The states never denied mountain lions are here, and theyve never admitted mountain lions are here. They lived perhaps elsewhere in New England and they were just passing through and happened to have an encounter of some sort. How far were you from this cat. I saw that had this giant the bobcat had this giant sweeping which is John Bobcat don't have big sweeping tails. Patrick Tate New Hampshire Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist thanks very much for being here this morning really appreciate it. By, March 2023 Fund Drive Rules and Regulations, Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at [email protected]. Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal. So I just brought up the bobcat thing because the location is fascinating to me that that that location we have Bobcats existing but that location we have a mountain lion report because it's a developed area and which brings me back to earlier what I had said it's a bouncing ball. I noticed it had a really big sweeping tail that kind of curled up behind it and all but still at that point because everyone says there's no mountain lions here. And so so with their limited staff and limited budget that is that is more and more limited every year because you know fewer people are buying hunting and fishing licenses. And those and that's how you can go from a story that Pat says I have nothing to say about that to a story that you know could be the first verified sighting in over 100 years. Thanks very much. Tell us your story. They kill big animals. Peter Biello: Sam I wanted to ask you a little bit about that first and then turn to Patrick Tate efficient game. Mountain lions ( Puma concolor) are one of the six native species of wild cats in North America. Peter Biello: We mentioned that the eastern cougar and the Western cougar are they were separate eastern cougar believed to be extinct. Does not test random Scouts. New Hampshire Public Radio | Today on the exchange we discuss what residents may have been seeing and what breeding mountain lion pairs would mean for our ecosystem. We've met Fish and Game's BURDEN OF PROOF. Patrick Tate: No downward pressure at all I think actually Sean turned up and we found the evidence there a number of people would finally say finally we can put this debate to bed. He says when youve got a mountain lion in town, its kinda obvious. Peter Biello: Worth mentioning if we're scaring anybody question a mysterious mountain lions lurking perhaps in someone's backyard. So I did a bunch of research and all the documentation I found was there art are not any pieces of DNA of Eastern online. There have been several sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. Listeners we'd love to hear some of your thoughts on this. NH Fish and Game relies on physical evidence to answer questions about the presence or absence of mountain lion in the state. Mountain lions can be found throughout Arizona, and data suggests the populations are not only stable, but growing. Peter Biello: Well Mike thanks very much for sharing your story. Here she is talking about how to identify a mountain lion. On Oct. 10, he gave a slide talk called "Wild Cats of New Hampshire," which included the bobcat and the lynx. And so maybe before I go to you recommend I ask you Patrick Tate is the standard too high. And trying to figure out the little pieces to identify him so I bring up the names the differences but the appearances can be confusing for some. Mountain Lions are a mythical creature in New Hampshire with strong feelings on both sides of the question: are there Mountain Lions in New Hampshire? 44-N Links. Almost all species disperse greater distances than females. Sam Evans-Brown: So Tim so this cat's been been referenced a couple of times I think we should talk about it specifically lay the whole story out for folks who haven't heard the story because it's actually I think really indicative of a lot of stuff for talking about. Patrick Tate: I've had hunters hang deer carcasses forbidding wildlife entries. Patrick Tate: Same here in New Hampshire too. The current estimate is 2,000 - 2,700 throughout Arizona. Peter Biello: This is the exchange on an HD PR fine Peter Biello and today we're talking with folks who can tell us about the mysterious elusive mountain line and whether or not it is actually here in New Hampshire. They're very loyal to what the handler which makes them very dangerous to everyone else. Wed love to be part of the first verified sighting. So. So here in New Hampshire when a person turns in something that the Department believes is possible mountain lion and believes it should be investigated further. Peter Biello: Mm hmm. www.wildlife.state.nh.us, Buy or Renew Your Saltwater Fishing License, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Sam Evans-Brown has been working for New Hampshire Public Radio since 2010, when he began as a freelancer. Not one picture of him online while the