I believe I saw one that's fine and I'm not looking for an immediate story. Wildlife biologist breaks down mountain lion sightings in CT | New Ive received pictures of dogs at odd angles, says Tate. To date most of the pictures that have been sent in have been bobcats and other species Ive received pictures of house cats. Tell us your story. Patrick Tate: So I just got to throw a little interesting side note in this. I wanted to get your thoughts on the mystique of the mountain lion start with you Rick. So for me as a person who's had the Bobcats right off my grits similar carries sticks to a bobcat The Long Tail obviously very different but those facial markings were overlapping for me. Or years or so. I think that you probably are. Why do people keep seeing mountain lions (which aren't here) but not Using DNA and physical evidence, state environmental officials said they determined that the animal. Mark Elbroch doesnt think so. 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. Monday, December 5th: Mountain Lions in New Hampshire? Part II PublishedNovember 16, 2018 at 6:16 AM EST. You need you need either a really good photograph or you need you know fresh scat that can be sent to a lab out West that can they can be identified there. What do you think that. He shifted gears in 2016 and began producing Outside/In, a podcast and radio show about the natural world and how we use it. His work has won him several awards, including two regional Edward R. Murrow awards, one national Murrow, and the Overseas Press Club of America's award for best environmental reporting in any medium. You know perhaps poke around where you saw it and see if you can find a track. Now again I don't know that there's anything to that. As wildlife biologists, wed be fascinated to say 'look look what was found in our state.'. They're the generalists that made it through both the arrival of the Clovis people with their with their spears and then the Europeans with their guns. It's listed as population of least concern. Sunny today high temperatures low to mid 80s it'll be clear tonight overnight lows in the 50s for tomorrow sunshine with high temperatures mid to upper 80s. Someone's got to see one they're very secretive. Thanks for calling. So so it is possible in Maine to still to to to have one but you have to be sort of professional handler as it were. She was having a garden party on her back porch and everybody in the party saw this mountain lion across the field down below the porch. However if if and when it does happen it takes up a lot of resources looking at that situation and identifying what's going on because when you start out you don't know it's a hoax. Peter Biello: Let's go to Mike in Epping. Think you've seen a mountain lion? It's good to talk to you. So I certainly can't dispute anything that they said there's no evidence for me to go by to verify or say what my thoughts are on the situation. So for our scientists to do the lumping and whatnot. People have asked me about the genetics of eastern mountain lion. So what counts as verifiable evidence? I mean that so many of them are false sightings we. NHPR is nonprofit and independent. The Lions of New Hampshire: MD44 Links. The term is because mascots notwithstanding right that they're referred to with a lot of different terms and sometimes they can be confused with a lot of different terms. The panther, Fells concolor, is a beast of many names, most frequently referred to in New Hampshire history as catamount, but sometimes known locally as "Indian Devil" or "Carcajou", under which . We are the second most-forested state in the country, and those forests can be impenetrable snarls (part of why the Northeast is notoriously a difficult place to hunt deer), and while there are people in a lot of those woods, because the cats have been absent for a few generations now, most of those people dont know what a cougar scrape or latrine look and smell like. If youd like to submit a question (or send a mountain line photo) you can record it as a voice memo on your smart phone and send it tooustidein@nhpr.org, OR call our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER (1-844-466-8837) and leave a message. Caller: So I've been telling this story for five years or so and very few people believe me. The American Lion The Saber tooth Tiger and this was the one that survived. 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 wildlife@wildlife.nh.gov to request an observation report form. It's not a skinny rope like tail like a housecat. Patrick Tate: It became a very interesting investigation over time because it started becoming. Rick van de Poll: Well I didn't. Residents believe cougars still roam New Hampshire's forests. 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. Mountain lions ( Puma concolor) are one of the six native species of wild cats in North America. Yeah 13 to 15 years ago 13 to 15 years ago. 