WOODBRIDGE Police are offering tips after they said there have been several mountain lion sightings in town. Initially, officials believed it had been released from a private handler. Also, there has been a rash of cats and dogs gone missing out of here with the DPs. 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? A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information. Of course. 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. Figure 1 - Mountain lion range and confirmed sightings from 1990-2008. One has been spotted on our street for the last four or five years. Hawley: I feel strongly that we need a harvest here in Connecticut. Weve done a lot of work over the years investigating sightings. Hawley: Yeah. Certainly, bobcats are much larger than housecats, but they are not nearly the size of cougars. A mountain lion from South Dakota apparently made an epic journey to suburban Connecticut. Its a cool story with how far that animal walked. 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. While this isn't the norm, it is becoming slightly more common as mountain lions are striking out further east in search of territory. Thats only a fraction of the supposed sightings. It was a 140-pound male mountain lion, the first confirmed in Connecticut in more than 100 years. Ancient_Ad126 4 mo. 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. It was found, though, that this particular big cat had traveled all the way from South Dakota a distance of 1,500 miles. 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. 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. He drove me out to the spot. Youll get the answer to this question in this article. Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. They certainly have, you know, lower levels of conflicts and home entries than we do here in Connecticut. Wright, however, didnt agree with his mentor and began writing publicly about mountain lions in the East. Were getting more and more home entries every year. For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. The department has said it receives reports every year of. 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. Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. But it also sort of instills that fear, a healthy fear of humans and bears. So theres fresh mud. New London would be the last place I'd expect to see a mountain lion in CT. My sister is on 9 acres in Harwinton and watched a mountain lion cross the driveway which is about a quarter mile surrounded by woods and unpaved. By, March 2023 Fund Drive Rules and Regulations, Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org. These highlights have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. 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. You can subscribe to Connecticut Magazine here, or find the current issue on sale here. 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. Its documented through track surveys, aerial surveys, trapping and collaring surveys. I believe that was about 10 years ago. Officials recommend not running away, as this can trigger a chase. Not long after, what was believed to be the same mountain lion was struck and killed on Route 15 in Milford. 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.. 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. On the idea of bear hunting in Connecticut. We're not aware of any more confirmed mountain lion sightings other than the one that was hit by the car many years back. A bobcats tail is short and bob-like, while mountain lions have long, curving tails that can grow up to 3 feet. Hawley: That animal was documented. Tandmlally@yahoo.com. Hey, I know what I saw. According to authorities, the mountain lion was reportedly seen on Friday including on Salem. "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. On June 11, 2011, in Milford, CT, a mountain lion was killed by a motor vehicle. Over time, Wright became convinced Eastern cougars lived in small pockets in the deep woods. You cansubscribe here, orfind the current issue on sale 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? 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. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. People often get very emotional about it, Hawley says. If a young male Cougar disperses East, instead of West, they're going to keep walking because they're going tokeep looking for an area where they can find a mate, he said. Hi! Hawley: Yeah. 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. As I rushed to meet her in the woods, she told me what she had seen. WOODBRIDGE, CT (WFSB) - Police in Woodbridge said they have received reports of mountain lion sightings in town. Theres also the lack of visual evidence, more glaring each passing year as so many hikers and hunters now carry phones with cameras. From family fun to restaurants and everything in between, everything you need to know about CT is right here. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. 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. Connecticut Dept. Bachelder said he did a double take Friday evening when he looked out the back window of his home on Pease Road. Im Shelton Lively, a Connecticut resident, and an avid outdoors person. However, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) says. Clean_Caterpillar225 4 mo. ago. Bobcats: They are about two to three times larger than their distant relative. The history of this theory in Connecticut and New England goes back long before our current era of fake news. A threat to livestock, they were hunted out of the state and driven to parts more wild. 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.. So all the other states in the Northeast that have bear populations have a harvest on their bears. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Ive lived here 23 years, Ive seen coyotes, Ive seen bobcats, Ive seen foxes, everything else, never seen anything like this before, said Bachelder. And he said, This is where the mountain lion crossed. We walked in and there were fresh bobcat tracks in there. Give it space to turn around without feeling threatened to get away from you and your family. I would not have it any other way. (Throughout history, people have had a deep fear of these creatures, hounding and hunting them mercilessly.) Time changes all and Im not going to shut the door on the future and say that a breeding population of cougars is not here because the day after tomorrow they could be here its just a matter of time., Though a deer hunter herself, Morse is opposed to the way mountain lions have been hunted in the western U.S., where they are found. Breweries in New Haven, CT you MUST Visit! Beautiful clear day just like this, and there in my backyard I see this huge golden animal, walking through the yard, Bachelder said. 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. Weve got a growing bear population. Ask people who spend time outside Connecticut cities and you will hear firsthand or secondhand accounts of mountain lions. The gate of a bobcat can often make it look like it has a long tail. People should also make noise and to make themselves as large as possible by raising their arms over their head with a jacket or sweatshirt. Since then, theyve diverted over an acre of hardwood flooring, roughly 570 kitchen cabinets, and 500 windows from landfills. But as Eastern cougar search efforts became more organized and still there were no concrete signs of the creatures, many became more skeptical. Not really, Rego says. It is also the most common wild cat found in North America. 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? Bobcats typically have brown fur with a reddish tinge that is marked with black or brown spots or stripes, according to the National Zoo. 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. Those are the two closest populations that we have here. Hunters and property owners have also set up tens of thousands of trail cameras at various locations throughout the state. 2023 Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC, Report: CT man killed in police shootout after dispute at casino, Police: CT man jumped off overpass after causing head-on crash, Police: Fugitive captured after crashing stolen car on Merritt, Danbury apartment project gets environmental green light, Senior center benefit to feature 'roadshow-style' appraisals, Ridgefield teens learn about dementia through interactive lesson, 24 Connecticut towns don't have stores that accept food stamps, CT could lose thousands of affordable housing units, Greenwich police offer new emergency alert system, Norwalk business moves to make room for CT's first Wegmans, several have reportedly been spotted around the Woodbridge area this month, one that was killed on the Merritt Parkway in 2011, U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service, mountain lions became extinct in Connecticut in the 1800s, UConn men's basketball freshman Yarin Hasson enters transfer portal, 7 cute villages and hamlets in CT to explore this spring, Feds: Four Connecticut men face drug charges for allegedly flooding Waterbury with fentanyl, heroin, Branford gym for 50+ reaches milestone with help from members who paid dues during COVID lockdown, Police: Meriden father and son had child sex abuse videos on their phones, Connecticut softball top performers (Apr. Im not an expert on human psychology, but if youre looking for something, you have a greater chance of actually seeing it. Based on this blurry photo and pawprints, confirmed it was likely a mountain lion. Seeing a wild cat can be both frightening and exciting, and its common for people to make mistakes in identification, as all most people are used to seeing is the common housecat. 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 Hartford Courant dubbed the lion-like creature supposedly responsible, the Glawackus. Hear the full interview: Megafauna mania: our obsession with mountain lions and other large predators. building a betterand more civilConnecticut to live, work, and play. As a scientist, lack of evidence is very good evidence. Are There a Lot of Spiders in Connecticut? Mountain Lions: They are officially extinct. 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. Throw rocks, sticks, etc to scare it off. It was a flooded area. "Connecticut is cougar heaven . Mountain lions went extinct in Connecticut during the 1800s, but bobcats are still seen regularly. What about mountain lions, though? For mountain lions in Connecticut, a lack of evidence is very good evidence. 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