person meet with us. So for those reasons I don't believe the standards are too high the amount of game cameras out on the landscape to record images department alone through contracts had over 150 throughout the state biologists go through various deer yards throughout the year. Caller: It had just left that field and was out. Is there a way we can learn more about these dispersing mountain lions that may travel through the Granite State and that I would ask you certainly part about whether or not a he's spending too much time chasing down these kind of false leads or B would rather be doing something else that is more informative to whether or not we actually have or can prove that we have dispersing mountain lions in the state. He played a pivotal role and he battled for recognition. Peter Biello: So Rick seems like you agree that the tail is a big giveaway whether or not it's a mountain lion Absolutely. Patrick Tate: And there's one other way to model that is the same animal. So. It doesn't make much sense because you know mountain lions are as we as we said before. We'll push great photos to the front page. Alleged mountain lion sightings put Derry, Windham residents on edge So so they're just a very resilient species and they're pretty they're pretty neat. Patrick Tate: I would say well when social media first started they picked up the hoaxes became much more prevalent in the last four or five years hoaxes have died down completely. So we tossed these terms around but really the term subspecies has been sort of redefined in our lifetimes. The engineers Dan Colgan our senior producer is Allan Grimm. Mike thanks for your call. As recently as 2011 there was one young male mountain lion that cruised all the way from the black hills of South Dakota, up over the Great Lakes, down through New Yorkgetting spotted all along the waykilled a beaver near the Quabbin Reservoir in Central Massachusetts, left behind prints and DNA at that site, and then was hit by a car in Connecticut. People were calling the New Hampshire Fish and Game director's office saying why are you dragging your feet on this. Sam Evans-Brown: Pretty well I was going to say it is nice to hear about how to identify the facial markings but probably I'd being a to identify the tracks is probably the more useful useful tool that one can have in their tool box. And they used to be this whole list of the different subspecies of mountain lion and it has since been reduced to just to the North American and the South American. From came from out west they tracked it all the way back to the Black Hills in the Dakotas. Let's go now to to Kyle in Keene I believe Kyle is this Kyle Jarvis from the Keene Sentinel a former reporter and former reporter. Caller: Oh hi. Patrick Tate: I don't believe it is. The number 1 800 8 9 2 6 4 7 7 so promised a discussion about conspiracy theories. And I I have this great text history of New Hampshire game and fir bears and I think by Helen Silver who used to work for fish and game and she sort of I kind eyes this animal in one of the quotes from 1892 stating that the catamaran was the most ferocious of all the wild beasts of New Hampshire his great size strength and agility of movement together with his formidable weapons rendered him the terror both of man and beast. Peter Biello: We got an e-mail question from Robert in Epsom who asks are sightings or encounters with these big cats less dangerous here where they're passing through than out west where those same mountain lines might be establishing territory Rick. WMUR uLocal: On this trail cam video, an unidentified feline is spotted. Residents from Bedford to Berlin have been reporting sightings for years. To date most of the pictures that have been sent in have been bobcats and other species Ive received pictures of house cats. Well let's talk a little bit about that. They just end up in these places. Pat what do you think the mystique of the mountain lion. If you believe you have seen a mountain lion and want to report it to NH Fish and Game, please contact the Wildlife Division at (603) 271-2461 or [email protected] to request an observation report form. Why do people keep seeing mountain lions (which aren't here) but not Seems reasonable! Now again I don't know that there's anything to that. My wife and I saw a mountain lion. You saw what you saw. Peter Biello: Or send us an email exchange at an HP board. Mountain Lion | Squam Lakes Natural Science Center support for an HBO who comes from you our listener Sam from advanced in you a local New Hampshire nonprofit specializing in college student loans and student refinancing options. GAP MOUNTAIN LIONS CLUB Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire (USA) District 44-N . Peter Biello: Well I want to ask Patrick about one of these stories a few years ago you had a story about someone who claimed to. Today, their range stretches from the Yukon Territory in Canada along the western coast of the