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. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. 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. 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. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. A harvest is kind of twofold. If you have a worldview in which the government is conspiring to do weird stuff, than thats what youre going to see, and all the evidence is going to point to exactly what you believe, he says. Then in June 2011, there were reports of a mountain lion in Greenwich and, for the first time, a photo. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. She was also the voice behind the weekly Connecticut Real Estate newsletter by CT Insider. Sometimes in our shock and excitement at seeing wildlife we see what we want to see. Sport hunting for cougars is not sustainable and shouldnt be allowed to go on. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Especially when pictures are blurry which happens a lot in trail cameras or youll get pictures taken at night or something on Ring cameras that hind leg really does often look like a tail kind of curling up behind the animal.. He drove me out to the spot. 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. WOODBRIDGE Police are offering tips after they said there have been several mountain lion sightings in town. Despite frequent claims, there has only been one confirmed mountain lion sighting since the late 1800s here. It used to be that a bear would go into a house when someone wasnt home. Fight back. The one confirmed case, sometimes referred to as the " Connecticut Mountain Lion " happened in June 2011 when an SUV struck and killed a cougar in Milford. DEEP believes their numbers have increased in recent years. Have a question or comment? DEEP says Connecticut does not have a mountain lion population. 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? . 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. Be as loud as you can paired with being as big as you can. Dont Run. It was a flooded area. And there are different schools of thought about that. Hes even had his own false sighting. This is a carousel. The sightings increased in 2011, after a driver hit and killed a mountain lion who was trying to cross the Merritt Parkway in Milford. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. Massachusetts and several other New England states have bear hunting, or harvest, seasons, which proponents say help control populations. Connecticut's official position is that mountain lions have been extinct in the state since the late 1800s. That mountain lion was hit by a car and killed on the Merritt Parkway in Milford, CT. After the incident, Connecticut environmental officials were able to determine that the 140-pound cat had . Police said these have been reported to DEEP, but have not been confirmed as true mountain lion sightings. Although there are numerous reported sightings of mountain lions in Connecticut every year, the animals have actually been extinct in this state for more than a century. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . 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. 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Democracy is not a spectator activity. We had a mountain lion go thru my property was about 125 lbs left his paw prints in the mug, which were a bigger than my hand and have pictures of it we also had bobcats come through. During Autism Awareness Month, columnist John Breunig details the experience of taking his son to a Bruce Springsteen concert and the NY Theres just an incredible amount of bad information that we get from coercion and bad interviewing tactics, a policing expert says. 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. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. 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. 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. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) That had to be a mountain lion. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. 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. What we do not have is a secure predator corridor.. For decades afterward, there were reported sightings of the mythical creature prowling the woods around town. Mountain lions may be stealthy, but they do leave a trace. So theres fresh mud. Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. 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. Of course. While this isn't the norm, it is becoming slightly more common as mountain lions are striking out further east in search of territory. Hes even had his own false sighting. Almost every state has some sort of legend of something thats hiding somewhere, he says. It is not of the animal actually seen in town. BOSTON (Reuters) - A mountain lion killed on a Connecticut highway in June was a wild animal from South Dakota that prowled more than 1,500 miles eastward before meeting his death 70 miles. Since then, there have been no confirmed cases here, with the state saying: People very often mistake bobcats for mountain lions. Bobcats, of course, can be found all over the state. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. 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. State wildlife experts say those big cats have been extinct in Connecticut. I enjoy exploring CT and reporting back to my readers about fun things to do in Connecticut. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. While the state says it was likely a bobcat, one of the people who reported the sighting says it was unlike anything hes ever seen before. I agreeI am a person with very good knowledge of animals and know the distinct differences between closely related species in some cases I have a fence in the backyard, it was above the bottom rail, so its back was probably this big, this long, the tail, said John 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. 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. Bobcats are found across Connecticut, but even fully grown they are much smaller than what she was describing, only weighing between 18 and 35 pounds. Weve got a growing bear population. Bobcats: They are about two to three times larger than their distant relative. "The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of nature and the tenacity and adaptability of this species," Connecticut DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty said during a press briefing. His mountain lion was over twice the size of the bobcat which the bobcat had killed half my flock of chickens. And even the home entries are kind of changing. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. Considering that wild animals do not recognize political boundaries, ranges of lions in Connecticut could include adjacent areas of New York and Massachusetts. 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. 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. She had seen an animal on foot in broad daylight. After traveling more than 1,500 miles, the lean, male cat met an untimely end in a collision with an SUV. A mountain lion from South Dakota apparently made an epic journey to suburban Connecticut. MoRRoW187 4 mo. Were getting more and more home entries every year. (My wife didnt get a look at the tail.) You know, weve had so many home entries this year. Clean_Caterpillar225 4 mo. It had rained previously. Another important difference: bobcats are found in Connecticut while mountain lions are not. According to Hawley, if mountain lions were present in the state, there would be evidence and not just unconfirmed sightings. And even the home entries are kind of changing. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. I saw one cross the rd ( rt 63) in Wtn @ 5 yrs ago, @Craig, 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. 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. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. So theres fresh mud. Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami, and a conspiracy theory expert, says these types of theories are not uncommon. McEnroe: Scientifically, this is a case where absence of evidence is kind of evidence of absence, right? Once at dusk driving in the Berkshires, he saw what he initially thought was a cat-like creature that was far bigger than a bobcat leap across the road. I am 58 years old and another cougar was identified when I was much younger by the Deep in Meriden. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. I frankly have lost faith in some government institutions for this very reason. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. As far as the claim that mountain lions live in CT, as we address in the previous section, that has been debunked. Beautiful clear day just like this, and there in my backyard I see this huge golden animal, walking through the yard, Bachelder said. A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. 