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. The likelihood of seeing one is incredibly rare, let alone interacting with them, she said. I knew we a small population of bobcats in this area and asked her if it could have been that. Male cougars have demonstrated their willingness to cross gaps in forested corridors as they search for new territory. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the eastern population of cougars extinct, but based on numerous sightings and . I sometimes doubt local farmers reports. So, wanting to get them closer, I called them. The first is that many sightings during certain periods are the same cat. I believe that area was once habitat for the red wolf. About 1987 I lived across the river from Holy Cross Monastery. Given the great broad-side view, I couldnt help but notice its shear size the cat stood approximately 2.5-3 feet in height, and was approximately 4-5 feet in length. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the eastern population of cougars extinct, but based on numerous sightings and reports, you can't be too sure. After DNA testing . On thursday October 16,2008 at 5:30/5:45 pm, my folks wanted to show me the Blue Ridge Parkways scenic fall views. How do we find out about sightings of this mountain lion(s). Description of the Mountain Lion. The amount of area they need for their home range, the kinds of things they eat, their behaviorsall of that is really important to arm ourselves with so we have that information, LaRue said, adding that with that education comes the dispelling of myths. Cant say what it was and hope to never see again. Updated: Jul 3, 2016 / 10:29 PM EDT. Lets explore what that looks like some more. at the shoulder, that's nearly 3 ft. tall! 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. 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. Now, after a reintroduction that began in 2012, these magical creatures have made their way back. But I never CLEARLY & TRULY actually encountered one until a few weeks ago! They are dark reddish-or yellowish-brown dorsally, lighter ventrally, the tail tip is dark, and the fur is short, soft and unspotted. i just moved to roanoke just wondering are there really mountain lions or any wild animals of size and chances of them attacking people not scrared just try not to invade respect their space and hope they respect mine. In August 2007 on my way to work from the Meadowview Virginia area , between Meadowview and Abingdon there was a Mountain Lion crossed the road in frount of me, So people can say what they want , there are big cats in the area. There have been 121 mountain lion sightings in Virginia since 1970. This. I was also told of a large cat sighting just north of Eden, NC. Interesting enough on October 28 just over two weeks later it was reported on the local news that two women had seen a mountain lion in Bon Air. Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. It was undoubtedly a full grown male mountain lion. A mountain lion is a wild cat ranging from two to three feet tall, with females weighing up to 120lbs and males up to 200lbs, making it the fourth largest cat in the world. In fact, there have been 121 reports that are likely to have been true mountain lion sightings. Could this be possible?? A mountain lion photo has been circulating on social media for more than a year, claiming people have seenmountain lions in the state, and officials are calling shenanigans on the post. Moose are notoriously shy creatures, so spotting them anywhere is an exciting experience. I didnt think any more of it until we had our coyote visitor but now shes certain what she saw was a little of coyote pups. 3. I saw them 11 times within 3 weeks. My dog is small but the one my neighboor has is a german shepard and I think thats the one I heard yelp. I am not 100% certain but I would like it if someone could identify the cats for me. Its paw was as big as a mans face, & its head with the ears was as wide as his body. This animal did not have a long snout like a dog or a fox. I expect they will confirm puma presence. The mountain lion (Puma concolor) is sometimes called cougar, puma, catamount, and panther. In another leap, the cat was up the bank on the right hand side of the road and off into the woods. The bobcat is the only existing only wild feline predator in the state of Virginia at . Mountain lions weigh between 90-160 pounds while bobcats weigh between 20-30 pounds according to an article by the Iowa DNR. My house was in a very wooded area and driveway led off into those woods about 1/2 mile from the main road (which was a dirt/gravel road about 1 mile from a paved road). Our youngest daughter was hysterical thinking that her mule would be attacked. I have pictures of the tracks and of the mares injuries. I used to vacation on Smith Mountain Lake Virginia, Good View, and I can definatly confirm cougar in this area. This video footage of a confirmed female lion was captured in November 2015 in Obion County, Tennessee. Victim of animal attack treated for rabies. After passing the long horn pasture over the summit I thought I was clear, hadnt seen eyes at any distance in a while. You can also count Randolph, Upshur, and Webster countys in W.VA. My dad, his dad, and myself can vouch for those three. This was a night time sighting. Does it follow a path through the woods like a deer sometimes does?? I went outside to feed my cat and in the silence of the night, early morning I heard the eerie sounds of coyotes across the hill. All rights reserved. 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. He got up and armed with only a flashlight he ventured outside to see why the horses were so restless and upset. The numerous Panther Knobs and Panther Runs found across the state provide evidence of this animal's wide presence and its influence on the minds of early Mountaineers. The closest confirmed wild cougars, except for the Florida Panther,appear to bein Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas and western Louisiana, according to the blog post. I do not know of any dogs in the area with feet that big. I've seen them quite often. Period. Tracks found near the sighting was confirmed by a retired wildlife biologist with the Smithsonian. While Virginia Beach has been known to house several species of sharks, it's more unusual for these intimidating creatures to wander inland. THAT GOT HIT BY A CAR AND,THE LADY WAS FAILING MENTALLY WITH ALZHEIMERS AND WOULD PUT FOOD OUT ON HER SCREEND IN BACK PORCH LIKE THE DOG WAS STILL THERE. Sometimes you may hear it end in an agonizing high pitche scream. As my friends wife was leaving, she looked out the window and said that saw what she thought to be dear. A few weeks later, I saw it dart across the dirt road for a split second. https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Mountain-lion-attack-reported-near-Humpback-Rock-385246261.html Its been confirmed by by fish and game. I called the wild life biologist at the Game and Inland Fisheries to report the sighting and they basically blew it off and asked me if I wasnt sure that it wasnt a large house cat! "I never say never about these things, it's certainly possible," Fies said. 