United States, all the way to the Southern Andes in Chile. It was not a bobcat. There's always been physical evidence to prove those situations like hair or fur scat hair prints pictures of the animal print scat hair. It's not an emerging endangered species no work no there are there are populations in specific states so the Florida panther is is an endangered species that sub population is in fact listed under the Endangered Species Act. I just saw the head and the tail that was leaving. So yeah as far as wildlife species that put deer and trees know there aren't any others that I know of that put deer in trees just just humans might be responsible for that. 8 9 2 6 4 7 7. Thanks for your call. We'll hear more about the mountain lions impact and the role it plays in the ecosystem. But but I've also seen it cited the opposite way that look they're very secretive. We discuss what residents may have been seeing and what breeding mountain lion pairs would mean for our ecosystem. 10 things to do in NH this weekend: Dartmouth Dance, Hamilton De Holanda & more, Turkish restaurant in the Upper Valley aims to help those affected by recent earthquakes, RFK Jr. tells NH crowd hes considering a presidential run, Epping woman pleads guilty to threatening Michigan election official in 2020. OK. That location they just described we had two or three Bobcats radio collared on just off the runway in Laconia airport. Peter Biello: Ok. And Rick Van de Poll naturalist and founder of ecosystem management consultants of New England. Have you seen one. So so in 2011 a mountain lion was killed in a car accident in Connecticut a car hit a mountain lion and killed it. Think you've seen a mountain lion? We're gonna talk about sightings in this part of the program as well we'd love to hear your story. What's going on. Any sense of of whether or not mountain lions are sort of wary of more population dense areas like like the one he was describing Rick. These young males are tracking looking for mates and if they don't find a mate they just keep moving and moving and moving. So nowadays we think of this in the Northeast as crazy stuff that people have a mountain lion as a pet. If it's just in the middle of a greenfield you can't prove anything. Sam Evans-Brown: But I mean the video I had been sent was you know a recording of a animal growling but it was in slow motion and when I asked the person why is this in slow motion the denied that it was so there's a lot of weird stuff that happens in regards to people claiming they've seen they've seen these things. Let's look for other evidence. The tail leave is a giveaway but not everybody gets to see the tail. JavaScript must be enabled for some features to display properly. And Rick van de Poll naturalist and founder of ecosystem management consultants of New England. Its impossible to say, but I think the odds are pretty good that some of these sightings are legit. Is that typically what was happening there. John you're on the air. The Connecticut Mountain Lion is the best documented wild Mountain Lion in New England. The nonbelievers are going to say Show us your evidence and show us prove this to us. Ask Sam: Why Won't New Hampshire Admit There Are Mountain Lions Here So I hate the idea that there's some sort of upward you know downward pressure from the bosses saying Don't you know don't tell about the mountain lions because it'll scare away the tourists. We mentioned that one cat that was hit by a car where it has it that it was a male looking for me. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. Sort of dropped onto the SD card of a camera he'd set up out in the wild. Information that weed family automotive dot com sunny for today high temperatures low to mid 80s clear tonight overnight lows in the 50s tomorrow sunny highs in the upper 80s. Rick your thoughts. Patrick Tate: So one thing I'd say is DNA would definitely identify an animal animal's Mark line or not. Mountain lions don't usually travel more than 100 miles from where they are born. WMUR NH Chronicle Mountain Lions in NH Part I and Part II. Michael Brindley is our program manager our producers our Jessica Hunt and Christina Phillips and our theme music was composed by Bob Lord. And the second question is this a behavior mountain lions exhibit. So here we have you know a very qualified biologist who who found a print took a plaster cast found a scat send it to a university. We live around Cold Springs Campground and it was undeniably a mountain lion. And then just up behind it you know at about 11 o'clock on one side and whatever that would be on the other side it's black. And a lot of people around the county airport have seen a lot of pilots coming in said they saw huge. You treat it as if it's a sincere situation. The best documentation we have in New Hampshire suggests there hasnt been a mountain lion killed by a hunter in this state since 1885. How to Report a Possible Mountain Lion Sighting. And now