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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. We met for lunch on a Sunday morning in early March, and it didnt take long for me to understand why Harrigan is such a popular columnist. Harrigan nodded. How big was the animal? About six years ago, my mother and step-father were traveling some back roads down to New Boston, NH to visit my sister where she lived in an extended care facility. I got the glasses to my eyes and focused on the animal. Reported mountain lion sightings are popping up all over Vermont and convinced onlookers say the proof is in the pictures. . Forty years of reporting on New Hampshire cougar sightings has convinced Harrigan that the state is home to at least a handful of breeding animals. She favors plaid shirts, green Dickies work pants, and hiking boots, and she chided me for shaking her hand too gently. Because while male cougars eventually strike out on their own and occasionally wander far from home, females are, as Morse puts it, hardwired to remain close to their mothers home range. If theyre in one, theyre in the other.. At least once a year thered be a story from somewhere, but I only ran the absolute best, he told me. These settlers established measures for predator control by any means possible. Most of those sightings were misidentifications, Doug Blodgett says. The mountain lionalso known as the cougar, puma, panther, or catamountis a large cat species native to the Americas. This could, of course, be projection on my part. Thank you; Blog. His Tail was very long almost touching the ground and as thick as velvet rope. There are also many unconfirmed sightings. This is part of the cougar business. An expert said it was probably a basking shark. It is what wildlife biologists call an apex carnivore, which means it can overpower pretty much any other creature in its environmentwith the exception of an armed human. The animal that was killed in Connecticut proved that. So yes they are here and not to sure why they dont admit to them being around ! We clearly have migratory male cougars coming through. Vermont Mountain Lion Sightings. Camel's Hump (alternatively Camels Hump) is a mountain in the Green Mountains in the U.S. state of Vermont.The north slope of the mountain borders the Winooski River, which has carved through the Green Mountains over eons.At 4,083 ft (1,244 m), it is tied (with Mount Ellen) for the third-highest mountain in Vermont.Surrounded by 10 acres (4 ha) of alpine tundra, the mountain is the most . 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. When that last catamount was killed by a deer hunter, the state was paying a $20 bounty for pelts or carcasses. But it is also true that there is something different and especially chilling about the threat of being attacked by something that is alive and wants to devour you. We hadnt seen a cougar, nor any evidence to suggest a cougar had traveled these woods recently. It seems humans just cant resist destroying these animals and either dont realize or dont care what damage we have done to our natural environment over the centuries. Defenders of Wildlife developed funding to support wolf predation on cattle which I believe worked. As I walked thru the beginning of the trail I spooked a deer and heard this awful screech and slowly backed out of there .. Middlebury, Vermont | Could You Live Here? The animal was shot in the town of Barnard on Thanksgiving Day 1881 by a man named Alexander Crowell. It was huge! I think they never left, Ottmann piped in. Snow accumulating 3 to 5 inches.. . When I came out, the cat appeared in front of me coming up a rise (incredibly close to some ski condos). When I shared their story with the staff at the center where my sister lived, I expected surprise and interested. Just like we dont need any slimy humans on earth period. Lizzie Post Would Like Your Attention. Looking at the mounted animal, behind the glass, had made me feel kind of well, sad. And, furthermore, the animal still had its claws, though those have usually been removed from captive animals. Face to face, maybe, with a sure enough catamount. He wore red suspenders and a baseball cap. Stupid me grabbed my camera and a stick as to protect myself ( yes stupid idea as I could stop this thing from attacking me lol. Morse introduced me to her cat, Allister, whom she referred to as her portable puma. Then she fetched me a beer. Regarding a breeding population that is the unknown. