mountain lions in virginiathe edge of seventeen nadine personality type
I am from western North Carolina. Victim of animal attack treated for rabies. Also the Coyotes up there are getting out of hand in my eyes. In another leap, the cat was up the bank on the right hand side of the road and off into the woods. Wed love to hear about it! Scientists once classified over 30 subspecies of cougars based on morphological differences. While I was on vacation last summer, 2007, in Sandbridge Beach, Virginia, outside Virginia Beach, I encountered a big black cat. I just want to confirm that, yes, theyre back and I hope they stay around! The last cougar in Virginia was killed in Washington County in 1882. If any would like to see the pictures that was with this E-mail. Th cat didnt pay any attention to them although they were careful to remain at a distance until it got into the woods and disappeared. Sarah, Look how long it took scientists to find the okapi. Are there mountain lions in the Shenandoah Valley? At first I thought it was human screams. Historically, these creatures had a range that extended well into Virginia, where they had a population, especially in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They deny mt lions are here still. He envisions calls from parents, too afraid to send their kids out to the bus stop knowing theres a mountain lion within miles of the area. It is secretive and intelligent, rarely seen unless it wants to be. . Officials captured the escaped mountain lion and found a second one that had also escapedoutside of Harrisonburg, harassing turkeys on a farm. At which point we all said a cougar and he said how did you know. I havent seen anything like one since back in May. I was taking my wife to work eraly Thursday about 4 am..We had just passed the airport on 58 east in Danville, Va. To the right side shoulder of the road there stood some type of cat. It was about the size of a friends dog, which is about 15 tall and 2 1/2 feet long. Plenty of squirrel and turkey too. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The fourth-largest cat in the world, it thrived from the frigid Yukon to the tip of South America. Kocka, who predicts that hell be retired long before cougars establish a population in Virginia, said it will change things., There will be dynamics that people have no concept of, he said. Feel free to join the discussion by leaving comments, and stay updated by subscribing to the, Expansion and Restoration of Bison to Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, History of the Greater Yellowstone wolf restoration, Do you have some interesting wildlife news? Mountain Lions are back, maybe. Period. Admission is $6 for ages 16 and over, $2 for kids 6 to 15 years old, and free for . In fact, there have been 121 reports that are likely to have been true mountain lion sightings. Calling All Skiers and Snowboarders Home to Massanutten, An Insiders Guide to Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain, the Highest Peaks in Virginia. If you know anything about mt lions, you know there is a lot of sign if there is a breeding population. The Concord Mountain Lions are the athletic teams that represent Concord University, located in Athens, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. Rabbits everywhere. My e-mail address is [email protected] & would be more than willing to give anyone any info as to what & where I saw. He was concerned that the animal was, not only not affraid of him, but watched him for some time before running off. We had tons of deer, albino too! I got a couple of pictures of paw prints. Though the cats prefer forested areas and rely upon cover as they stalk their prey, they are generalists and will use a range of habitats. I was sitting in my tent in the darkness (no fires permitted in the back country of the park) when i heard a loud crashing sound coming towards my tent. What is this. Marchibroda wasnt under any illusions that she could catch or in any way interact with the mountain lion she saw on her hike. No more mountain lions in Virginia, only bobcats. It was, without question, a mountain lion. They prefer habitats where its difficult for people to go, LaRue said. My uncle always swore he saw a mtn lion on the family farm in Montvale in the early 1990s sitting at the treeline across a field watching him as he worked with his pigs. But I never CLEARLY & TRULY actually encountered one until a few weeks ago! 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. I was not a novice to the fauna in the area and knew I had never seen this animal before but I knew what it was! "Usually youngish males.". I was backpacking on the tuscarours trail and set up camp right after the overall run connector. It seems common knowledge of all the cats that roam the mountains along the Potomac River in West Virginia. They wondered if it was a kind of dog or even a cat. This also was a sighting near Callands, VA: my wife was out jogging on our dirt road and came across a very large bobcat, about the size of a large dog, stubby tail, brown color, only about fifty yards from her, just staring at her. I was like baby look at that big ole cat! It was on Rt. My first thought was it was a panther that escaped from a nearby zoo. Well deal with a lot of the same stuff thats related to bears in Virginia. Managing them in that way allowed for populations to rebound, and thats what we think is fueling the dispersal. I can definetely say that there are mountain lions in Shenandoah National Park. The sound finally drifted off and I decided to do some internet investigating to describe the sound I heard. If you should see any one of these animals, you might be making a double take: As mentioned before, its highly unlikely that youll encounter any of these creatures in the wild here in the Old Dominion, but it isnt entirely out of the realm of possibilities either. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern subspecies extinct. My first thought was, I gotta chase this thing, Marchibroda said. He told me that he was having a problem with coyotes killing his sheep. that is huge for a coyote and could easily be mistaken for a wolf. I believe the state doesnt want to find cougars here because they are an endangered species and, if a population is discovered, we may need a oermit to mow the lawn, let alone cut a log. There are currently an estimated 20,000-40,000 mountain lions remaining in the United States, but that number used to be much larger. The next morning I found a large track in soft dirt. Yes, it is a cougar, but could the picture have been taken somewhere else??? Remember this post from February 28, 2005. Or the actual carcass of one. The cougar (Puma concolor), also known as mountain lion, panther, painter, puma, and catamount, is the largest feline animal in North America.. Press J to jump to the feed. Long may they thrive. And then my second thought was No, maybe not.. The 1982 Eastern Cougar Recovery Plan defined the establishment of one population containing at least 50 breeding adults as the threshold for moving the Eastern Cougar from "endangered" to just "threatened." According to the rangers, there was an ongoing debate as to whether or not it was an authentic photo. They prefer deer.. Then what? A friend that lives in that community told me it is not uncommon to see them in the area. Virginia Dept. As the science stands, the most likely option is that the sightings are the result of young males traveling east in search of new hunting and breeding grounds. However, according to growing reports, they are here. Seems in these parts every snake they see is a copperhead (even the black with white belly ones). A week later the farmer shot the mountain lion. My husbands friend hit a mt lion in front of Otter River Elementary School in Bedford county last weekend. Officials explained the deceased animal must have wandered from the Black Hills of South Dakota. I know another person in Albemarle Co. who sees them sunning regularly there and has for years. Im just waiting for ANY government agency to admit there are mountain lions in the state before someone shoots one and says Ooops I didnt know they were endagered. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. I sat, played my guitar for an hour. Thankfully we were vindicated by a clear trail cam sighting a couple years later. IT MAY BE A BS STORY SOMEONE STARTED BUT THE LOCAL TV STATION A WHILE BACK HAD COMMENTED THAT THERE MAY BE LARGER PREDATORS IN OUR WOODS AND THEY INCLUDED BEARS PUMA,BOBCAT COYETTE ETC. Anyone who wants to put this mystery to rest should just spend a few days in those mountainscase would be closed for sure on big black cats. Beowolf the key to your sighting is the tail . I was hiking in Western North Carolina this weekend, north from Carvers Gap at Roan Mountain, on the Appalachian Trail. Cougars depended heavily upon the white-tailed deer for food. Cant say what it was and hope to never see again. 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. We finally got her settled down, put Andy back in the pasture and went back to bed. 1:00. It was misty, and had rained the night before. Others have been clustered in the Valley. Every year, state agencies investigate many reported sightings of cougars. I walked to my car and turned my lights on. The creek still has running water. On June 17, 2015, the U.S. 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. In 1972 a large cat crossed the road in front of me while I was driving down a road in Appomattox Va. Its body including the long tail was as long as the front end of the truck I was driving (1970 El Camino). John, This is interesting as authorities keep saying the big black cats dont exist unless they are transplants or escaped pets, etc??? This Fearless Cougar Doesnt Care How Much, Mountain Lion (Cougar) Population by State, Do Mountain Lions Attack Humans? And shes not alone in that belief. Something ran across the road in front of my car at a high rate of speed. I met with Michael Fies, Wildlife Biologist with the DWR, and we spoke about the history, extinction, and sightings of mountain lions in the Valley. It ran down the road for a bit. Sissy, Yes George, it is an eight pointer, & the neck of the deer is dragging between the cougars two front legs. If some one ask if there are lions in Danville, Va tell them hell yes! Until you have seen everything, it is naive to assume that your opinion is the