The state says no, theyre extinct, that cant be. Dickson, however, said the agency is not aware of any such reports. However, the last confirmed mountain lion sighting in Connecticut was in 2011. As I said previously, Bobcats, of course, can be found all over the state. Hawley says that they would be finding carcasses of mountain lion prey and mountain lion tracks if these animals had recolonized the state, and this simply isnt happening. Bobcats: Though technically a type of lynx, they are distinct from other species of lynx such as the Canadian lynx. Many years ago there was a mountain lion that stayed in a wood pile in my mother's back yard. Yet we see nothing about what is being planned except how to scare them away if one sees them. We even had a sighting someone here at DEEP, in my office, was convinced they saw a mountain lion. Im no wilderness expert, but it sure looked like a mountain lion to me, he said. Everyone thought my family was crazy until it crossed the road into the "Strong Elementary School" play yard during recess with small children playing. Im confident that we get occasional outlier animals.. Not really, Rego says. Rego has many reasons why a conspiracy to conceal mountain lions by his colleagues at DEEP is impossible. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. According to wildlife biologist Jason Hawley, the lack of evidence of mountain lions in Connecticut is the evidence. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. 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. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Bachelder said he did a double take Friday evening when he looked out the back window of his home on Pease Road. 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. 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. of Energy & Environmental Protection. Lets learn to live alongside this very large animal is one of the schools of thought. 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. Mountain Lions: Large tan cats with a distinctive two to three-foot curving tail, that can almost touch the ground as they walk. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. This was maybe a decade ago. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. . 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? For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. Sport hunting for cougars is not sustainable and shouldnt be allowed to go on. On a mountain lion that died on a Connecticut highway. She had seen an animal on foot in broad daylight. 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. It was a flooded area. Anyone can get fooled. In the decades that followed, many cougar enthusiasts came to share Wrights conclusions, at least at first. A qualitative assessment of . They are very bold. 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). State wildlife experts say those big cats have been extinct in Connecticut. Okay, if thats what you say, what can I tell you. 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. And Im assuming whatever were doing right now, its not working. Do not bend, squat, or sit down. Officials used DNA to genetically fingerprint the mountain lion as the same one spotted more than 18 months ago in Minnesota. Well also go over what types of wild cats can be found in Connecticut. But Bachelder stresses he knows what he saw. In some versions, state officials dont want to alarm people about the feline predators in their midst. I agreeI am a person with very good knowledge of animals and know the distinct differences between closely related species in some cases However, that doesnt mean that mountain lion sightings are all false or that there havent been roaming cats sighted. He explains that we frequently overestimate the size of animals in the wild, particularly ones we are afraid of. 5. 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. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. And follow us on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag. Ive been doing this for 40 years. Connecticut Wildlife magazine (ISSN 1087-7525) is published bimonthly by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection . 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.. A lifelong Connecticut resident, Nicole has a degree in Communications from Fairfield University. 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. Mountain Lions:They can have similar coloring and their tails can look alike, which has lead to some house cats being mistaken for them, even though mountain lions are much, much bigger. And even the home entries are kind of changing. You know, weve had so many home entries this year. We have plenty of suitable habitat, he says. The gate of a bobcat can often make it look like it has a long tail. Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. Just had one over in Windsor last week. 3. But further inspection revealed it was a very large coyote. For over 30 years, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has been tracking reported mountain lion sightings. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection thinks it's unlikely. State wildlife experts say those big cats have been extinct in Connecticut for more than 100 years. 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? Paul Rego, a wildlife biologist with the DEEP, told Connecticut . 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. Hawley:Were sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. 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. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. Also known as cougars, panthers or pumas, mountain lions range in color from tan to grey, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service. That report was accompanied by a blurry photo, an indistinct paw print, and a scat sample. And there are different schools of thought about that. We have had five coyotes crossing through our yard in the past few weeks, and one even lingers around our property and the neighbors. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. not all bobcats are heavily spotted either - just to add to the confusion.. Hawley: Yeah. community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years. And even the home entries are kind of changing. 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. It is not of the animal actually seen in town. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. "The state [Connecticut] explains any cougar evidence, such as the recent mountain lion killed in Milford, as an escaped pet [or one that came from the Mid-West]," Mr. Betty said in an e-mail. According to the Connecticut DEEP, the bobcat is the only wild cat found in Connecticut. Im Shelton Lively, a Connecticut resident, and an avid outdoors person. 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). So, now that youve got the answer on whether or not mountain lions can be found in CT, lets talk about which wild cats are more likely to be seen here. McEnroe: It is an uphill challenge. Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . They are named for their short (bobbed) tail which is often about six inches in length. And were one of the most densely populated states as far as humans. 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. He can be reached by phone at 860-275-7297 or by email: pskahill@ctpublic.org. Abbott, of the Housatonic Valley Association, is equally skeptical of the vast majority of mountain lion sightings. 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. Woodbridge police provided this photo of a mountain lion, after several reported sightings in the area. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. I am 58 years old and another cougar was identified when I was much younger by the Deep in Meriden. They do not want to alarm the public. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. This might serve as proof to some that there, in fact, might still be mountain lions in CT. Wed be seeing more carcasses of prey we would be seeing at least some carcasses of mountain lion prey. Especially, when they do migrate across country. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. But sometimes, instead of mountain lions, people thought they saw other creatures in the Connecticut woods, of which authorities were supposedly aware. Ive lived here 23 years, Ive seen coyotes, Ive seen bobcats, Ive seen foxes, everything else, never seen anything like this before, said Bachelder. 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