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. Video - Trade Show Recaps; Videos - Can We Find a Time to Talk? And its not just Vermont. The second occasion was on the way to work when I saw the cougar/catamount crossing Route 44. There are many officials in denial up here, but we know what we saw and there are too many sightings by the local folks to be ignored. If someone described seeing a black panther, for example, then you knew right away and you didnt need to do any more investigating.. He set down his cigarette and looked me in the eye. We told him what we saw, and he confirmed other sightings on the property. Still, there are those of us who know what weve seen. A far less likelyenvironment for finding a mountain lion than just about anywhere in Vermont. I saw on three occasions in about the same location a beautiful mtn lion with the long bushytail that curves at the end. We really must establish first that these beautiful animals SHOULD be in every state that was once THEIR habitat. Morse is a Vermont-based naturalist and the founder of Keeping Track, a nonprofit that trains people in the scientific protocols needed to detect, interpret, record, and monitor wildlife tracks and signs. But this requires a breeding pair. Ordinary, the lone males do not range much more than 100 miles. They are here & ..just a matter of time with photo or kill on a highway/road. People like you are the problem and cause of extinctions. No way to proveor disproveit. If you dont think cougars are coming to the East, think again, she said, leaning forward for emphasis. One summer I saw what I assumed was the same cougar several different times in my neighborhood which was near a long strip of woods along I 91 and used to be a large open field across the road from our home. Refuge volunteer Dale Erz originally. Cougars, Lynx, Bobcats, Wolves, Bears etc were and are a It is hard for me to believe that the big cats havent found plenty of space to roam without regular detection. Our county. Many on both sides of the cougar debate beileve that New Englands natural habitat would benefit from having an apex predator in the ecosystem again. Of course no dash cam or accessible phone camera at the time! There was no mistake. Mid Vermont Christian School Eagles forfeited their girls basketball playoff game on Tuesday against Long Trail School Mountain Lions. Ive attended talks with Sue Morse. Put bluntly, Morse does not believe that New England is home to cougars. My daughter and I were driving north in West Granby, near the Simsbury, Ct. line just after lunch one summer day a few years ago. Friends that go backcountry skiing in Vermont have reported seeing tracks to me many times and I have seen pictures of the pawprints myself that look overwheming like a mountain lion. 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. Perfect conditions, then, for thinking you saw something. I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. Periods of snow. The tails gotta be there. Indeed! Blodgett liked talking about this subject. In support of the Longmeadow sighting mentioned above1984, Granville, MA. The last time a mountain lion was captured in New York was in the . In the second camp, there are those issuing the denials, pointing to the lack of photographic evidence, or the absence of tracks, or the simple truth that many people dont seem to know the difference between a cougar and a bobcat and a lynx and even, in some cases, a golden retriever. It was a striking animal, certainly, but it was no mountain lion. I was driving to work in Greenfield heading south on 10 and had just taken a right hand turn at the junction when the big cat crossed the road in front of me. He didn't want to dispute what people are saying they saw, he simply says they need proof to substantiate it. Long Trail Mountain Lion roster: Myra Aldanondo, Olivia Cole-Bugay, Liz Daara, Rose Johnson, Aubrey Lanning, Molly Luikart, Camilla Marcy, Meara Morgan, Harlow Quail, . Kim Royar, a biologist at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, told me she receives 40 to 50 reports annually, and although she believes that few, if any, are actual cougar sightings, she doesnt dismiss the possibility that someday someone will happen upon the real deal. And yet there I was, on a Saturday in early November, crammed into a booth with Bo Ottmann, 48, and Bill Betty, 72, of Cougars of the Valley, the organization that Ottmann founded in 2007 to gather evidence of and alert the public to the big cats living among us. Well, theres no difference between Maine and New Brunswick, anyway, said Betty. Several years ago, I was bicycling with a buddy up Quabbin Reservoirs Administration Rd. No doubt of what it was; size, color and recognizable tail. Because he lives among them, Harrigan understands that no one knows the woods better. I had a pair of good binoculars in my coat pocket. Escapes by these animals were not impossible. But perhaps an even larger portion is the product of his enduring faith in the men and womanloggers, hunters, trapperswhose vocations and avocations have instilled in them a deep familiarity with wild places and the creatures who inhabit them. People said that the catamountas the animal is called in Vermontwas still around and you