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. Patrick Tate: So one thing I'd say is DNA would definitely identify an animal animal's Mark line or not. Theres tracks everywhere. I'm sorry go ahead you're on the air. Well they are the same. Copyright New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.An official New Hampshire government website. What kind of animal is that. What gets confusing is when you have a large adult animal and a smaller juvenile animal of a different species you can now step start beginning talking about overlapping body weights and sizes. Sam Evans-Brown: You know the North America had a number of large predator species when humans first arrived in the continent. And I was probably about a half a mile from downtown all village on the right. Think you've seen a mountain lion. Caller: It had to be a mountain lion convinced I was about 30. Yet this young male traveled about 1,800 miles. Is that typically what was happening there. About Us Media Kit Calendar of Events Volunteer Visit Learn Events Membership Support Your Visit BUY TICKETS Know Before You Go Directions and Information Our Animals Live Animal Exhibit Trail Hours and Admission Calendar of Events Its distinctive featurethe one that sets it apart from other North American wild catsis its tail, which is thick and often as long as its body. You know I'm like seriously I can't get a picture of the thing but what it what it is. He told me that on one of his many scouting trips for Black Bear he found a deer carcass up in a tree. Rick van de Poll: Well the mountain lion of course has been sort of an enigma in the wildlife suite for years and years. So before we get to the the the the stories of sightings we're getting a lot of calls. Mountain Lions | Wildlife | New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Peter Biello: When did you allegedly see a mountain lion. Caller: And then there's the Lily Pond Road and then there's a six foot tall fence. Rick van de Poll: Absolutely. Like why would you want one wildlife. You don't know what's going on. So it's there was no question in my mind. But if you were to get Western dispersing mountain lions just would just sort of expanding into New Hampshire. But you can continue the conversation on Facebook or at our Web site and HP Borg. Peter Biello: Well Karl Jarvis a former reporter for The King's son Nile thank you very much for for calling in and sharing your perspective and to his point Patrick T. I mean yes we haven't met the scientific burden of proof here in New Hampshire as far as physical evidence is is concerned but is there room at Fish and Game For A kind of an informal nod to all of the people who have somehow convinced themselves and possibly some others that yeah there may be occasional sightings here. Enable JavaScript by changing your browser options, and then try again. There's no attraction. I can't. He played a pivotal role and he battled for recognition. Patrick Tate: If I could just say one thing. Mountain Lion Population By State: 2023 Data [Statistics] They're very loyal to what the handler which makes them very dangerous to everyone else. So I just throwing that out there it's interesting. Tate said that while a mountain lion sighting in New Hampshire isn't likely, it's not impossible. We're gonna talk about sightings in this part of the program as well we'd love to hear your story. Oh you saw him online. Peter Biello: They make great mascots at least. I've seen him in the woods and that was not a bobcat but I was looking at. You can see two of them at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness NH. No that's a little bit outside the range. Somewhere the way they travel the things they do they're going to leave evidence. Not one picture of him online while the person meet with us. Sam Evans-Brown: And second the evidence required is is you know pretty pretty tough to gather. Gotcha, so the Deep State is suppressing mountain lion news in order to prop up New Hampshire tourism? A lot of times. And it was you know 10 or 12 people saw it all at once. The tail leave is a giveaway but not everybody gets to see the tail. From came from out west they tracked it all the way back to the Black Hills in the Dakotas. The unheralded hero of Apollo John Hubble the man who knew the way to the moon. And the cougar embodies that. John Holt's ideas were at first dismissed but he refused to be silent. 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. Peter Biello: The number is 1 800 8 9 2 6 4 7 7. There is some information that suggests that it spent a portion of its time in Massachusetts near the Claiborne reservoir. 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.. If you go on YouTube and search mount lion Pat you can see people patent their hundred pound kiddie like its regular mascot cat. And today we're talking about the mysterious elusive mountain line with folks who know something about it. But the state always denies it, and none of us know why they deny it. But I do think that it's appropriate that a fishing game agency would recognize verifiable proof if they could. 1957. The way that we define species has undergone a revolution with the advent of DNA testing. 