It was on Rt. My parents were having their Sunday drive today (9-2-07) in an area called Mabe, near Duffield, Virginia and saw a mountain lion. In Rockingham county virginia, my father, family friend and I go bow hunting for 1 week every year in the GWNF. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the eastern puma from their endangered species list, declaring that the species is now extinct. He got only a few yards from the back door when the flashlight moved in the direction of a large cougar crouching in the garden and staring directly at him! Suitable habitat is available now, but for decades it was not. We would also be very interested in recovering any remains. I have helped skin and mount wild cats before and definitely know the difference. One of her biggest concerns about the recent declaration of extinction is that any cats in the area (whether western migrants or otherwise) and their habitats wouldnt be protected. While this may be incredible, it is still ways off. 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". into the places they were often in but not noticed until recently. One of her biggest concerns about the recent declaration of extinction is that any cats in the area (whether western migrants or otherwise) and their habitats wouldnt be protected. I don't believe any mountain lions are here. We have heard them up near the edge of the mountains but never this close. As the summer progressed she got a couple glances at the animal but still no proof. Does it follow a path through the woods like a deer sometimes does?? Here's What, Mountain Lion Size Comparison: How Do They, This Fearless Cougar Doesnt Care How Much Larger the Brown Bear Is and Goes for It, Watch This Family Discover a Mountain Lion Curled Up On Their Porch. But then again, no one would come forward if they killed one because its illegal to kill an endangered species. When my lights shined in its eyes I was pretty sure that what I saw was a mountain lion, but then again I only got a short glimpse of it. Hello This evening (15May 07) I think I chased up a cougar. While mountain lions are native to Virginia, they have been expatriated from the state since 1882. its mate was said to have been heard wailing, for a time, in the distance. 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. But she knew what one of those looked like, said it wasnt and added that it had a long tail. It was about 8:00 am on Saturday 8/8/09 and I noticed a black animal in a fenced pasture just ahead of me. Everyone in the car was amazed at what we saw, and have since gone back hoping to see it again. How many people have actually saw a bobcat in the wild? Fies said the man who had them had all the proper permits and the state does see a small number of those instances where people have safari adventure theme parks or other ventures that include large animals. The whole encounter lasted about thirty seconds, certainly long enough to know what I saw in broad daylight. I also am wondering what others think about the fact that so far a documented photo of a cougar in Virginia has not been taken by any of the ECFs cameras. Managing them in that way allowed for populations to rebound, and thats what we think is fueling the dispersal. Virginia has two different native species of wild cats. I have friends in Wyoming and Montana, where mountain lions have always been. Comments have now closed permanently, however. I have pictures of the tracks and of the mares injuries. As we came to a stop, it calmly walked away crossing a short grass field, into the woods. Lets explore: are there mountain lions in Virginia? In grad school I worked with a lot of the wildlife and natural resources folks at VT. We know they were two different animals because the tail-tips were different. he said. Mountain Lions at the West Virginia Wildlife Center. We live in Oak Hill, Virginia, in a neighborhood. smokymtman, I nearly mastered replicating their calls. Human expansion and economic progress have driven natural predators out of Virginia, giving the deer free rein. It was about the size of a friends dog, which is about 15 tall and 2 1/2 feet long. In August 2004, a cougar was captured on film near Craigsville, Virginia and identified by professional wildlife biologists of the Eastern Puma Research Network. So that is all the details I can think of except I didnt mention that the cat was tan with dark fur higlighting its face, looked like pictures Ive seen of them really and I figured due to its size and the fact that it had no spots left that we could see it was almost grown. In fact, they are the fourth-largest cat species in the world, behind tigers, lions, and jaguars. VA. This single escaped cat showed up on several security and trail cams in a year or two and there haven't been recordings of mountain lions in a very long time. Ive seen plenty of foxes in the woods around here and I thought maybe it was a fox in pain. Since my reported sighting of a perhaps cougar several local farmers have told me of similiar beasts they have seen. Three months later a mountain lion was wiped out by an SUV on a highway in Connecticut. It turned out the claim was based on selective use of