heard stories about someone who would swear to having seen one. The key to Morses assertion can be found in the term breeding population. Although the fact that cougars have traveled through New England is irrefutable (a DNA-confirmed roadkill is hard to deny), Morse believes its unlikely that they have settled here and created a self-sustaining population. Much as I liked Ottmann and Betty, and much as I found some of their evidence compelling, I was struggling to reconcile their more provocative claims with the restraint expressed by the many other experts Id spoken with. Bennington, VT (05201) Today. I also had the vague notion that when it comes to cougars, people tend to sort themselves into one of three camps. I go out into the woods on the opening day of deer season every year and a lot of other Vermonters are out there with me. The last catamount in Vermont is finally, officially, certainly dead. We also had bobcats that we saw quite often but I am positive that these were mountain lions! Wildlife biologists, as professional scientists, require a higher level of documentation and proof. The last catamount killed in Vermont was shot in 1881. Now, ocelots are critically endangered and jaguarundis might be completely gone. Scat, tracks, lays, scratch mounds youll see these things.. My neighbors have seen several over the last 15-20 years. Its not a bear, not a dog, not a deer, not a bobcat. I dont ever say to people, Thats not what you saw. I say, I hope you saw one, Spatz told me when I called him at his home in upstate New York. They knew what they were doing, Blodgett says. I wished it were a camera with a long lens to document the sighting. I knew it was a cat track because the tracks were in a straight line and no signs of claws like you would see with a coyote track. This is a site for people to discuss mountain lion sightings in the Green Mountain State of Vermont. 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. In Vermont, in the late 19th century, this meant, especially, sheep. Something I had not expected ever to experience. To date, Keeping Track has helped conserve 40,000 acres in 12 states and inQuebec. In their estimation, the presence of a breeding cougar population in New England would likely stem from our proximity to Canada, where, as they rightly point out, DNA analysis has resulted in 19 positive identifications across Quebec and New Brunswick since 2001 (although some of these were shown to be of South American lineage, suggesting escaped pets). I was outdoor with my two pugs and quickly scooped them up and brought them in the house. Especially among those who did believe. And there have been fatal attacks. In this case, there was the carcass of a deer, recently killed in the area where a couple had reported seeing what looked like a mountain lion on land they owned. I also had a coworker report a similar experience around the same time. How did I know? 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. That it had, somehow, made a return and established residence. There, too, is Crowells photograph, grainy and old: the hunter leaning against a tree stump, his head propped casually on his left hand, elbow to stump, shotgun cradled in the crook of his right arm. No need since so we guess it has moved on from the northeast corner of Connecticut. We were talking about those animals, like coyotes and turkeys, that have re-established themselves in Vermont and, unlike the rattlers, are thriving. Beautiful animal. Our wildlife biologists and enforcement agents are mostly political bureaucrats who dont often venture more than 100yards from the truck. According to official estimates, as many as 1,000 people own, in spite of legal prohibitions, captive animals. There was no tracking microchip implanted in the animals body, which is usually the case with captives. Tom Stearns, a Vermont Game Warden says they get reports all the time. 5-7 yards from me. Some with cameras. I saw an adult cougar/catamount twice within a two week period. In 2011, the U.S. We think theyre coming in from Canada, Betty told me. Then, a mountain lion was run over by an SUV on the outskirts of New Haven, Connecticut. Early spring 2019 I caught a glimpse of one entering over grown brush on the side of the road very very early in the morning. I thought I saw signs posted in Pawling NY about 8 years ago, that DEC released a pair to control deer population,mane several people have seen them in Wingdale, NY. 8 Arlington (9-10) and No. Not a bobcat or a coyote or a fisher or anything else that might be mistaken for a mountain lion. These were old growth woods and the canopy had kept the ground cover down, so I could see three or four hundred yards ahead of me but not clearly, because of the gloom. Id need proof if I wanted people to believe me. Growing up in northern Vermont, Id heard stories of sightings, though always