in from a conservation officer. A:I have hoped to see a big cat, that is bigger than a bobcat, since NatureWatch began getting reports in the 1980s. And I I have this great text history of New Hampshire game and fir bears and I think by Helen Silver who used to work for fish and game and she sort of I kind eyes this animal in one of the quotes from 1892 stating that the catamaran was the most ferocious of all the wild beasts of New Hampshire his great size strength and agility of movement together with his formidable weapons rendered him the terror both of man and beast. To Betty and Ottmann, the dominant narrative of the occasional itinerant cougar from the West is not particularly relevant to the facts on the ground. There's these animals aren't coming with a map saying oh I want to go here. Yes. We know that strays have wandered through New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts; that does not indicate that a sighting means we have a resident mountain lion in the Berkshires. Your support makes this news available to everyone. Wildlife experts say no. It's conceivable, he said, that like the 2011 mountain lion, which took a two-year journey to Connecticut from South Dakota, others might occasionally turn up here. Mistaken reports of mountain lions are most commonly bobcats. Thank you in advance., Thomas P. wrote, I never thought coltsfoot was invasive. Clearly, Puma concoloronce inhabited the forests of the Northeast, although its difficult to say in what numbers. Patrick Tate: Same here in New Hampshire too. There were pine cones on window sills, a well-used hatchet and a variety of animal figurines on display, and, near the television, a stack of videos including. 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. As a carnivore biologist, Hawley says he would love it if mountain lions were here. People clearly arent lying when they say they saw a cougar; [the sighting] has a profound effect on them., Still, Spatz acknowledged that the word hope is very different from the word believe. You've got you've got biologists right who are trying to make their make their way in the world make a career if you are the biologists who confirmed a sighting of mountain lions in the state that would be very good for you like you would be all over the news. And it was you know 10 or 12 people saw it all at once. Sam what's the incentive for the government to deny allegedly. People have asked me about the genetics of eastern mountain lion. But one day. The American Lion The Saber tooth Tiger and this was the one that survived. Wildlife do really crazy things, and you just never know.. Pat humans people leave deer carcasses up in trees. 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, a DCR forester, photographed a trail in the snow crossing a frozen cove near the southwestern end of Quabbin Reservoir. Now, similar proof is what we need! Here's why reports are so tough to prove mass.gov/doc/mountain-lions-in-massachusetts-distinguishing-fiction-from-the-facts/download, There are 69 invasive plant species in Massachusetts. Support NHPR by becoming a sustaining member today! He said matter of fact I do. Peter Biello: Oh okay. A harvest is kind of twofold. So Pat you field a lot of calls about people seeing or reportedly seeing mountain lions. And I was probably about a half a mile from downtown all village on the right. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, DEEP confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. They're the generalists that made it through both the arrival of the Clovis people with their with their spears and then the Europeans with their guns. I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. Thanks for calling. Peter Biello: We got an e-mail question from Robert in Epsom who asks are sightings or encounters with these big cats less dangerous here where they're passing through than out west where those same mountain lines might be establishing territory Rick. But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. There's just one subspecies of North American mountain lion. So so it is possible in Maine to still to to to have one but you have to be sort of professional handler as it were. Besides, Ottmann had revealed that hed been charged by a bear in this same piece of woods, and I felt conflicted about diverting my gaze from the underbrush. So I think the point that I just want to get across is that there is a very strong sense this here in the and not region that there is that there is some sort of mountain lion population how large it is how extensive it is. Is there a way we can learn more about these dispersing mountain lions that may travel through the Granite State and that I would ask you certainly part about whether or not a he's spending too much time chasing down these kind of false leads or B would rather be doing something else that is more informative to whether or not we actually have or can prove that we have dispersing mountain lions in the state. But I do think that it's appropriate that a fishing game agency would recognize verifiable proof if they could. But on the other side of that coin there is this sense that there have been so many sightings locally and you guys Patrick you might recall the name the Wyndham McCracken she kind of turned herself into a local authority off authorities the right word but she was very dedicated to this. Mike you're on the air. And so. It is difficult to know if someone saw a mountain lion without any tangible evidence. I started asking a lot of questions, and realized theres only one explanation for the answers I was getting: They are here., You could have 30 in Connecticut alone. Japanese knotweed and phragmites are the bane of my existence on our road. And we want to know your stories if you have them 1 800 8 9 2 6 4 7 7 or email exchange at an HP bar dot org we'll talk about conspiracy theories when we come back. Patrick Tate: It became a very interesting investigation over time because it started becoming. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Both labs confirmed the sample came from a mountain lion. Part of this belief is rooted in his journalistic experience, which across the decades has cultivated his nose for sincerity. So I would put this in the category of sort of like shark attacks right. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? Mountain lion sightings in New Hampshire have increased along with the bobcat population, said Tate. There were caribou antlers mounted above the front doors, and the interior walls were covered in row upon row of books; a long table was piled high with still more books in seemingly random arrangements. Patrick Tate: So the individuals can say that but for an agency that's based on science and what not to to go off with no evidence and then get into that giant debate and all these other issues and put credibility at risk I don't think that would be a great path to take. When evidence is submitted, MassWildlife carefully reviews the evidence in its entirety and attempts to verify the report. Are there mountain lions in Massachusetts? | Mass.gov Re (1): Alleged Athol MA picture - By Cici September 9, 2016 at 12:41:30 PM. Peter Biello: Ok weird question but do they make good pets. So I don't understand really how how this this idea came to be but it is the main reason why folks believe that fishing game is is covering up the fact that there are mountain lions in the state again with no evidence. It doesn't make much sense because you know mountain lions are as we as we said before. Over a period of a year and a half, this mountain lion left DNA evidence in at least four states. It was not a bobcat. Because I mean as we've heard in the past 10 minutes like there's there's some disagreement or at least some some vagueness about what an actual mountain lion should appear like in the wild assuming we can even get close enough. The number 1 800 8 9 2 6 4 7 7 so promised a discussion about conspiracy theories. Patrick Tate: Yes. Patrick Tate: Nice talk to you too. At first, I thought it was pretty, but then it kept spreading on the edge of the woodlands next to my lawn. And they used to be this whole list of the different subspecies of mountain lion and it has since been reduced to just to the North American and the South American. Peter Biello: We mentioned that the eastern cougar and the Western cougar are they were separate eastern cougar believed to be extinct. But but I've also seen it cited the opposite way that look they're very secretive. Okay. This is a machine-generated transcript, and may contain errors. There have been several sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. There was the vaguest of trails, crisscrossed by deadfalls and a sharp-thorned bush that soon drew blood from Ottmanns right hand. I have no choice but to take this seriously, he told me. These were normal everyday folks. In 2011, the U.S. Peter Biello: What about the idea of tourism like us leaving aside the fact that it is not on the Endangered Species Act is it. He knew it was only a matter of time. They lived perhaps elsewhere in New England and they were just passing through and happened to have an encounter of some sort. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. All other reports of mountain lions in Massachusetts have turned out to be other animals. And to anyone listening I would just say you know fishing game who wants proof right. The young adult male was killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011. 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.. Here she is talking about how to identify a mountain lion. Patrick Tate: No downward pressure at all I think actually Sean turned up and we found the evidence there a number of people would finally say finally we can put this debate to bed. The mountain lion is believed to have had an encounter with a family on their lawn. Someone photographed the animal at the Brunswick School on Greenwich, Connecticut about 40 miles away on June 5th. Long before NASA was asked to put a man on the moon one engineer had already figured out how to get there. In April 1997, experienced tracker John McCarter found scat near a beaver carcass at the Quabbin Reservation. Ecosystem Management Consultants of New England, Ask Sam, and recently fielded question about mountain lions, Manchester installs monitors to track air quality disparities. Absolutely there are a lot of folks out there who for some