It was slinking off up a hill after crossing the road, he said it was 100 + lbs. The sub-species of the eastern cougar indigenous to the state is extinct. I saw more recently something very large and stocky going into the tall grass, only saw the back end of it and that was at least 3 feet long with a long tail. My friend and I couldnt believe what we had just witnessed. Wonder why so many big black cats ae spotted all over the country then?? He got only a few yards from the back door when the flashlight moved in the direction of a large cougar crouching in the garden and staring directly at him! It was completely jet black, with a very long tail 3-4 feet long. Im not 100% sure but thats what i feel it was a COUGAR. I took an impression of the track (which I still have) and have showed it to many, some knowledgeable which identified it as a mountain lion. I was backpacking on the tuscarours trail and set up camp right after the overall run connector. Thursday, April 21, 2005. I, a CPA, saw one 15 years ago. From a Biologists point of view, of COURSE cougars inhabit the Eastern United States..with all the sightings over the last 20 years, thats a given. Mountain Lions are back, maybe. Whatever it was was big and right under my window. Mountain Lions at the West Virginia Wildlife Center. Since my reported sighting of a perhaps cougar several local farmers have told me of similiar beasts they have seen. Not high pitched like a house cat but low, sounded like whatever it was had some size to it. the cougar. My buddy who lives in Floyd heard one, and others I know around here and by bent mountain. On June 17, 2015, the U.S. So it could have been a red wolf. We couldnt figure out what it was so we did a little research and felt the sounds couldnt be anything other than a cougar. Be that as it may, I have happened upon a number of large feline tracks similar to those of the cougar, and while rerunning the indelible images of my sighting, can only deduce that the animal I saw was just that. I knew not to run, so I just stood there and waited. Officially, mountain lions have not been seen in Virginia since 1970. Diana Marchibroda and her miniature schnauzer froze in their tracks when the mountain lion stepped out of the woods last May. It was great, probably one of the most exciting experiences of my life, and I feel very fortunate.. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Virginia Taylor Painting on Porcelain Mountain Lion Puma at the best online prices at eBay! I hope that maybe I can find a place I can place a trail camera nearby to search for it. While mountain lions are native to Virginia, they have been expatriated from the state since 1882. Mountain Lions in Virginia: How Theyre Here and Why Its Denied. they may have migrated there by way of fractured habitat that has forced them into the area due to encroachment. tail, gray to tan in color. The New York Times reported that a cougar killed in Connecticut by car in 2011 was from the Black Hills of South Dakota:6, If a cougar population was e-established in the east, it would pose a risk to backcountry hikers similar to that posed by bears. He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News. Dont know what it was, but I have always wondered if it was a big cat or not. Virginia has two different native species of wild cats. Chronic Wasting Disease positive results in Virginia, 2009-19. Mountain lions were common enough well into the 19th century throughout North Carolina. I never had heard anything like it before. I put on the speed and got within about 30 years before it jumped off into the brush. Unfortunately, we lost our big barn cat to these predators and continue to see and hear them on a regular basis. Im not a mammalogist, so Im not going to try to play their role, but I think theyre all the same, Kocka said, adding that differentiating between subspecies may not always be a worthwhile effort. THE BOBCAT: on the other hand actualy has a more shrill high pitched terrified scream that sounds like a woman being murdered much like on a horror film or somethng like the screams at that halloween fright night you may have been to. "They've been found as far east as western Tennessee," Fies said. By Rick Steelhammer. We never saw it again. Today, we are going to be learning about where they live. But recent expert-confirmed sightingswhich have involved photographs, videos, and DNAin Tennessee support a theory that mountain lions, whose populations out west have continued to expand, are slowly making their way back to this side of the country. Four of us in Gladstone, VA (central Virginia between Lynchburg and Charlottesville) have seen black mountain lions (cougar, panther, whatever) on 4 seperate occasions. Oh maybe some of the lazy hacks have finally retired., Another commenter speculated that the agency may have intentionally downplayed past sightings as they result in new study and staffing expenses.. 211 just north of Warrenton VA. Moose are notoriously shy creatures, so spotting them anywhere is an exciting experience. I had my food hanging ten feet in the air so i thought it was a bear. The Locavore Hunter. Mountain Lions and Their Historic Range in West Virginia. Get real. rick_freer@yahoo.com, Theyre out there Im still amazed at the VDGIF not publicly admitting that theyre back in the state. I know tons of people who have claimed to see them, but despite these supposed sightings, we never get any good photo or video evidence to back it up. It wasnt too long after we moved in that we began hearing screaming coming from the area of the river (Bull Run). kind of beige, dark grey at tip of tail, white underbelly. Suitable habitat is available now, but for decades it was not. News outlets picked up the story and the video went viral, and its easy to understand whyaccording to TWRA regional manager Alan Peterson, that video marked only the second confirmed cougar sighting in Tennessee in more than 100 years. Im not sure if they really believed us but a few years ago the lady and her friend rode their horses off into the battlefield trails which begin in a field directly across from our front door. Look at his PAWS!. The graceful animal was golden brown in color. Virginia's mountain lions, known as the Eastern puma, were once on the endangered species list. The US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Eastern Cougar as Endangered in 1973, since it was considered to be a distinct breeding population separate from the western population. I was leaning against a tree w/my parka hood blocking the wind, when I saw a grown cougar walking straight toward me. On another ride our oldest daughter described a cat that was smaller but she said the color was different it had spots. I myself saw 2 big black cats with a tawny one run out of an abandoned barn back in the late 1970s in upstate NY. . We searched for bones, but we had waited too long and could not find anything. Female cougars will raise a litter of kittens up until