'Like we did as kids': Horse makes snow angels with her owner in New Pelosi story here we go. NH Fish and Game relies on physical evidence to answer questions about the presence or absence of mountain lion in the state. I'm Peter Biello. We'd love to have you in the queue. Monday, December 5th: Mountain Lions in New Hampshire? Part II - WMUR Peter Biello: Worth mentioning if we're scaring anybody question a mysterious mountain lions lurking perhaps in someone's backyard. M from Tree Hill author series presenting Diane lay back. The big cat has been extinct here since the mid-1800s. BRADFORD, N.H. - All that snow in parts of the Northeast has more than just kids jumping for winter joy. We'll be right back. But I was riding a mountain bike not far from my house. Let's talk to Bob in Laconia Bob. Sam what's the incentive for the government to deny allegedly. Some argue that it's a leap of faith. The book MAMMAL TRACKS & SIGN by Mark Elbroch has pictures of mountain lion scat found at a multiple beaver kill. Mountain lions when they show up they leave evidence. Peter Biello: So Rick seems like you agree that the tail is a big giveaway whether or not it's a mountain lion Absolutely. But along the lines of the conspiracy theories as you mentioned earlier there there was a bit of a sense on behalf of what I'll call the promo online community who felt that fishing gain maybe not even so much in a spoken policy but maybe sort of an unspoken policy did not want to find themselves in a situation where they had to spend money to create a management plan and so forth. Mike Guyton pressure was almost Greyhound like very muscular large back legs on it and the coloration on it was almost an orange brownish orange color and so I stop and I look at this thing in the field and as the animal looks at me the face was very chiseled definitely not a bobcat. I'm Peter B yellow. Caller: Oh yeah. And when provoked no animal could stand before him elegantly put. The trouble with accepting every reported sighting as a confirmed mountain lion is that there are so many mistaken identifications. They create these scrapes where theyre communicating with each other with scent. The Connecticut Mountain Lion is the best documented wild Mountain Lion in New England. She is renowned for tracking. I mean so what what is the practical change that it would bring to New Hampshire if any. So hey, just me shooting from the hip, maybe there are a couple mountain lions skulking about. 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.. I'll send it to you. And I think this is a really interesting story for a couple of reasons one is that it proves what Pat was saying which that basically from New York state where its traces was really picked up on a game camera around Lake George all the way down to Connecticut there was numerous. Rick van de Poll: Oh yeah absolutely. Our guests today Patrick Tate New Hampshire Fish and Game Wildlife biologist Sam Evans Brown host of an HP podcast outside in. Sue Morse: First and foremost if you have color or if you could see details of color look at the front of the face around the Pumas muzzle the muzzle itself is pure white. There was a lot of DNA evidence. It was not a bobcat. Select image for larger view. Reports without physical evidence are not dismissed, however Fish and Game cannot verify a sighting report without physical evidence. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference. So and so the idea that they can follow up on every individual sighting is just crazy right. I'm Peter Biello in for Laura NOI. So I know it's another unconfirmed report but you string enough of these together. Peter Biello: And Carl before you continue I think Patrick Tate just give me a second. Patrick Tate: My line being a large predator a cat watch ambush his prey animal that hasn't been. And Rick van de Poll naturalist and founder of ecosystem management consultants of New England. Phone number 1 800. 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. Since 1917, Lions clubs have offered people the opportunity to give something back to their communities. "Of those three to five reports,. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. NHFG Wildlife Biologist Patrick Tate identifies this cat as a bobcat. So when we hear mountain lion there's also cougar there's wild cat there's Bobcat which is not a mountain lion maybe Patrick could you sort of spell out the different terms which are synonymous and which are completely different animals. Yes. Anytime at any HP broad dot org or subscribe to our podcast search Apple podcasts Google Play or stitcher for an HP bar exchange. And it was unmistakable. Mountain Lions in New Hampshire-Fact or Fiction. It was in the spring flash kind of early summer and my wife looked at you look at the size of an adult bear and we were up in arms. Mountain Lion | Squam Lakes Natural Science Center All exhibit and hiking trails are CLOSED for the season. If it's just in the middle of a greenfield you can't prove anything. I just want to tell you a story that I read. The species that once inhabited the Northeast, known as the eastern mountain lion, is now extinct. Its actually fairly reasonable to believe that mountain lions do, at least, pass through occasionally. They kill big animals. 