Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. Officially, the last mountain lions were hunted to extinction here in the late 1800s. 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. Since then, theyve diverted over an acre of hardwood flooring, roughly 570 kitchen cabinets, and 500 windows from landfills. While he might feel like that well known movie character who was doubted at first, Bachelder is confident it was a cougar. It was a flooded area. Connecticut Dept. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. And even the home entries are kind of changing. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Stay facing the big cat and try not to turn your back to it, officials said in a Facebook post. Ive lived here 23 years, Ive seen coyotes, Ive seen bobcats, Ive seen foxes, everything else, never seen anything like this before, said Bachelder. 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. Uscinski, a Connecticut native, adds that the theory that the government is covering up the existence of mountain lions is likely motivated by a distrust of authority. The famous "Connecticut mountain lion" traveled 1500 miles from South Dakota, the furthest trek currently recorded. Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said Massachusetts troopers used reasonable deadly force after Connecticut man shot at police in Springfield in February. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. Didnt it? It had rained previously. 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.. 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. Robert Tompkins said he saw a mountain lion in Sharon about five years ago. 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. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. What we do not have is a secure predator corridor.. 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. Dont Run. Report: CT man killed in police shootout after dispute at casino, 24 Connecticut towns don't have stores that accept food stamps, CT pit bull that was almost euthanized goes viral, gets adopted, CT could lose thousands of affordable housing units. WOODBRIDGE, CT (WFSB) - Police in Woodbridge said they have received reports of mountain lion sightings in town. Almost daily, there are claims of mountain lion sightings in CT, though. 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. He points out that when there was a real mountain lion in the state in 2011, his office publicized it immediately. 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.. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. 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. However, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) says. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. There are no mountain lions in Connecticut, so why do we keep seeing them? A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. 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. According to wildlife biologist Jason Hawley, the lack of evidence of mountain lions in Connecticut is the evidence. Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. "The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of. Police have a warning after there were multiple mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge. Hawley: Yeah. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? A couple things to keep in mind if you come across or see a big cat like a Mountain Lion: 1. Chief Rick OBomsawin of Odanak First Nation currently based in Quebec, whose ancestral lands include Vermont says no one contacted Odanak officials during the state's Truth and Reconciliation selection process. However, that doesnt mean that mountain lion sightings are all false or that there havent been roaming cats sighted. Sometimes physical evidence shows the sighting was of some other animal, including dogs, cats, fishers, coyotes, bears and bobcats. of Energy & Environmental Protection. In Connecticut, some folks in Sharon say they have seen mountain lions. Somebody needs to take charge of this outfit and do something about the interactions with the citizenry. Just had one over in Windsor last week. Weve had coyotes misidentified. 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. 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. 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. On another large animal that is most definitely here: bears. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. This is a carousel. 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. In yet another variant, DEEP is said to be helicoptering mountain lions in to help control the deer population. Hawley: Wildlife biologists across the United States know where the current mountain lion range is. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. 5. 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. 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. We have plenty of suitable habitat, he says. After all, if one mountain lion had wandered here, didnt that mean that others could have? 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. Bobcats: They are about two to three times larger than their distant relative. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. 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? Ancient_Ad126 4 mo. 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. Okay, if thats what you say, what can I tell you. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. According to one internet source, there are 3 types of wild cats that can be found in Connecticut mountain lions, bobcats, and lynxes. Mountain Lions: cougars, pumas, panthers and catamounts. She was calling from a trail in Pootatuck State Forest, the 1,200-acre strip of nature occupying the hills above Squantz Pond in New Fairfield. In the decades that followed, many cougar enthusiasts came to share Wrights conclusions, at least at first. I strongly suspect what was observed was a bobcat. said Jenny Dickson, director of DEEPs wildlife division. He explains that we frequently overestimate the size of animals in the wild, particularly ones we are afraid of. Rego has many reasons why a conspiracy to conceal mountain lions by his colleagues at DEEP is impossible. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. It went through my yard, went up behind, I have some property, past my barn, went into the woods, east, lots of woods back there, just disappeared.. Since then, there have been no confirmed cases here, with the state saying: People very often mistake bobcats for mountain lions. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. where the last confirmed kill was in 1885. 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 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 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. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. Mountain lions went extinct in Connecticut during the 1800s, but bobcats are still seen regularly. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are 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. Connecticut Dept. 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.. 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.. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. 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. Are there any mountain lions in CT? . (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) Thus, the name of the mountain where Castle Craig sits.. nicknamed "Cat Hole Mountain!" A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. 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. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Every winter, after a fresh snow, DEEP sends out teams into the fields and woods looking for animal tracks. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. (https://wildlifeinformer.com/what-to-do-if-you-encounter-a-mountain-lion/). They reside in all eight counties, however, they exist in greatest number in the northwestern corner of the state. My first thought literally was, is that a lion?. Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. . 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. Its definitely a problem thats only going to get worse. Not really, Rego says. These sightings are so persistent that there is a conspiracy theory that says DEEP officials know mountain lions are in the state but cover up their existence. The sightings havent been confirmed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), and there are no videos or photos. The police department decided to put out a warning to those in town. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. 6. I frankly have lost faith in some government institutions for this very reason. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. Make noise. not all bobcats are heavily spotted either - just to add to the confusion.. Throw rocks, sticks, etc to scare it off. This can trigger a chase. That means that the animal traveled more than 1,500 miles to Connecticut, more than twice as far as the longest dispersal pattern ever recorded for a mountain lion. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. Figure 1 - Mountain lion range and confirmed sightings from 1990-2008. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. While other states have their Bigfoot and sea monster sightings, in Connecticut, and throughout much of the Northeast, we see mountain lions even when were told such sightings are unlikely, if not outright impossible. 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