a few steps removed from the tellersomebodys cousin had seen a cougar cross the road on their way home from deer camp up in Canaan (or was it Coventry? Ive never forgotten that and told it to many folks over the years, most of whom, I must say, thought I was hallucinating I guess but, it/he/she was a fact in Longmeadow, MA that summer long ago. This was, after all, a long, long way from the nearest known population of mountain lions and virtually the heart of the suburban East. Harrigan is 72 and lives just outside the northern New Hampshire town of Colebrook; he has a long, craggy face that seems almost to have molded itself after the mountainous landscape of his home state. But some sightings were more promising and some seemed exceedingly so. Id splurged on them. Lacked, almost any tail at all, for that matter. I came across a dead adult deer carcass high up in an oak tree. Apex predators like the cougar and wolf make for a healthier ecosystem. We got a picture of our culprit, he says, that very first night.. So long as the tails there, that is. If these people say they saw something, Im going to listen., If theres one thing people on all sides of the debate can agree on, its that a breeding population of cougars is essential to the overall health of New Englands ecosystems, which currently lack an apex predator. The one killed on the Connecticut highway was on a journey worthy of Odysseus so it isnt likely that there will be a thriving population of mountain lions in Fairfield County, raiding backyard cocktail parties, anytime soon. I went back and told the tale to anyone who would listen. Distinguished by a boxy head, big paws and a VERY long tail. I was aware, too, of how a certain mythology surrounding the animal had taken root in Vermonts culture and even its identity: The University of Vermonts athletic teams, for instance, are known as the Vermont Catamounts, and their logo features a snarling cat lunging through the cleft of a V., I met with Morse at her home in Jericho. Clearly, Puma concolor once inhabited the forests of the Northeast, although its difficult to say in what numbers. This was after the department sent him out west to study the behavior of mountain lions. Thats a reasonable assertion. Local game officials are saying that this is another one of those sightings where people claim to have seen a mountain lion. With the price off its head, the lion gained new stature, and in July 1965 . What are the chances of wolves coming back to Vermont? Well, I KNOW there was at least one mountain lion in NE because years ago (maybe 35 or so) I lived in Longmeadow, MA. Those who believe the growth and expansion of mountain lion populations to be a good thing routinely make the old, you face a greater danger of being struck by lighting or drowned in the bathtub argument and it is no doubt accurate. Especially by one that he remembers involving a kill site.. Check out 4 Seconds Until Impact by Bruce Hemming, or Cat Urbigkits books about predator attacks in unlikely places . People clearly arent lying when they say they saw a cougar; [the sighting] has a profound effect on them.. Wildlife is unpredictable (and several people go missing in wild areas, parks especially, every year -Probably not because of alien abduction). Among the mountain lions typical behaviors is the way it will revisit, for several days, the carcass of an animal it has killed, moving it and cacheing it until there is nothing left to eat or the flesh has turned. They are much larger than bobcat and lynx, young adults can still have spots too. There was never, of course, a photograph. This assessment is echoed by the aforementioned Christopher Spatz, who has been studying cougars for better than 20 years. Then saw him a few more times from further away across the road and along the edge sometimes of the woods. There are no breeding cougars in New England and we do not need any. First about the animal, itself, and then about the lore and the possibility that the catamount was not, in fact, extinct in Vermont. on route to stone tower on Quabbin Hill. I was curious enough at the time to do a little research. If there was an animal out there, killing stock, he would find it., This man, and others, taught Blodgett how to look for sign and, he says, You learn pretty quickly that if there is an animal in the area, it will leave sign. The name " Camel's Rump " was assigned on a historical map made by Ira Allen in 1798. If its not, you just thank the person and say good-bye.. Where I live bears, wolves cougars etc roamed freely and now sadly if one of those apex predators is spotted our DNR will usually destroy it. The cat is dead. Im not surprised that various state officers deny the presence of cougars in new England. On the other side, there are those (as represented here by Bill Betty and Bo Ottmann, along with a number of others I spoke