Mountain lion sighted in Bergen County?

[tbtrout 141]

It is not the sighting of a Mountain lion you should worry about, it is hearing that low growl and not seeing them. It means you re too close.

[Parker 213]

Arizona seems to grow some really big ones. 15% are culled by AZ F&G officials in the state because of the amount of cattle they prey on each year. Definitely at the top of the food chain. I think they are incredibly beautiful yet powerful creatures too.

 

http://www.hurherald.com/cgi-bin/db_scripts/articles?Action=user_view&db=hurheral_articles&id=27669

[fishnut 2,358]

i would bet my paycheck that IF any couger sighting in nj if it were real would be an escaped pet or a loner trying to find new terratory. If there are any sort of wild breeding population there would be hard proof that they exist. such as trail cam photos and or videos or road kill. As well as most any good tracker would be able to track one down with dogs. i beleve that the state has even declared the sub species of cougers that once thrived in nj extinct after many years of no proof that they exist. How ever it is all to easy for someone in the world of exotic pets to get a couger or prettymuch any animal you can imagine in good old PA.Many of the people that get these animals are not equipted to house and maintain these animals. when they escape its not like they are gona call the police to report there escaped couger or cobra or something.

[tblant 6]

I'm a wuss. After reading some posts about a mountain lion in Roxbury I have to admit my eyes were roaming as I just finished my nightly walk. We have plenty of deer and the occasional bear, but mountain lions??? Geez.

[Shawnmoore81 623]

It is not the sighting of a Mountain lion you should worry about, it is hearing that low growl and not seeing them. It means you re too close.

 

I don't think you get a chance to hear them.

 

[dtown223 12]

[tbtrout 141]

I don't think you get a chance to hear them.

 

Oh you do, it is their warning to you that you are too close. Like a rattlesnake does. They generally do not attack full grown adults, but I remember news stories at least once a year when a family from LA ventured out into the hills to explore nature and let their toddler run ahead of them only to watch as the kid was carried away or attacked by one.

[Shawnmoore81 623]

Here is a very long list of attacks

 

http://www.cougarinfo.org/attacks3.htm

[Redfish62 1]

No mountain lions in West Deptford but lots of turkey and 1 peacock.

[Shawnmoore81 623]

No mountain lions in West Deptford but lots of turkey and 1 peacock.

 

Mountain lions seen in gibbstown a few years back so you never know. Also their is a lot of snakeheads in west deptford

[Wojo 98]

I saw a really large bobcat in Norvin Green State Forest a couple of years ago while hiking after a decent snow. Because it was winter, his coat was super thick and full, which made him look like he weighed a lot more then he actually did. I had some time watching this cat and he was digging in the snow amongst some rocks tracking a meal. That was a very enjoyable event. FWIW, I have a Maine-coon cat and he looks quite large, until you give him a bath and he looks like a chiuwawa.

 

My point being, if the un-educated public says it must have been 100+ lbs and 6' long, probably 50lbs and 3' long. The tail is the key in these sightings. Just like how we men have been successful at making women think 6 inches is actually a foot.

[Parker 213]

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service declared the Eastern Cougar extinct a year ago. :mellow:

 

http://www.fws.gov/n...leasefinal.html

 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concludes eastern cougar extinct

Although the eastern cougar has been on the endangered species list since 1973, its existence has long been questioned. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) conducted a formal review of the available information and, in a report issued today, concludes the eastern cougar is extinct and recommends the subspecies be removed from the endangered species list.

 

“We recognize that many people have seen cougars in the wild within the historical range of the eastern cougar,” said the Service’s Northeast Region Chief of Endangered Species Martin Miller. “However, we believe those cougars are not the eastern cougar subspecies. We found no information to support the existence of the eastern cougar.”

 

Reports of cougars observed in the wild examined during the review process described cougars of other subspecies, often South American subspecies, that had been held in captivity and had escaped or been released to the wild, as well as wild cougars of the western United States subspecies that had migrated eastward to the Midwest.

 

During the review, the Service received 573 responses to a request for scientific information about the possible existence of the eastern cougar subspecies; conducted an extensive review of U.S. and Canadian scientific literature; and requested information from the 21 States within the historical range of the subspecies. No States expressed a belief in the existence of an eastern cougar population. According to Dr. Mark McCollough, the Service’s lead scientist for the eastern cougar, the subspecies of eastern cougar has likely been extinct since the 1930s.

 

The Service initiated the review as part of its obligations under the Endangered Species Act. The Service will prepare a proposal to remove the eastern cougar from the endangered species list, since extinct animals are not eligible for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal will be made available for public comment.

 

The Service's decision to declare the eastern cougar extinct does not affect the status of the Florida panther, another wild cat subspecies listed as endangered. Though the Florida panther once ranged throughout the Southeast, it now exists in less than five percent of its historic habitat and in only one breeding population of 120 to 160 animals in southwestern Florida.

 

Additional information about eastern cougars, including frequently asked questions and cougar sightings, is at: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecougar

 

Find information about endangered species at http://www.fws.gov/endangered.

The Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and a trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information about our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov.

[Wojo 98]

If the government says it is so....then it must be a fact.

[BlueLineFish 615]

I see a ton of cougars here. They roam the bars in Jersey City and Hoboken

[Shawnmoore81 623]

I believe the people I know that have seen then more the the state.

[Underdog 1,593]

I know what I saw, and I don't believe it is an isolated case. Or that they are causal visitors from states far away. There is plenty of food and enough cover for them. Even in my own experiences, the government had no inclination to follow-up with me or to find out more. Why? Either they know they are here, or they completely don't believe me, or possibly, they don't have the resources committed. Out of all of these, I would rather believe that they are aware but choosing to ignore them. If you choose not to recognize that cougars are here, then that is your choice. If you put your faith in the government's position, then that is your choice, too.