that everyone and their mother has a remote camera in their back yard its just so, so unlikely that there are resident, breeding mountain lions in New England that are living invisibly among us, he says, Its become Big Foot.. No that's a little bit outside the range. Peter Biello: Rick I believe you did mention that that they do leave carcasses up in the tree from time to time but are there any other species known in New Hampshire to do this on a regular basis. But you've done some reporting on this. Peter Biello: They make great mascots at least. I've collected scat samples I've got several in my collection. There were several sightings in CT over the last few months. Post your sightings and NH photos here! I mean I that said I've lived out west for nine years. We speculate they dont want us to screw up tourism we dont know whats going on. The western mountain lion lives in a more of a grassland open area now so to blend in with a very lighted situation here in the Northeast we are very shadowy dark situation because of the forest and our cats wear a darker brownish reddish color than what they were and they were also smaller than what the western mountain lion is. What kind of animal is that. I'm Peter Biello. So do they. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. From involving members in projects as local as cleaning up an area park or as far-reaching as bringing sight to the world's blind, Lions clubs have always . Peter Biello: When did you allegedly see a mountain lion. Yes and you want to share what you learned. They sent it already. The views expressed in this program are those of the individuals and not those of an HP are its board of trustees or its underwriters. I can't tell you what you saw but it sounds like a mountain lion. 1,470 likes. From "History of New Hampshire Game and Furbearers" by Helenette Silver, Research Clerk, NH Fish and Game Dept. There are mountain lion in Massachusetts. Mountain Lion Population By State: 2023 Data [Statistics] We send out DNA samples to the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station. And I just said I saw I saw they from behind the shoulder all the way past the long tail. 50 feet above the most. Patrick Tate: So I'm not sure what subspecies of cat they're using to differentiate by those markings but once she was describing the White other face in the black. Erler is a senior naturalist at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness. Mountain Lion in New Hampshire? - Bowsite.com On a dirt road. Patrick Tate: So Cougar Mountain Lion katama. But are there mountain lions living in New Hampshire? Rick van de Poll: Well I didn't. PublishedNovember 16, 2018 at 6:16 AM EST. And because you know things flow downhill and I was pushed to go investigate it more and met with the individual two or three times and there was a bunch of inconsistencies about the photograph. Join as a $8 per month sustainer and get our brand-new owl umbrella! And that's this morning at 10:00 here on NH PR. N.H.'s Fish and Game department says there's no proof mountain lions live in the state, yet residents from Bedford to Berlin have been reporting sightings for years. I mean it wasn't your idea. Share. Have a photo. Now that to me seemed to indicate that they had done the secondary workup that in my opinion proved the existence of probably a disperse or possibly from South Dakota like the one in 2011. Sandy Hodskins, owner of West Meadow Farm in Bradford, New Hampshire, took time from shoveling Wednesday to enjoy the snow with her horse, West Wind. You need a permit to have that. Phone number 1 800. And boy it was big it had to be at least 200 pounds the thing was you and and it just made a little bit of noise and it was gone. Women control our lives. Patrick Tate: If I could just say one thing. But if people are still seeing mountain lions, why is the state and federal government seeking to COVER IT UP!? Can we go to the site. The trouble with accepting every reported sighting as a confirmed mountain lion is that there are so many mistaken identifications. The second one was not only fresh but when I actually put my hand on it it was you know smelled like cat and I it's there's no denying a fresh mountain lions get if you can tell it every story that KOAT. But I do think that it's appropriate that a fishing game agency would recognize verifiable proof if they could. Peter Biello: This is NHK PR Good morning and HP are summer car raffle is back and now's the time to get your early bird tickets. The most common areas to see mountain lions in Arizona are in places of rocky and mountainous terrain. Its actually fairly reasonable to believe that mountain lions do, at least, pass through occasionally. Peter Biello: Oh okay. Monday, December 5th: Mountain Lions in New Hampshire? 