We searched for bones, but we had waited too long and could not find anything. Being in a residential neighborhood does nothing for a cougar.. I have helped skin and mount wild cats before and definitely know the difference. Dec 27, 2022. He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News. 421, I watched a black cat come from under a concrete bridge and jump into the woods when it saw me. I raise miniature horses and am quite concerned as we are surrounded by woods in Warrenton. Because of how they hunt, they need to basically be able to hide and creep up on their prey. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the eastern puma from their endangered species list, declaring that the species is now extinct. Tracks found near the sighting was confirmed by a retired wildlife biologist with the Smithsonian. I too hope to see mountain lions return to Virginia, but I really dont think there are many here yet, if any all. 0. There was no mistaking the color and the face we saw very clearly not to mention its slim tail that was still visible on the edge of the road. Most of the time we can find the original photo on the internet where it was taken out west or wherever. As my friends wife was leaving, she looked out the window and said that saw what she thought to be dear. Unless of course you already know this and are relieved to know that it is not that of the great puma . It screeched really loud. Additionally, those unaccustomed to living near apex predators will need to adjust their way of thinking! We have no intentions, but if they show up, they show up.. Despite the widely-held belief in the scientific community that eastern mountain lions have been long gone and any cats seen roaming the region these days must have made the long trek from midwestern states like South Dakota, some Appalachian residents remain convinced that the cats never actually left the area. I really took offense to that.. Until recently, Los Angeles' most famous lion, P-022, lived in Griffith Park, just north of Hollywood. Theres lots of legends around here, but I have heard from one very reputable source about a recent (within the last year) sighting in the vicinity of the Lovers Leap turnout on Route 58 about 6-7 miles east of Meadows of Dan. Lystrosaurus was one of the few terrestial species that survived the permian extinction. About 6 years ago my husband and I saw a mountain lion cross directly in front of us on Bobbletts Gap Rd, in Bedford County. The wind chill was absolutely tremendous in the portal and the -20 outside felt balmy in comparison. So, i think that there are sightings that no one ever hears about. According to LaRue and her research, lions recolonize by stepping stone dispersal, which essentially means they start traveling, find a nice habitat to set up shop for a little while, then move on to the next area with a suitable habitatand theyll do this for hundreds, even up to thousands of miles. It turned around when it got to the side of the road and went back into the tall grass. It was a large cougar that had an eight point buck by the neck. Could have been either I guess. 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. The cougar hesitated and then left the path. (we have more of both in these parts of Virginia, lots more sheep and lots more coyotes.) I live in Rockbridge Baths and found a trail of 4 dog prints in the woods! I have friends in Wyoming and Montana, where mountain lions have always been. rick_freer@yahoo.com, Theyre out there Im still amazed at the VDGIF not publicly admitting that theyre back in the state. I got into the bald on Big Hump and I heard an odd noise, like a quick screaching bird and something ran off. The last mountain lion in Virginia was killed in 1882, and since then, no active breeding population has been present across the state. I know they are on the endangered species list, but I cant help cut be concerned about the horse. I live in Montgomery Co, and was wondering if you could tell me where exactly you saw the cougar in 2002 in Floyd county. Mountain lions go by many names, including puma, cougar, and panther. 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. Note: this article expired, but a lot of people want to comment on this thread, so I kept it active, and updated it for quite a while. Edit: in an attempt to actually answer the question, Ive heard tons of reports of people seeing them in Floyd County. 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. Its been about ten years since then and Smith Mountain Lake has become a vacation spot for every northern virginian there is so the mountain lion probably found a more secluded area, there is a ton of it out there, to hunt and live. Source: Public Domain Pictures, Ancestors of the cougar (also known as catamount, mountain lion, bobcat, puma, panther, painter, wildcat, and ghost cat) crossed into North America roughly 8 million years ago, and the species Puma concolor evolved around 400,000 years ago.1. From the next room, another person chimmed in my neighbors have been seeing one. This all occured three weeks after I had a full-grown Red Wolf walk up near me while blackberry picking in my mother-in-laws pasture (in the city limits.) Sadly, these animals were killed because they were viewed as a threat to humans and livestock. 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. Sometimes relatively together and sometimes on opposite sides of the trail. We have a pool int he yard and are outside all the time. I also had the luck to hear them multiple times and catch glimpses of what I thought to be mountain lions scurrying into the woods. The likelihood of seeing one is incredibly rare, let alone interacting with them, she said. It looked to be about 90 to 100 pounds. This Saturday I saw what looked like a mountain lion running up the fence line of my neighbors property towards my woods. This isnt just hearsay.. #1. I doubt it. We would sit on our back porch and listen awe struck. Whatever it was was big and right under my window. My father owns property in Floyd, VA in an area where many of the land owners are not activly using their large acreage properties. Concord University (Concord) is a public university in Athens, West Virginia.It was founded on February 28, 1872, when the West Virginia Legislature passed "an Act to locate a Branch State Normal School, in the town of Concord Church, in the County of Mercer". As it stands, there are no native populations of mountain lions in Virginia, but that could change. see: http://hstallard.blogspot.com/2008/03/mountain-lion-hoax-in-virginia.html. Theres no guarantee that cougars trekking from South Dakota will stick around, or that the female in Tennessee will have kittens. My horse just disappeared- we live adjascent to Havens Wildlife Preserve. It was a state