 

Again, the government seems to be covering up the fact that there have been so many sightings, etc. and the government does not appear to be actively seeking evidence of the cougars' existence. If the government acknowledged that they were here, and/or that they possibly released them here, then there would be mass hysteria. And, given that the chance of a deadly encounter with one is rather rare, it would do more harm than good to acknowledge them. There is an increasingly large deer population which causes numerous more car accidents and deaths than a few beneficial cats that add to the ecosystem and might avert some of those car fatalities and the possibility for overgrazing.

 

However, because of my personal experiences I have a heightened sense of respect and a little fear for them.

[Shawnmoore81 623]

Their was rumors years ago they released em in alloway. They said they released coyote to cut back the turkey population and that didn't work so they tried mountain lion. I don't know this for a fact. It's just something I heard

[dtown223 12]

Double post madness!!

[Parker 213]

Merritt Parkway, Milford CT

According to "experts" this was an isolated cat-NO possibility of a sustainable populace

okaaaaaaay

Read Page 1 of this thread. That cat walked over 1,500 miles to get waffled on a CT road.

http://njgunforums.c...-bergen-county/

[Shawnmoore81 623]

Lol just so happens tomorrow night in alloway they are having a meeting to discuss living with predators

 

'Wolves, Coyotes and Other Predators: Friends or Foes?' topic of Salem County Nature Club program: http://bit.ly/IReyga

[Underdog 1,593]

Double post madness!!

 

Are you sure that's not a beaver?

[Parker 213]

Lol just so happens tomorrow night in alloway they are having a meeting to discuss living with predators

 

'Wolves, Coyotes and Other Predators: Friends or Foes?' topic of Salem County Nature Club program: http://bit.ly/IReyga

That same area they speak of in the original article ("Exit 168 on the GSP") where the critter was sighted, both the Hillsdale and Washington Township police have issued warnings since 2004 to residents about coyotes in the area. Area residents have had a few small pets disappear over the years thanks to them looking like food to these predators.

[Sandy 44]

A lot of people keep illegal exotics as well. Then they get out. Like the pack of tigers they shot in Jackson a few years back. :/ Not to mention that the laws about keeping big cats as pets is pretty lax comparatively in PA..it is not far for them to migrate to establish a territory in NJ.

 

I had a friend in PA who had a pregnant Gaboon Viper get out of her cage and disappear. Could you imagine getting done in by a Gaboon Viper in PA? He never did find her. Winter would have killed her..but still.

[Sandy 44]

I see a ton of cougars here. They roam the bars in Jersey City and Hoboken

 

You're late. I made that joke 2 pages ago lol

 

I'm old enough to be a cougar. But I don't wear 80s animal print spandex , and Pete keeps me in line anyway

[Shawnmoore81 623]

A lot of people keep illegal exotics as well. Then they get out. Like the pack of tigers they shot in Jackson a few years back. :/ Not to mention that the laws about keeping big cats as pets is pretty lax comparatively in PA..it is not far for them to migrate to establish a territory in NJ.

 

I had a friend in PA who had a pregnant Gaboon Viper get out of her cage and disappear. Could you imagine getting done in by a Gaboon Viper in PA? He never did find her. Winter would have killed her..but still.

 

A guy I know was bit by a copperhead that was an illegal pet in nj. They went to the hospital and nobody believed them. Unbelievably they don't have copperhead venom stocked around here even though they live in nj

[Wojo 98]

Not having anti-venom for indigenous snakes in ER's is paramount to negligence. Might as well not have clogging agent at UMNJ's trauma center in Newark then.

 

When I attended the 'Bear Deterrence / Avoidance' class at Skylands last year, the presenter talked a bit about the increase in snake bites in NJ recently. As far as the bear deterrence information...a problem bear is a problem bear, is a problem bear. It takes a lot of time, effort and money to get that one, then the next one and the next, and their cubs off your property. A pistol slug at close range on the other hand only takes one application and typically costs under a dollar.

[XDJohnTact 49]

Yeah , John is an animal whisperer He loves all the animals there like they were his kids. He is a great guy. They just lost 2 sister mountain lions they had for years and years. Most of the cats there are confiscated illegally owned exotic pets , and they have some big cats rescued from illegal canned hunts. The tigers are awesome. I have not been there to see the new African lions yet , plan to go soon though.

 

Popcorn Park Zoo is awesome! I love the tigers there!

[fishnut 2,358]

Most copperhead bites do not require antivenom. Copperheads venom is not that strong, any healthy adult would not be given antivenom due to its high cost and short shelf life. The antivenom used for copperhead bites is not just used for them but many species of pitvipers such as the timber rattlesnake. So if a hospital in nj dose not have antivenom for copperheads i would be suprised but i would not be suprised if they would hold off on useing it for a copperhead bite. I know quite a few people who have not even gone to the hospital from being bitten by them.

[Sandy 44]

Popcorn Park Zoo is awesome! I love the tigers there!

 

The camel , she is amazing. Princess. She goes about 65 to 75% on football pics every year.And she has been , I believe , near perfect on the last 5 Superbowls. The camel knows.

 

Let me know next time you are going there John

[Shawnmoore81 623]

Most copperhead bites do not require antivenom. Copperheads venom is not that strong, any healthy adult would not be given antivenom due to its high cost and short shelf life. The antivenom used for copperhead bites is not just used for them but many species of pitvipers such as the timber rattlesnake. So if a hospital in nj dose not have antivenom for copperheads i would be suprised but i would not be suprised if they would hold off on useing it for a copperhead bite. I know quite a few people who have not even gone to the hospital from being bitten by them.

 

He was bit on the finger and his hand and arm blew up like a balloon.