reason need to create something that raises a stir and gets the attention of the media etc.. And those are not the same things. For who but we humans can look across the landscape and not acknowledge our role in the diminishment of cougars and the myriad ways in which we have knocked the landscape out of balance? Wild populations of mountain lion survive in southern Florida and in mountains of the West. Indeed, one of her steadiest sources of funding for Keeping Track is a presentation on cougars that has been known to draw more than 500 audience members. Rick van de Poll: Yes. So long as the tails there, that is. Does not test random Scouts. What color was it? And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. No that's a little bit outside the range. The last three eastern cougars were killed in 1930 in Tennessee . Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. If you need assistance, please contact the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. but won big 2night. How to Report a Possible Mountain Lion Sighting. Re(1): Webster update - Misunderstanding! MassWildlifecannot investigate or confirm mountain lion reports without any evidence. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the official website. State law protects all species unless otherwise noted. The debate rages in Maine, where the last confirmed cougar kill occurred in 1938, and in New Hampshire, where the last confirmed kill was in 1885. I do this shit.. While State Denies Mtn Lions are in NH, Numerous Sightings Say Otherwise. Mountain lions became scarce in the East after a bounty system wiped out most predatory animals. New England Mountain Lion Sighting Bulletin Board's Message Board Thank you very much for listening. I'm Peter Biello in for Laura NOI. It was a flooded area. Thanks for a great thanks. Patrick Tate: Okay. We'll hear from her periodically through the show. hen I accepted the assignment to write about my quest to uncover the truth regarding the existence of cougars in New England, I had little idea what I was agreeing to. I noticed it had a really big sweeping tail that kind of curled up behind it and all but still at that point because everyone says there's no mountain lions here. The deadline for fuel assistance applications is Sunday, but most state emergency funds are still unspent. Rick van de Poll: Oh yeah absolutely. And really whenever you hear tiny code and long rope like tale it's kind of hard to pin this sighting on any other creature rather than an outline or just nothing else really matches that description. NHPR is nonprofit and independent. And the clincher, What would you say was the most distinguishing feature? The scientific name for the catamount is Puma concolor. Peter Biello: Sam I wanted to ask you a little bit about that first and then turn to Patrick Tate efficient game. Indeed, in 2011, a male cougar was hit and killed by a car in Milford, Connecticut; through its DNA, wildlife biologists were able to trace the cat back to South Dakotas Black Hills, some 2,000 miles distant. 3 min read. New England Mountain Lion Sighting Bulletin Board's Message Board Caller: Yeah. I saw the tail end of a literally from behind the shoulder The Long Tail mountain lion crossing the highway going from Password to often Village downtown. So you know until I found those two scats I didn't think that mountain lions were here in the east. N.H.'s Fish and Game department says there's no proof. However if if and when it does happen it takes up a lot of resources looking at that situation and identifying what's going on because when you start out you don't know it's a hoax. Peter Biello: So if they were female mountain lions here they would be more males just because that's what they're looking for. Carol Ann P., of Hinsdale, wrote, Thank you for the very informative article on invasive species! Wildlife biologist breaks down mountain lion sightings in CT | New The tavern was quiet except for some hard-rock music playing on the radio, the murmur of a handful of men at the bar, and us. Its not my call. Patrick Tate: So one thing I'd say is DNA would definitely identify an animal animal's Mark line or not. Rick shaking his head so Rick now correct me please. So what a neat experience. Sam Evans-Brown: But I mean the video I had been sent was you know a recording of a animal growling but it was in slow motion and when I asked the person why is this in slow motion the denied that it was so there's a lot of weird stuff that happens in regards to people claiming they've seen they've seen these things. 3. Im gonna get hammered for it, he sighed. You know I'm like seriously I can't get a picture of the thing but what it what it is. Peter Biello: Thank you for sharing that. The tails gotta be there. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Some of the reports that I looked into that were actually on file at the local fish and game office were even from people who did not live locally. If you believe you have seen a mountain lion and want to report it to NH Fish and Game, please contact the Wildlife Division at (603) 271-2461 or [email protected] to request an observation report form. There is also a small population in southern Florida. If you dont think cougars are coming to the East, think again, she said, leaning forward for emphasis. Harrigans interest in cougars was sparked in the late 70s, after he took ownership of The Coos County Democrat and began noticing the steady influx of reported sightings. The Spatz and Sue Ottmann referred to are Christopher Spatz and Sue Morse, two of the better-known and arguably most experienced cougar skeptics in the Northeast. Bearded, bowler hat, expression impenetrable behind facial hair and the stoicism of an earlier era. I just saw the head and the tail that was leaving. Morse founded Keeping Track in the belief that getting citizens interested and engaged in wildlife will have the knock-on effect of getting them interested and engaged in how land-use decisions affect wild populationsand might provide the impetus for conservation efforts. Now that to me seemed to indicate that they had done the secondary workup that in my opinion proved the existence of probably a disperse or possibly from South Dakota like the one in 2011. And I think this is a really interesting story for a couple of reasons one is that it proves what Pat was saying which that basically from New York state where its traces was really picked up on a game camera around Lake George all the way down to Connecticut there was numerous. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. Colorado and California have the highest estimated populations of mountain lions in the United States. Patrick Tate: While a juvenile not a juvenile I guess if you want nodes to the base of the tail for juvenile that wouldn't be small at all. We we hear that there is allegedly a government conspiracy to deny the existence of mountain lions here in New Hampshire so I guess a local government conspiracy. Yes. The animal was shot in the town of Barnard on Thanksgiving Day 1881 by a man named Alexander Crowell. The term is because mascots notwithstanding right that they're referred to with a lot of different terms and sometimes they can be confused with a lot of different terms. And listeners this has been a lively conversation we're sorry we didn't get to all the the e-mailed comments and the phone calls your stories are appreciated even if we didn't get a chance to hear them today. Known to exist in the state for over well over a hundred years. There is some information that suggests that it spent a portion of its time in Massachusetts near the Claiborne reservoir. And the cougar embodies that. New England Mountain Lion Sighting Bulletin Board, Mountain lion/wolf sightings in Central Ma, Re(1): Mountain lion/wolf sightings in Central Ma, Re(2): Mountain lion/wolf sightings in Central Ma, Ellisville State Park cougar killed crossing 3A in S. Plymouth, MA, Re(1): Ellisville State Park cougar killed crossing 3A in S. Plymouth, MA, Re(2): Ellisville State Park cougar killed crossing 3A in S. Plymouth, MA, Sighting just over CT border into Vista, NY, Re(1): Sighting just over CT border into Vista, NY, VideoWild cat sighting, North Scituate, RI, Re(1): VideoWild cat sighting, North Scituate, RI, Re(2): VideoWild cat sighting, North Scituate, RI, Re(3): VideoWild cat sighting, North Scituate, RI, Re(4): VideoWild cat sighting, North Scituate, RI, Re(1): Mountain lion/bobcat?/North Andover. Give today. Were getting more and more home entries every year. Rick van de Poll: Well education is the real important thrust of of what all of us do as biologists and Game Managers and to make sure that a things like what Sam was saying that in spite of what you believe the mountain lions will not eat your children they will not steal your pets from your backyard and they will not necessarily be seen by you unless you're extremely lucky. So one thing I'll add. I have seen them fly and do so especially into trees when in danger, either real or imagined. Think you've seen a mountain lion. What's going on. Patrick Tate: I would say well when social media first started they picked up the hoaxes became much more prevalent in the last four or five years hoaxes have died down completely. If you missed part of today's program listen to the exchange. Caller: And then there's the Lily Pond Road and then there's a six foot tall fence. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. Thank you very much for being here. So we're fixated on natural but there's other possibilities. Records suggest that cash bounties for cougar kills were relatively common in the late 1700s and early 1800s; in the Adirondacks, a trapper named Thomas Meacham was credited with 77 cougar kills. Peter Biello: Rick I believe you did mention that that they do leave carcasses up in the tree from time to time but are there any other species known in New Hampshire to do this on a regular basis. Peter Biello: Well Mike thanks very much for sharing your story. The USDA's Forest Service Wildlife Genetics Laboratory found that the animal came from South Dakota. Caller: I have yeah. 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. And because you know things flow downhill and I was pushed to go investigate it more and met with the individual two or three times and there was a bunch of inconsistencies about the photograph.

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