car. I am from western North Carolina. Even thou it is a much smaller cat , its scream is much scarier ! Oct 3, 2017. So many, in fact, that they've been listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the mammal with the most names. Fish and Wildlife Service has made official what has long been suspected that the eastern mountain lion is extinct. After speaking with several people who claimed to see one, I made a trip to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) office in Verona. He said it was from the Mattaponi Trial in Caroline County. Not high pitched like a house cat but low, sounded like whatever it was had some size to it. In a small town called Coeburn. like when you see a wolf look at the paws for positive ID. I HAVE HEARD OF AN OLD WOMAN THAT HAD A DOBERMAN THAT STAYED ON HER BACK PORCH NEAR ROCKINGHAM CO NC. I was dragging some stuff behind my ATV down a old farm road in Appomattox Virginia, when this fellow bounced out in front of me about 50 yards ahead. There is no reported melanistic phase of cougars or pumas in the literature. It was about 18+ inches tall at shoulder, about 24 inches from hip to neck. Its actually kind of scary if you think about it. ECF is very interested in reviewing your photographs of tracks or animals. In many states, the season dates are often further broken down depending on the hunt area you plan to visit. "I think some people they start out as a joke between friends, then it gets circulated andit just snowballs from there and can't be stopped," he said. But I got into the woods, kept my arms high in the air, and kept making loud noises until I came upon a group of kids hiking with two adults at about 2 am. Could it be? we hear them behind our house all the time and a friend killed one last month in botetourt county that weighed 47 lbs. When they said they had we advised them of the origin and told them about the cougar incident on their property. She believes that North American mountain lionsincluding the Florida panther, which she said is protected because they are considered a distinct population segment via the Endangered Species Actare essentially all the same, without enough genetic distinctions to justify differentiating the western and eastern subspecies. OK see I read there were mountain lions in a certain large canyon but now Im pretty sure that rumour is to keep other fisherman out. So will a new population of cougars render the U.S. The population of cougars west of the Mississippi River was large enough that it was not listed. The range of a Mountain Lion may cover 25 to 785 square miles. After that two sets of very large eyes started following me. It stoped for a moment and watched us and then moved on through the woods. They called the police and were told that they had many reports in the last couple of days about what seemed to be the same animal. The data they have collected over the years indicates that cougars are gradually making their way eastward, and validated the theory that young males travel farther and more quickly than females, making the repopulation process a gradual one. Above post by Rob about a Lion in Wise virginia is a hoax! (near Wise, VA) by a car. Im not suggesting this a farm animal. So, wanting to get them closer, I called them. I nearly mastered replicating their calls. Still, many sightings arent clear or even true, so being skeptical is still the best bet when it comes to sightings in Virginia. I am sorry, but some of the comments are incredible, and border on the hilarious. Today I found large cat hair ball with grass and guts and hair in the area of the cat scratchins. Though, they grew large quickly, and set themselves apart from the domesticated cat with ease They eventually returned back to the woods. "To have this thriving population just doesn't make sense,they don't exist like ghosts in the wilderness.". Over time, female cougars could expand their range eastward through a stepping-stone dispersal pattern, occupying nearby habitat in stages. He would have doubled back to get a closer look but they were in a hurry to get to their destination and his brother nixed the idea. About 5 miles before we got to the Hollow, a large blond cat crossed the parkway. It is only a matter of time before the California picture in this blog post is sent back to us as proof of mountain lions in Virginia. Officially, mountain lions have not been seen in Virginia since 1970. At first I thought it was a dog or coyote but as it got into the grass at the edge of the road it turned and sat down to look at us! Me and my wife were on Leesville Rd in Evington just at the Otter River when we saw a large black cat the size of a mountain lion running up the grassyhill by the road. We got a clear enough look at it to even distinguish what appeared to be some some kind of scarring, or maybe it was just dirt streaks, on its upper right hind leg. What about the fact no roadkill is ever claimed to be found of a cougar? I have since seen a picture of a lion spotted in Buckingham co. and realize that was the animal I saw. But I never CLEARLY & TRULY actually encountered one until a few weeks ago! Since my reported sighting of a perhaps cougar several local farmers have told me of similiar beasts they have seen. The size of a lion's territory depends on the availability of food and habitat quality. "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. Except for a remnant population of Florida Panthers in southern Florida, there have been no wild cougars on the eastern side of North America since the last one was trapped in Maine in 1938. We never saw it again. I saw a cougar take down a deer in Bedford County, Virginia a number of years ago. 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. Today, we are going to be learning about where they live. A large, darkish animal approximately the height of a retriever/setter, long tail that curved at the very end, large cat-like head, and very close, prominent shoulders, that I still can see moving up and down when I think about it crossing Meetze Road. So this is good newsthe cat is back, surely. But to spot one in Virginia? 12. Bill Shaeffer and Frank Womack helped with the capture. The girls were young and werent sure what theyd seen. Until you have seen everything, it is naive to assume that your opinion is the correct answer. Well, I knew the difference. The Bluefield, West Virginia native . They came out and investigated. See also Are There Local Taxes In Virginia? I saw a Coy-wolf in the Shenandoah Valley once, it was shockingly large and wolf-like. We were tracking a deer one night and ended up lost for 6 hours and found a small field. Staunton entrepreneurs tackle urban farming. My dog and all the dogs in the neighborhood were going nuts. 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