Cougars ( mountain lions)

[Second Hand]

I relate it the Wolves coming back to Yellowstones. Framers and Hunters wiped out the Mountain Lions around the turn of the century. As deer, turkeys and other prey make a comeback, so will the predators.

I haven't heard of Government agencies releasing Mountain Lions. The East is a pretty congested place and I imagine releasing Mountain Lions would put a scare into the public, weather it's warranted or not.

[SawnieRobertson]

I came across this today while searching for something else:

http://www.angelfire.com/co/KlueLass/lions/attacks2.htm

Thank you, Zelph. I am hanging onto the link.

Those who read the reports may go to the link within the link to read about the attacks that did not end in injury for the victim. One story is the one of Moses Street of Estes Park. The attack began about seven hours before it ended. Moses is an old friend. I have listened intently to the many details of what happened numerous times. It is an incredible tale. There are many details, but the one that impresses me most about the character of those predators is that in all those hours, that lion never made a sound. It was not located that year, but the next a little boy was killed by a lion in that area (on the Western Slope, not near Estes). It was killed, but even the details of that ranger's shooting it are amazing to me.








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[SawnieRobertson]

VIRGINIA COUGAR INVESTIGATION- Dr. Donald W, Linzey, Department of Biology at Wytheville Community College asks us to contact him immediately if we see a cougar or is tracks. His office is 276-223-4824; his home, 540-951-9717. He is also available at [email protected]. This Fall I attended a lecture he gave on all of the mountain lion questions which you have asked.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I've never seen a cougar in the east - saw and heard plenty in Utah when I lived there. One inhabited the field behind where I worked. You could here it "purr" at night - two octaves lower than a kitty cat. A little unsettling when going back to your car in the dark. I've seen bobcats, and some good size ones in the east. That said, I saw a wolf in northern NH in my back yard/property in the late 1990's. Many said I was mistaken, that they didn't exist in NH, but I know the difference between a coyote and a coydog and a wolf and . . . The Canadian government re-introduced wolves back into Quebec several years before that and the wolves just didn't see fit to check in at customs and immigration when they migrate. Now it's pretty accepted that we have a small breeding population in northern NH. I'd venture that there is a definite possibility cougars could migrate back into the Appalachians. Like the quote from the movie Jurassic Park, "life finds a way."

[Siarl]

Growing up in the Virginia Appalachians I never feared anything while my brothers and I hiked around the countryside. Now that I have lived in California and now in the Big Bend Area of Texas I can tell you that, although cats are my favorite breed of animal, I always tell the tourists that arrive and wish to spot a mountain lion, I always tell them that if you see a mountain lion, you're too close. There have always been rumours of black panther sightings in New England but never anything that could be substantiated. I always carry a big walking stick while hiking. If you are walking along the trail, you will never know if they follow you. If you do encounter one, do not run. If they attack, then you need to fight for your life.

[DonMecca]

i live in Delaware the least mountainous state in the appalachian region and we even have cougar sightings almost every spring , they always run away.. no attacks as of yet, humans are probably pritty scary looking to animals especially with all our funny colored "furr" (clothing)

[gypsy97]

This morning I walked a few miles along the American River Parkway, in a highly populated eastern suburb of Sacramento. I was surprised to see signs posted warning of mountain lions in the area. There are a lot of deer living in the buffer zone between the river and nearby housing, with plenty of foliage and places to stay out of sight.

[Son Driven]

The general public is not suppose to know.

[Siarl]

A couple of years ago inside Big Bend National Park two parents and their young child were walking back to their hotel room on the concrete path from the Gift Shop and Restaurant. A mountain lion ran in front of the mother, who was holding hands with the child, grabbed the child by the head with it's teeth and yanked. The mother, stunned, kept hold of her child and would not let go. The cougar continued to yank until the mother could not hold on any longer and with one powerful yank the mountain lion carried off her child a short distance away. The father, pulled out a knife, ran over to the cougar, stabbed it a couple of times and the mountain lion let the child go and fled off into the wilderness. The young boy was treated for superficial wounds with just a few stitches and released the same day with a future story he'll remember for the rest of his life.