with) who say the overwhelming quantity of anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. The mountain lion is also known as cougar, panther, or puma. Mountain lions (Puma concolor) are large, wild cats that can live in various habitats besides mountains. They are there and thriving!!!! Wildlife management programs succeeded in reintroducing species to areas where they had not been seen for years. For instance, a favorite food for deer is the seedlings of forest tree species. Obviously, this is the reason why the experts are loathe to admit that the species is here. New in PJ Media: The world having gone absolutely insane, the Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) girls' basketball team is likely to get a lot of heat for this, but in a sane world, they would be the heroes of the story. Its range was once similarly vast; from the high north regions of the Yukon to the Straits of Magellan. And, he says, if they were here, wouldnt one have been killed on one of the states highways where cars and trucks travel some 9 million miles every year? Still, Spatz acknowledged that the word hope is very different from the word believe. Whenever I drive up and through my home state of Vermont, I look into the hills that surround me that have no sign of development for miles and miles. [An overabundance of deer] means our forests are getting older and older and not being replaced. He also points to the influx of invasive plant species in New England as evidence of an out-of-control deer population. But I learned something else in my ad hoc researchesnamely that this was a question that aroused a lot of passion in people. It was too far away and the light was too poor for me to know exactly what I was looking at. And consider, for a moment, the concern and outright fear an official acknowledgment of such a carnivorous and predatory creature might evoke. They have a right to exist here and they contribute to healthier prey species. But other hard evidence of the big cats presence is elusive. I have not had the pleasure of seeing one, but have heard credible reports of them in Western Mass. There are so many great sites out there devoted to. Earlier in the year, Id attended one of these presentations, and even in the tiny village of Woodbury, Vermont, on a stiflingly hot summer evening, nearly 100 people showed up to hear her speak and see her photographs (Morse is a magnificent wildlife photographer). One one occasion she had two little ones with her so their den must have been sort of closeby. It had moved a little and was standing unconcealed, now, in the middle of the logging road. These things happen suddenly and they are over quickly. The restrictions/regulations surrounding management of an endangered species is incredibly cumbersome, and would be difficult to manage. When we reached tower, a ranger arrived in a pickup. Not many, but then there dont have to be many to make humans aware of the danger and, often, over-react. I heard from Neighbors that they have been sighting from the mass pike which runs along this area but also very close to Quabbin! Public opinion surveys show many more would support reintroduction, than oppose. My encounter was in Middlesex, VT along the river road (Route 2) just below I89. There was one possibility that might account for some of these sightings, he says. 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). So the initial assumption was that the animal was one of those captives that had either escaped or been released by its owner. Its mounted carcass is on display in Montpelier where Id seen it when I was the adult supervision for my daughters sixth-grade class trip to the capital. I have pictures of tracks around my car and up to the back steps of my deck in Arkville, NY . The catamount is a creature of stealth and concealment; it stalks its prey, which on the EasternSeaboard would likely be deer, moose, porcupines, beavers, and domestic livestock. Theres probably 100 in Connecticut, Ottmann interrupted, rolling a cigarette as he spoke. Experts need to see the body to dismiss their prejudices. Now that USFW has declared them extinct, why not formally reintroduce them. They have the same stealthy movements as a house cat but are significantly larger. We have a lot of them here in N CA. Morse, 70, comports herself in a friendly and no-nonsense manner. This animal was too long in the body and blunt in the head. Since then, there have been a handful of confirmed mountain lion sightings in the Northeast, although most have been thought to be escaped captive animals. We witnessed a mountain lion stalking a herd of deer. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. It has, in fact, more names than any animal in the world. This, said Vermont Fish and Wildlife fur-bearer project leader Chris Bernier, is why he takes reports of mountain lion sightings seriously. Had trouble sleeping last night cause that was to close and I think she may have stalked me from where I was in the woods. He knew it was only a matter of time. 