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. ago. National Signing Day 2022-2023: Connecticuts signing list. Tandmlally@yahoo.com. Sometimes referred to as the ghosts of the forest, mountain lions or cougars are stealthy hunters that are hard to spot, even in areas they are known to inhabit. Bobcats are most frequently misidentified by the public as mountain lions, but theyre not the only animals mislabeled. It is the only confirmed presence of a cougar in recent years. As a carnivore biologist, Hawley says he would love it if mountain lions were 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? Hey, I know what I saw. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. So its this gathering storm. 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.. Mountain lion Over 7 ft in length Over 100 lbs Uniform tan color Long tails Bobcat Under 3ft in length Under 50lbs Dark spots Tufts of fur in ears These 2 big cats also behave differently. 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. And there are different schools of thought about that. He was previously a reporter for the Danbury News-Times and the Ridgefield Press. You cansubscribe here, orfind the current issue on sale here. It was a spotless cat she estimated at close to 100 pounds. 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. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Police have a warning after there were multiple mountain lion sightings reported in Woodbridge. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. A quick Google search reveals that the theory is not limited to Connecticut and similar tales are told throughout the Northeast. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. Copyright 2023 The Connecticut Explorer | Wisteria on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Connecticut Explorer Home Find Things to do in CT. The next week, on June 11, the cat was hit and killed by an, on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford. Email editor@connecticutmag.com. Don't be a fool and be caught off guard by believing they don't exist in Connecticut. One has been spotted on our street for the last four or five years. There is a big difference between Tuesday when none of us saw a moose in our region and then Thursday we did, Morse says. It continues in Connecticut, where that South Dakota cat was killed in 2011, and in Massachusetts, despite two credible reports in the past quarter century (in one case, DNA-confirmed scat; in the other, verified tracks). Posted on Published: November 4, 2022- Last updated: December 28, 2022. Connecticut Wildlife magazine (ISSN 1087-7525) is published bimonthly by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection . Just had one over in Windsor last week. And the last confirmed sighting prior to the 2011 instance would be a couple hundred years ago, according to Hawley. 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. Im always amazed at the sheer volume of people who are interested in cougars, more even than wolves, she says. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. Ive lived here 23 years, Ive seen coyotes, Ive seen bobcats, Ive seen foxes, everything else, never seen anything like this before, said Bachelder. Typically, they will slink out of there as quickly as they can to get away from humans. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal likely trekked more than 1,500 miles from South Dakota, a journey that was captured by trail camera (above). building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. 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. 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. Mountain Lions: Large tan cats with a distinctive two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the ground as they walk. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. Hey, I know what I saw. 5. 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. Bobcats, also, only hunt small prey. 17), Police investigate death of New London High School student, Guide to Legal Cannabis Dispensaries in CT, recent mountain lion sightings in Connecticut have not been confirmed, CT pit bull that was almost euthanized goes viral, gets adopted. This might serve as proof to some that there, in fact, might still be mountain lions in CT. 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. One on Salem Rd and another in the area of Pease Rd in our town. They also want to foster the formation and protection of migration pathways for them and other animals to enter new states. They usually either don't disperse at all or they'll kind of overlap their mother's home range, or they'll disperse very short distances.. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are I would not have it any other way. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. Ask people who spend time outside Connecticut cities and you will hear firsthand or secondhand accounts of mountain lions. He drove me out to the spot. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. We dont have extra money to do secret projects, he says. According to Jason Hawley, a wildlife biologist for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protections Wildlife Division, the department gets around 100 sighting reports of mountain lions each year, but upon further investigation, a good proportion of the sightings end up being bobcats. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Nicole has a degree in Communications from Fairfield University. And there are different schools of thought about that. The last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut occurred in 2011. But that doesnt stop people from seeing them. 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. But what might be his most compelling argument is that since this is Connecticut, the budget is too limited. 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. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. 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. They do not want to alarm the public. 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. Or at least theyre not supposed to be. The department has said it receives reports every year of mountain lions, though the animal became extinct in Connecticut in the late 1800s. However, that doesnt mean that mountain lion sightings are all false or that there havent been roaming cats sighted. Icould hear the panic in my wifes voice. She said the size made her do a double take and indeed she seen it had a very long tail, Bullsh** They have NEVER observed a single mountain lion track. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. 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. Instead, people should remain facing the cat and not turn their back on it, make noise and make themselves appear as large as possible by raising their arms over their heads with a jacket. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. 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. State wildlife experts say those big cats have been extinct in Connecticut for more than 100 years. State conservation officials believe this photo, taken in Greenwich in 2011, shows a mountain lion. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Give it space to turn around without feeling threatened to get away from you and your family. 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. where the last confirmed kill was in 1885. Certainly, bobcats are much larger than housecats, but they are not nearly the size of cougars. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. 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. According to authorities, the mountain lion was reportedly seen on Friday including on Salem. However, the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut was in 2011. Genetic testing placed the animal in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the cat had been sighted at several different points during its long journey east. My wife is not a wildlife expert, but is not prone to flights of fancy. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) Ive been doing this for 40 years. Were getting more and more home entries every year. community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. Officials recommend not running away, as this can trigger a chase. After all, if one mountain lion had wandered here, didnt that mean that others could have? Everyone thought my family was crazy until it crossed the road into the "Strong Elementary School" play yard during recess with small children playing. There are no mountain lions in Connecticut, so why do we keep seeing them? Jason Hawley says his office gets lots of calls about mountain lions each year. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal. I believe that was about 10 years ago. In 2017, Ann Jarosiewicz and Liz Prete left their jobs as developers and started WasteNot, a building materials recycling company on Cape Cod. Its quite an uphill challenge for us to manage that situation right now. At deep, but they are about two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the as! 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