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. This isnt just hearsay.. My horse just disappeared- we live adjascent to Havens Wildlife Preserve. It was as big or bigger than a german sheppard, but most definitely a cat. "He was only 10 weeks old when he came here," said Mark . I have a house about 3 miles from Orlean, VA in Fauquier County. A MOUNTAIN LION did in fact attack one of our horses early this morning, just before daylight. We know what we saw. see: http://hstallard.blogspot.com/2008/03/mountain-lion-hoax-in-virginia.html. There are several reasons that government agencies dont want to admit to the presence of pumas in the area. We have for several years seen small ones around. I now live on the Tennessee end of South Holston Lake and while driving near Friendship Boatdock near Rte. They are also known as . While bringing wood into the house I saw a cat like animal behind the wood pile squat down then run into the woods. Oh maybe some of the lazy hacks have finally retired., Another commenter speculated that the agency may have intentionally downplayed past sightings as they result in new study and staffing expenses.. If for some reason there were any cougars rediscovered in the east that werent migrants from the west, the protection status is up to the state in which it is found, LaRue said. Eastern cougars are not a distinct species genetically. We almost hit it with the car. Large aggressive alpha predator spotted in Central Virginia near Fredericksburg on july, 17 2018 When very quietly without any noise I saw movement coming out of a clearing. of Game and Inland Fisheries web site on the eastern cougar. They said mountain lions had always been there, although you didnt hear them often. I had NO idea they were so big ! Cat like head and ears and face, long tail (about 20+ inches), bristly fur, grayish-brown in color, rather thin overall. The cougar has the largest geographic range of any native terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Many ridges, creeks, swamps and mountains were long ago named for panthers or the colloquial term "painters," both common names in this part of the country for the cougar. After she expired 3 of them started to eat and the other took a whole hind quarter back up the ridge. The U.S. The Blue Ridge Mountains are prime habitat for these cats, and once they get a foothold in the region, the signs are positive that they could return. Since my reported sighting of a perhaps cougar several local farmers have told me of similiar beasts they have seen. 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. Cougars, also known as mountain lions, were once common here and they have left a legacy of place names throughout the state indeed, the entire Southeast. 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. TWRA has had their collective heads up their cloacas for a very long time in denial of these sitings [sic] and reports, reads a comment on a December 2015 article about the video footage. I know mom & dad said they saw it & I do believe them but why, if they are, people denying them being here? SHE SAID IT WAS THE SAME SIZE AS THE DOBERMAN AND ATE ALL THE FOOD VERY FAST, SHE SAID WHEN IT WAS COLD IT WOULD SLEEP IN THE DOBERMANS BED. He said it was from the Mattaponi Trial in Caroline County. It stopped and looked at me for a minute, I didnt move, and then it went on into the woods where I know a rabbit lives. They like rugged terrain with forest cover. 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. Myself and many others in the state have trail cams all over the place. A couple of sightings involved captive . Mountain lions are definitely coming to Virginia. I hope that maybe I can find a place I can place a trail camera nearby to search for it. I grew up in North Georgia. It took off as the car got closerI have never ever seen anything like that in my life! I live in Southwest, VA. I would guess that the overbundance of whitetail deer could have contributed to the return? of the puma. Cougars prowled nearly all of the United States below Canada, and all of Virginia from mountain . If there was a breeding population, we would know. But these cats are on experts radars, and the TWRA has even established a Cougar Response Committee to answer questions and sift through reported sightingsof which Peterson said he expects to see an influx later in the year. Male cougars migrate further than females, but so far only a few have followed the pattern of coyotes and reached the eastern side of North America. Cougar, Mountain Lion, Catamount, Panther, and Puma, (Some of the names for this great cat) and is found principally in the mountains. We never saw it again. In October, 1987, a cougar & cub was seen by a U.S. Forest Service crew in western Shenadoah County. It was hit by a log truck in Buckingham Co. near Dillwyn in early spring. He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." There have been some hunters around who swear there are mt lions in bedford county. Bobcats generally live away from humans, preferring places like the Great Dismal Swamp and the mountains. Red wolves have been reintroduced into the state. He was licking his coat. In a Facebook post, the Madison County and Warren . Unfortunately, we lost our big barn cat to these predators and continue to see and hear them on a regular basis. . It was about the size of a friends dog, which is about 15 tall and 2 1/2 feet long. 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. I would love to get a photo of it. The sound finally drifted off and I decided to do some internet investigating to describe the sound I heard. Rockingham Co., va HAS ANYONE ELSE HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS. I found one which I took a picture of. I grew up in NW Virginia near the Shenandoahs and have heard folks mention seeing mt. Bears, Deer and Turkey come out in the yard on a regular basis. 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. I live about five minutes away from the parkway, 30 or so minutes from the Roan and Mount Mitchell, etc. Could a mountain lion or cougar be in my area? Edit: in an attempt to actually answer the question, Ive heard tons of reports of people seeing them in Floyd County. We got a glimpse of the cat early this morning, as it paced back and forth, squaling every breathe, on the other side of our riding ring. 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