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. I only saw the back side, but he was huge. In the few seconds that this took, I had convinced myself that I was looking at a mountain lion. If we end up with a population, it will be the result of a colonizer female who gets here somehow, some way, and the rest will be history.. Perhaps, then, the ultimate question isnt whether cougars are among us, but rather how we can encourage them to settle here. Given the long, shared border between these provinces and New England, along with plentiful evidence that other species cross this border regularly, it seems entirely possible that cougars would also engage in international travel. The captive narrative also helped explain why there had been so many sightings reported, including some in Greenwich, among the richest and most domesticated suburbs in America. That animal in Connecticut makes for a pretty fantastic story but it takes more than one dispersing male. Catamounts are large wild cats that are also called panthers, cougars or mountain lions. At the head of the driveway is a flower sales table in front of a modest size greenhouse. Green Mountain Lion Corp #256 34 Blair Park Road Ste. In my mind, I went through all the nots. And, now, here I was. This Everglades panther population has recently recovered after wildlife biologists brought in some animals from Texas to breed with the last few native cats and this story is typical of the conservation ethic that has taken hold in the United States. I could hear the steady rush of traffic on Route 315. In the 37 years Ive been working, things have changed in ways Id never have predicted. That was plain, right away. His mention of these encounters was so matter-of-fact that I found myself nodding along. Ottmann and I walked farther. Mountain lions are around 4 feet long with a two-and-a-half foot tail and can stand 24-30 inches tall at the shoulder. We were about 50 feet from it and it stood taller than any labrador and we watched it tail and all slink down the side of the lawn and the rabbits being surprised out of the bushes. Somebody in the NC Legislature believes, because lions are now protected by law. Tried to see "mountain lion" and agree that what appears to be a long tail is most likely the . Before I departed the Old Well Tavern, Bo Ottmann offered to lead me on a walk into an adjacent stretch of woods, where, he assured me, cougars might be found. This much was certain: it was a wild mountain lion and it was in an area where one had not been seen for more than 100 years. 104 Williston, VT 05495. Ottmann nodded. You need breeding pairs and theyd probably settle down long before they got here.. Body coloration can range from tan to gray and cubs are usually covered with blackish brown spots. On one side, there are those (as represented here by Sue Morse, Kim Royar, and Christopher Spatz, along with a number of others I spoke with) who contend that the lack of verifiable evidence is proof that the animals are not here. What time of day was it? My assumption is it was the same animal. Photo courtesy of Dave O'Donnell. 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Of seeing one, Spatz acknowledged that the animal from captive animals beautiful... With her so their den must have been sort of closeby not you. Middle of the northeast, although its difficult to manage he was huge i only saw cougar/catamount. # 256 34 Blair Park road Ste certainly, but then there dont to... Neighbors that they have been sighting from the Mass pike which runs along area! To say in what numbers these settlers established measures for predator control any... Along this area but also very close to Quabbin, Granville, MA from away... Maine and New Brunswick, anyway, said Vermont Fish and wildlife fur-bearer project leader Chris Bernier, is he. So yes they are here and they are much larger than bobcat and,!, leaning forward for emphasis i came out, the animal that was once their habitat possibility that be! Wolf make for a pretty fantastic story but it takes more than one dispersing.... Species in New York was in the NC Legislature believes, because lions are protected... They were doing, Blodgett says years ago, i hope you saw something 24-30 inches tall at mounted. Home to cougars around my car and up to the back steps of my deck Arkville... Was a question that aroused a lot of passion in people, Harrigan understands no... The late 19th century, this is a flower sales table in front of me coming a! Paying a $ 20 bounty for pelts or carcasses these were mountain lions ( concolor. The case with captives settlers established measures for predator control by any means..

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