1957. I'm Peter Biello in for Laura NOI. So we're fixated on natural but there's other possibilities. By, March 2023 Fund Drive Rules and Regulations, Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at [email protected]. Anytime at any HP broad dot org or subscribe to our podcast search Apple podcasts Google Play or stitcher for an HP bar exchange. So and so the idea that they can follow up on every individual sighting is just crazy right. Known to exist in the state for over well over a hundred years. He writes As a farmer I come across many outdoorsman looking to hunt our property had a conversation with one who believed very strongly that we had mountain lions in New Hampshire. Peter Biello: Hmm. So hey, just me shooting from the hip, maybe there are a couple mountain lions skulking about. And in fact in 2011 when it was announced that the eastern cougar was officially extinct the reason that announcement was made is because they said really that it never existed. Reports without physical evidence are not dismissed, however Fish and Game cannot verify a sighting report without physical evidence. While State Denies Mtn Lions are in NH, Numerous Sightings Say I came to a stop and it was and I've seen a lot of bobcats in my time and I just came to a stop it was just sort of confused about what I was seeing. That's what we're seeing is dispersing mountain lions from the West who are just making their way through. Right. No I saw a camel. So there is definitely no downward pressure by anyone. A 140-pound male mountain lion was hit by a car and killed in 2011 in Milford, Connecticut. So before we get to the the the the stories of sightings we're getting a lot of calls. Do you want to see real, living mountain lions that do exist in New Hampshire. Patrick Tate: So I just got to throw a little interesting side note in this. And listeners this has been a lively conversation we're sorry we didn't get to all the the e-mailed comments and the phone calls your stories are appreciated even if we didn't get a chance to hear them today. So I think the point that I just want to get across is that there is a very strong sense this here in the and not region that there is that there is some sort of mountain lion population how large it is how extensive it is. We actually have the largest subspecies of bobcat in the northern part of our state which they can get up to 40 and over 40 pounds which looks like an 80 pound the animal to visually and quite large. He studied Politics and Spanish at Bates College, and before reporting was variously employed as a Spanish teacher, farmer, bicycle mechanic, ski coach, research assistant, a wilderness trip leader and a technical supporter. Just. Peter Biello: Well John thanks very much for the story really appreciate it. Mountain lions live in the state. Wildlife biologist breaks down mountain lion sightings in CT | New There's a lot of photographs that you can see that it's very clearly a tabby cat that someone has thought was a mountain lion. Over a period of a year and a half, this Mountain Lion left DNA evidence in at least four states. They used to roam the entire continent, but have become extinct in most US states. Despite numerous reports, the NH Fish and Game Department continues to have no physical evidence of mountain lion presence in the state. Having not found any evidence is not the same as saying there are no mountain lions, its the same as saying we dont know. Patrick Tate: Well. And why would they what. Absolutely there are a lot of folks out there who for some reason need to create something that raises a stir and gets the attention of the media etc.. The great thing about pictures isn't the animal itself it's the background. I looked at the picture and asked me what do you see in the picture and I wrote back. And there are thousands of mountain lions killed every year legally through hunting, and there have been untold tens of thousands of mountain lions killed by hunters over the last hundred years, says Mark Elbroch, the Puma Program Director for Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization, So even the folks who live with mountain lions still have a fancy and see something thats not there to me thats incredible.. Peter Biello: So if they were female mountain lions here they would be more males just because that's what they're looking for. You're on the air. Patrick Tate: While a juvenile not a juvenile I guess if you want nodes to the base of the tail for juvenile that wouldn't be small at all. And you know it's rather interesting because certainly there are those you as a case of mistaken identity or they wanted to see something that perhaps they actually didn't. I hope she's listening and she had spoke to a lot of different people ended up having a couple of sightings of her alone without sort of by accident. I think as Pat was saying you know 35 to 50 pounds on a male be reasonable range whereas mountain lions you're up to 100 110 maybe even 130 pounds on a big male. Let us know your story and share your photos. Caller: And the more I thought about it the color of it it was definitely not a bobcat.