daytime telemetry data only, and the panther is most active at night. I was looking for a litle solitude so i ventured about a 1/4 mile off the trail and set up camp by a little stream. I went to Chestoa, which is an awesome overlook pretty much between Altapass and Linville. October 2007, Patrick County, VA. While I was on vacation last summer, 2007, in Sandbridge Beach, Virginia, outside Virginia Beach, I encountered a big black cat. There is no reported melanistic phase of cougars or pumas in the literature. Wolves once thrived in Virginia, but due to the harm they inflicted on farms and livestock, they were hunted by the settlers of Jamestown and eventually became extinct. Finetune Your Skills in Patrick County, Va. or the puma to make official statements confirming its presence in the Eastern US and in fact might prove harmful to the cougar spur public fear if such a confirmation were made. With their tails, some individuals can be as much as 9 ft. long. Since then I have involved myself by volunteering for the AT Camera project and joining Eastern Cougar Foundation (ECF). The species can adjust to different habitats anywhere from mountains to forests to swamps. Since 1970, 121 sightings have been identified as possible mountain lions, but have not been officially confirmed. My wife shot video of what we believe to be a panther or mountain lion. Lil Rose/flickr. I would suggest people look that up also. I stopped by a local gas station and 10 minutes later and I was told I was not the first to report seeing the cats. "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. Everyone knows that the panthers that are seen in the East are former pets released. The fur was short and the common light red-brown hue of a cougar. Even though the WV DNR says there are no wild mountain lions in the state, there are some held in captivity at the West Virginia Wildlife Center in French Creek. The Concord Mountain Lions are the athletic teams that represent Concord University, located in Athens, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. When they said they had we advised them of the origin and told them about the cougar incident on their property. Yes, most sightings, if not all of them have to be taken on 100% trust in the person who has it. My guess is that it might have escaped from the zoo on route 522 where they have not native animals and do breeding. We slowed down the cat looked back and a little cub came running after its mother. I thought it was a bear at first, until I saw its long thick tail. 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 were all shiny black with long tails. a cougar is not going to risk attacking a horse as they are a somewhat delicate animal which I have seen killed by an elk if they choose the wrong one.. horses are too substaintial unless there are no deer at all around, but in your case I think if there are cats there it is because their food is ther. Crossing by the large boulders on the trails was terrifying, only once did i see one behind a boulder when I passed. Just reporting back. No feces. I hope that maybe I can find a place I can place a trail camera nearby to search for it. He always said it sat there for just a moment and then slipped into the woods and was gone. The AT Camera survey did not get a photo of a cougar during 2007. The DWR is open to reviewing evidence of mountain lions in our area, and Michael told me to always keep an open mind. Anyone with info local to south central VA, email me at austinsandsons@verizon.net. Certainly there is a chance that cougars can be in VA. How could we possibley know there are none, and be certain. But we are talking about an actual animal which has a possibility of existing in localized population in some areas of the east. We have spotted a mother black bear and cub over by the damn while hiking, scary sight but very awsome. They are very ellusive cats. If the cougars are released pets they still will have the survival instincts which make them difficult to have as pets. Though, they grew large quickly, and set themselves apart from the domesticated cat with ease They eventually returned back to the woods. Abbie Smith, a native of Little Hocking, Ohio, led the Mountain Lions in scoring during the regular season as she posted 13.1 points per game. In many states, the season dates are often further broken down depending on the hunt area you plan to visit. However, it is pretty well accepted that there are no cougars living in the east currently.. Officially, mountain lions have not been seen in Virginia since 1970. I was out for a morning run on some back roads (in Page County, north of Luray, just west of Route 340.) It certainly is rare to get more than just a glimpse of them. It was standing in front of my car. I am wondering if there is anyone who is tracking these sightings and wants to know moreIt was clearly a cougar. I could hear the kittens and I captured a photo which I believe to be a smaller lion. I was like baby look at that big ole cat! (usualy a rabbit) as it tapers off not to be heard again until the next night. Most of the cougars around Los Angeles live in the Santa Monica Mountains northwest of the city. Moose