the age of about 20 months, LaRue explained, and then the young cats are kind of kicked out and left on their own. The males, especially, are forced to disperse away from the family, partly to avoid inbreeding, and partly because male cougars are territorial and wont tolerate any other males in their domain. However, wildlife experts in the area have disagreed with the sightings and think people are confusing bobcats with mountain lions. Theres just too few of them. In daylight I am sure I would have thought it was only one cat. So yes, there are mountain lions in the Blue Ridge. NEW VIRGINIA, Iowa (KCRG) - Law enforcement have confirmed mountain lion sightings in central Iowa. Our daughters were in a 4H group across the park on Bull Run Post Office Road and each week theyd ride their horses across the battlefield to a farn where they practiced Vaulting (circus riding) with their 4H group. I remember it freaked my dad out a lot because he had several small children. This Fearless Cougar Doesnt Care How Much, Mountain Lion (Cougar) Population by State, Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? As we rounded a curve in the road, we saw the cat jump out of a overhanging tree on the left hand side of the road and landed in the middle of the road. Photos are difficult to confirm, Peterson saidthe process involves sending wildlife experts to the exact spot where the cat was allegedly seen to take another photo in order to compare it to the original and verify the location. A huge buck jumo out in front of us right then so we assumed it had smelled cat or that the cubs mother was hunting. A French naturalist created the name "cougar" by combining "puma" with "jaguar." If some one ask if there are lions in Danville, Va tell them hell yes! This was a night time sighting. He was a beauty! Interestingly, the Eastern Cougar did exist in Virginia up until around the 1880's, but The . I also found a recording online of a cougar cry and it was EXACTLY the sound I heard. Peterson said he understands the excitement around the idea of crossing paths with a mountain lion, but nearly all of the photos and videos he receives are not what they seem. Lystrosaurus was one of the few terrestial species that survived the permian extinction. "To date, none of these reports have been substantiated by a photo, carcass or track. Loudoun County Off of Woods road almost every single night we hear a mountain lion , no doubt at all this is what it is. He said he had called the county animal control and they told him he must have seen a bob cat as no mountain lions were still in our area. For an interview on these animals, that dont exist, please call me (John Ballard) at (434) 946-0486. Mountain lions live in areas that have ample hiding places. I am from western North Carolina. Mountain lions are now fairly common in suburban areas of California and have recently been sighted as far east as urban Kansas City, Missouri, where several have been hit by cars. A seasoned hiker whos lived in Virginia since the 1970s and is deeply familiar with the areas wildlife, shes confident in what she saw. Ive seen a few cougars in the wild, I dont believe the black phase has ever been confirmed in any mountain lion/cougar/catamount/puma. Then well try to figure out what kind they are and get more evidence.. However, once you start talking about black cats the credibility of the reports goes down signigiciantly. Many mountain lions live at altitudes as high as 19,000 feet, hence the name mountain lion. One of her biggest concerns about the recent declaration of extinction is that any cats in the area (whether western migrants or otherwise) and their habitats wouldnt be protected. Like I said we never saw the mother just the young cat but I would guess it was somewhere between midway and three quarters fully grown. One night our mules and horses had broken through the fence. The tail was furry but with short hair like the rest of the body that I saw and was round kind of curving down and out like my house cats tail when he hunts birds. It was a juvenile mountain lion. Though, they grew large quickly, and set themselves apart from the domesticated cat with ease They eventually returned back to the woods. I have since seen a picture of a lion spotted in Buckingham co. and realize that was the animal I saw. Hey me and my friends go hunting in virginia and theres been some times where we have been hunting and we would here her but it sounds like a female screaming bloody murder and its one of those sounds that makes your hair stand up and if you are tired it will wake you up i personaly know i was hunting in a stand and i saw the hole body but the head it scared the living crap out of me Period. I live in Rockbridge Baths and found a trail of 4 dog prints in the woods! He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. Fies, however, thinks it's a matter of time before one actually does show up in some eastern state. Lets explore what that looks like some more. They can stand up to 35 in. Lil Rose/flickr. My husband quickly put our dog into his pen. We are just amazed to have found one. Since 1970, 121 sightings have been identified as possible mountain lions, but have not been officially confirmed. The last cougar in Virginia was killed in Washington County in 1882. It was, without question, a mountain lion. For a solid four seconds, Marchibroda watched as a large, sleek cat standing about three feet tall with a long, curled tail crossed Skyline Drive near Gavel Springs Gap less than 100 feet in front of them. All we get are hearsay stories and misidentified wildlife. Our youngest daughter was hysterical thinking that her mule would be attacked. A southern cousin of the lynx, the bobcat (Lynx rufus rufus) is the only "wildcat" in Virginia. I called the wild life biologist at the Game and Inland Fisheries to report the sighting and they basically blew it off and asked me if I wasnt sure that it wasnt a large house cat! Then what? There are a lot of instances of someone trying to mess with us, or theyre messing with a buddy, and the buddy sends it to us thinking its real, he said. Scientific reports one claimed that the Florida Panther was an obligate forest species and used lands only within 100 yards of forests. This seems strange for late in the summer. I saw a friend while out to dinner two weeks ago and he came up and said, You will never believe what I saw last evening at my place. I said, What did you see? I live in Montgomery Co, and was wondering if you could tell me where exactly you saw the cougar in 2002 in Floyd county. It was a state car. It was headed north. But really, itll change peoples viewpoints at some point., Experts in Tennessee dont know exactly how many mountain lions are roaming the area, but they do know one thing for sure: at least one of them is a female. So, I had the opportunity to help raise beautiful, and playful ( they acted just like any kitten would! 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