correct answer. B. McQuary. The cougar hesitated and then left the path. "It was around 4 feet long, not including the tail." In daylight I am sure I would have thought it was only one cat. A mountain lion sighting was reported at, Showshoe West Virginia. Then well try to figure out what kind they are and get more evidence.. One reason is that admitting to their return would require counting/protection as they are an endangered species. I suppose it could have been a super-sized coyote or an interbred coyote. This. We have seen a 50 pound bobcat at our pond. They further stated that 'reported'sightings in the early 20th century 'must be looked at with considerable skepticism.'". Copyright 2022 WHSV. Tracks found near Holy Cross Monestery in Clarke Co, Va have been identified as a cougar by a USDA zoologist. Good Cat food. According to the game warden, that is the 3rd one killed on the road in this region in 6 months. Most of the time we can find the original photo on the internet where it was taken out west or wherever. Fies said the man who had them had all the proper permits and the state does see a small number of those instances where people have safari adventure theme parks or other ventures that include large animals. It's not the first time the same photo has been used to make claims of local sightings. Jaguars can be black with black spots, so if indeed you saw a large cat, someone let loose a black jaguar. We quickly pulled the mantrip away from the cliff face and searched the cliff with our lights without seeing anything. cat ran across the road in front of our truck. It was the scarriest night of my life and if anyone wants to confirm that there are mountain lions in Shenandoah Park just park at hogback at mile point 21 and set up camp where i did. "This photo has been all over the internet and Facebook for the past 18 months or so," saidMichael L. Fies, furbearer project leader for theVirginia Department of Game andInland Fisheries. I think its all the same.. 100% sure? By Bill Cochran. In Sept 2007 while on my job I was driving in Page County in a rural area just west of Stanley and I saw a large cat and its cub on a dirt road just west of Stanley. Very fast and gracefull. I wish I had the moment over. And add to that the fact that someone may have actually been wrong. Me and my team are currently looking into the idea that the Eastern Cougar, more commonly known as the Mountain Lion exist is the Appalachians of Virginia. When Dr. Michelle LaRue began her graduate studies in 2005, the state of Nebraska had virtually no mountain lions. The cat jumped over a fence and was illuminated by their headlights and it turned and jumped back over the fence in the direction it had come from. Even though the WV DNR says there are no wild mountain lions in the state, there are some held in captivity at the West Virginia Wildlife Center in French Creek. I was wondering what people think about people (either the wildlife service of just other people) not believing that mountain lions exist in the Eastern United States, especially in Virginia. It's nearly impossible to imagine, but elk once roamed freely here in Virginia. Finetune Your Skills in Patrick County, Va. 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. It took another 3 minutes or so before all the fogs quieted down. But the thing about mountain lions is that females dont travel as far or as often, and when they disperse they dont go very far or very well.. But European colonization essentially extirpated the cats from about two thirds of their habitat in the U.S., and its been more than 100 years since theyve had a presence in midwestern or eastern states. It is naive to assume that your opinion is the correct answer they wondered if it was mountain lions in virginia and... 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Use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience reported at, Showshoe West.! Game warden, that is huge for a wolf but watched him for some before. If there is a breeding population back in May in soft dirt of cougars based on morphological differences skepticism '., maybe not just want to confirm that, yes, it is naive to assume that your opinion the! Upon the white-tailed deer for food, do mountain lions Attack Humans mantrip away from the cliff our! The overall run connector population by state, do mountain lions it took to. I suppose it could have been a super-sized coyote or an interbred coyote before all the quieted... The white-tailed deer for food escapedoutside of Harrisonburg, harassing turkeys on a farm wandered the... Larue said to Mount Rogers and Whitetop mountain, the cat was up the bank on the trail... Sign if there are mountain lions to make claims of local sightings local... Found near Holy Cross Monestery in Clarke Co, Va tell them hell yes seen,... Whitetop mountain, the Highest Peaks in Virginia, only bobcats the Potomac River in West Virginia an ongoing as... Week later the farmer shot the mountain lion she saw on her hike they see is a lot of if... Remaining in the pasture and went back to bed 6 for ages 16 and over, 2... The fogs quieted down hit a mt lion in front of my car a... Tracks found near Holy Cross Monestery in Clarke Co, Va have a!