are notoriously shy creatures, so spotting them anywhere is an exciting experience. The sound finally drifted off and I decided to do some internet investigating to describe the sound I heard. So these sightings have been confirmed, and there is in fact at least one mountain lion roaming around in Tennessee. B. McQuary. I opened the door and told my husband to hurry up and come outside. Upon seeing the lights, he turned around and ran into the woods. Mountain lions are definitely coming to Virginia. Two ponies still missing. I suppose it could have been a super-sized coyote or an interbred coyote. There is wide open space there, high cliffs, and an abundance of deer. Well, then dont dress them up like sheep, he said with a chuckle. Needless to say, our guns were ready and we were as still as we could be. Sadly, mountain lions no longer live in Virginia. I still wasnt positive though. Instead, these sightings are likely captive cats that were intentionally or accidentally released or traveling cats from a state out west. Its actually kind of scary if you think about it. A MOUNTAIN LION did in fact attack one of our horses early this morning, just before daylight. 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. The U.S. About 2 months ago, I seen a very large black cat with yellow eyes, on the side of the road eating what looked like a deer, here in the catawba Va area. I was wrestles camping (alone) and decided to hike over Big Hump Mountain to the next campsite. It was not afraid of the dog at all, it walked back up in the woods and paced back in forth on a log. "Pumas, mountain lions are still in the Appalachians," Larry Messenger posted on Facebook. When he isn't distracted by his backyard birdfeeder, you can find him camping, exploring, and telling everyone around him about what he's recently learned. Reason being: If mountain lions are show to exist east of the Mississippi River, the states game departments may be liable for livestock damages. Kentucky and N. Carolina. The Florida panther is a subspecies of the eastern mountain lion that lives in the Everglades and pine forests of central Florida. It was a state car. In reality, the mountain lion had escaped from a nearby property, where it was being held captive along with three other mountain lions. The deer seemed to jump into some brush to the side of the path and the paw print seemed to be following. Its probably only a matter of time though their territory is expanding steadily. I think the nuts are attracting game, and a lion is preying. tail, gray to tan in color. "He was only 10 weeks old when he came here," said Mark . It was headed north. Its not really realistic to think that they have a chance to survive very well in Virginia currently. Michael said. " Several years later one of our neighbors was awakened by a commotion in the barn. 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.. We have a pool int he yard and are outside all the time. The species epithet "concolor" is Latin for "of one color," because adults are a solid version of some sort of tan. This could cause an issue because they could go after livestock and cause problems for humans. Im thinking they are here though. The good news is that because it was right beside the road, others undoubtedly saw it, too, leaving no doubt that it was indeed a mountain lion because it was much too good a view for there to be any doubt of its species. I saw a cougar take down a deer in Bedford County, Virginia a number of years ago. 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. In 1996-98 I lived in Catharpin, VA near Manassas Battlefield. Mountain lions and yes black cats. We had tons of deer, albino too! This is because they are very territorial and mark their territory with scat and claw marks. Look up the story of Rocky the African serval- an escaped pet that roams Virginia to this day I believe. Were not taking any action to move them or kill them. 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. There was another report of someone (much less credible) who spotted one near Midway (outside Gate City) about 5 years ago. doubtful. Some of the Forest Service questioned whether or not it was just a wild cat. Right now the only natural predator of deer seems to be the feral Toyota Camry population. Forestry rangers said several ponies killed , others attcked off 811 near Evington, va. Tickets are $8.00 and parking fee is included. June 21, 2008 About two weeks ago I was traveling on Rt 15 from Farmville to Dillwyn in Buckinham county. Although this is great, there are a few things to consider. There's a whole world to learn about and Colby is content to spend his life learning as much as he can about it! Long may they thrive. Here in southern Utah, lions have been known to occupy home ranges as large as 513 square miles. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. Holly Kuchera/Shutterstock.com. I had my food hanging ten feet in the air so i thought it was a bear. The cat was totally black with a long tail. Near the paw print I found tracks of a small deer moving very fast (tracks far apart and just the point of the hoof.) 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