Mtn. Lion Photos ??

[Chugach001]

I've read most of the posts on here about NE mtn lions and am convinced there are lots of sighting. My neighbor just spotted one the other day. She said fish & wildlife was not excited about it, acted like it was a normal event.

But here's the question I can't answer is - where are the photos? With all the hunter tree cams out there and all the hikers, why isn't there real solid photo evidence? Not the grainy lochness photos but something obvious. Or have I just missed them?

 

[sardog1]

There's a reason this ambush specialist is sometimes called the "ghost cat". You already know that some very large bears can be very near people without the latter being aware. Now imagine a predator that specializes in hunting the wariest prey species in North America, namely whitetails and their various western cousins. Cougars eat only when their prey doesn't know they're in striking distance.

I don't say there are a lot of them in the Northeast - yet. But I'm quite sure there are any number of encounters where the backcountry visitors are unaware of the backcountry residents.

 

[DougPaul]

There's a reason this ambush specialist is sometimes called the "ghost cat". You already know that some very large bears can be very near people without the latter being aware.

I recall some nature TV program where they put a radio tracker on an urban cougar in Jasper (Canadian Rockies). The animal was very good at hiding in vegetation (eg shrubbery around a building) without being noticed by people even in full daylight

Doug

 

[TDawg]

There was a "scare" recently in Lincoln. It's pretty funny to me because this blury image taken from the Laconia Savings Bank security cam is a large house cat, IMHO. Funny what people will believe even though reason suggests otherwise.

For some decent comedy you can find the associated comments on this image on the Lincoln PD fb page.

 

[nartreb]

View attachment 3957

For those not wanting to waste their time reading facebook comments by strangers, the arrow on the pavement is variously described as 7 or 9 feet long by people who claim to have measured it. I judge the animal (I can't even tell if it's a cat or a dog) to be about 1/4 as long as the arrow.

(Adult cougars are at least four feet long not counting tail.)

PS No photos (yet), but there is DNA and other evidence:
http://www.cougarnet.org/northeast.html

 

[gaiagirl]

Yes evidence: of a single animal roaming 2, 000 miles (a Western cougar, different genetically from Eastern Cougars) and perhaps a few incidences of captive South American lions having been released into the wild.