Park Rangers searched for two weeks for the lion and found an emaciated lion with what appeared to be wounds but they could not absolutely identify the wounds in regards to the father's knife. They euthanized the mountain lion.

The same day that the mountain lion attacked the child, earlier in the day, there had been a mountain lion that attacked a hiker with a backpack near the same area. However, the mountain lion was only able to grab the pack and the hiker was able to chase off the lion.

[Pedaling Fool]

This morning I walked a few miles along the American River Parkway, in a highly populated eastern suburb of Sacramento. I was surprised to see signs posted warning of mountain lions in the area. There are a lot of deer living in the buffer zone between the river and nearby housing, with plenty of foliage and places to stay out of sight.

Numerous places in Cali are having issues http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/lo...238683241.html

[SawnieRobertson]

Terlingua. Well, I was about to ask for the reference, but this was in your back yard. I like wolves, polar bears, rats, mice, etc., but deliver me from the likes of mountain lions. When I watch a domestic cat as it prepares to pounce on a rodent in the grass, the whole scene changes to mountain lion v human prey to me.

[Game Warden]

As a professional investigator of cougar sightings along the AT in Pennsylvania, I can tell you with complete truth that the number of mountain lion fatalities and mountain lion attacks have not increased at all over the years. Also, the worldwide population of black panthers has remained steady.

[Marta]

There's been a mountain lion hanging around my house lately. I haven't seen the creature itself yet, just prints in the snow. Maybe some day...

[rocketsocks]

As a professional investigator of cougar sightings along the AT in Pennsylvania, I can tell you with complete truth that the number of mountain lion fatalities and mountain lion attacks have not increased at all over the years. Also, the worldwide population of black panthers has remained steady.

...and as a professional "keep my butt alive" I can honestly say..."what da mean haven't increased" they happen? what kinda numbers we talkin here Warden? Had no idea, and I don't play well with big kitties.

[HikerMom58]

...and as a professional "keep my butt alive" I can honestly say..."what da mean haven't increased" they happen? what kinda numbers we talkin here Warden? Had no idea, and I don't play well with big kitties.

I'm with Swanie & you socks... When we went out West, they had signs warning hikers about the threat of mountain lions... how can this be a good thing?

[rocketsocks]

I'm with Swanie & you socks... When we went out West, they had signs warning hikers about the threat of mountain lions... how can this be a good thing?

I think i'd rather rassle a bar, then tangle with a tom cat.

[rocketsocks]

on second thought...neither ends well...for me.

[HeartFire]

I saw 2 cougars in Colorado this summer when hiking the Colorado Trail. It was awesome seeing them.-

[Siarl]

I'm with Swanie & you socks... When we went out West, they had signs warning hikers about the threat of mountain lions... how can this be a good thing?

It probably doesn't sound like such a good thing. But the warning is for everyone but from experience at observing those who arrive at the entrances to National Parks, the warning is for those who arrive thinking this is just an extension of their safety net they brought with them from home, the city, the suburbs, etc.,

I spoke with a visitor that had just checked into her room. She asked me some questions about the National Park and what she might expect to find inside the park. I informed the guest of the different wildlife she might encounter. She asked me again about what kind of dangerous wildlife she might encounter. I told her again that she might encounter mountain lions, black bears, snakes etc, inside the boundaries of the park.

She then corrected me and stated that she was actually asking me about what kind of wildlife she might encounter between her motel room door and her car parked right outside. I think I was too stunned to speak for a few seconds and then regained my composure and informed her that the animals, the desert etc, do not necessarily obey human declared boundaries and that she probably would not but may encounter the same wildlife such as tarantulas, scorpions etc. Ma'am, when you're outside, there are no guarantees.

These are the types of individuals the warnings are addressed to. They are addressed to everyone however, they are there for the safety of humans as much as they are there for the safety of the wildlife. It's their world too.

[martinb]

New here but not to backcountry. I have definitely seen cougar tracks in GSMNP, on a muddy trail, heading up to CS54.. At first I thought I was seeing things but, having seen cougar tracks in Olympic NP, I knew these were the real deal. So, I have been looking up a lot more when hiking in WNC.