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. Peter Biello: There have been several alleged sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. Give today. Which which I think Pat and I have both experienced. And so maybe before I go to you recommend I ask you Patrick Tate is the standard too high. Its closest living relative is the cheetah. Can you tell us about that story. Give today. Peter Biello: Yeah. I would just suggest that in my experience as a reporter covering this covering this issue for a few years at least at what point do we reach a certain critical mass for lack of a better term of accounts where I'm not to suggest that you guys aren't taking this possibility seriously. So hard to know hard to refute if there's no interest in making up a story which many people of course do then I would respond the same way as Pat did. The second story window through about 30 feet away from it. Sam Evans-Brown: And when we talk about subspecies this actually leads to to an interesting tangent which is that the field of biology recently has been sort of revolutionized by the use of DNA to determine what subspecies are. NHPR is nonprofit and independent. They sent it already. HOLDERNESS, N.H. (AP) Two of the known mountain lions in New Hampshire have spent their 15 years in close proximity to humans. We'll also hear your stories if you have them again. Here she is talking about how to identify a mountain lion. Peter Biello: Well hey Rob. Fish and Game looked into the labs to have them confirm the information in the reports which the labs did not. It was really muscular looking cat I mean is that like a side angle to me. People go through great lengths to create hoaxes like this. Pat what do you think the mystique of the mountain lion. 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. But if people are still seeing mountain lions, why is the state and federal government seeking to COVER IT UP!? Patrick Tate: Nice talk to you too. Despite numerous reports, the NH Fish and Game Department continues to have no physical evidence of mountain lion presence in the state. I saw the tail end of a literally from behind the shoulder The Long Tail mountain lion crossing the highway going from Password to often Village downtown. I've had a number of people call up and say I found a scout in the woods and I want it DNA identified. And really whenever you hear tiny code and long rope like tale it's kind of hard to pin this sighting on any other creature rather than an outline or just nothing else really matches that description. We're not in the woods. Gap Mountain Lions Club Right. And sometimes I've seen pictures of those where it's the question is What is that is that a bobcat. But you won't find evidence of their existence in paw prints in the snow or a deer carcass in a tree. But also I think it proves the opposite point which is that sometimes they're pretty secretive because all the way from Minnesota where the where was the first time was picked up on a game camera to New York. Michael Brindley is our program manager our producers our Jessica Hunt and Christina Phillips and our theme music was composed by Bob Lord. To date, the Department has not received any verifiable evidence (photographic or DNA)of mountain lions existing in New Hampshire. You're on the air. Really appreciate you guys being here as well. 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. I was at the Sentinel as a reporter there for about four years and during that time I probably wrote close to a half dozen stories or so on this topic including a lengthy feature at one point that in which I spoke to several people from around the banana region claimed to have seen mountain lions that at one time or another. We want answers. Do you get a lot of these these these things that end up being hoaxes. Today on the exchange we discuss what residents may have been seeing and what breeding mountain lion pairs would mean for our ecosystem. If youve got photo trap evidence of a Mountain Lion, send it in, and we'll send it along to the appropriate state or federal agency! Caller: It had just left that field and was out. Does not test random Scouts. Squam Lake: Home of mountain lions - Concord Monitor Just one quick point I think I think when we we talk about these conspiracy theories the real story is that fish and game is an agency that that is short on budget and staff. Patrick Tate: So it's very typical. He says when youve got a mountain lion in town, its kinda obvious. Because I mean as we've heard in the past 10 minutes like there's there's some disagreement or at least some some vagueness about what an actual mountain lion should appear like in the wild assuming we can even get close enough. JavaScript must be enabled for some features to display properly. When they were landing or taking off and it seems like it's been there for like. Incredible sighting and I called him the fish and game and they immediately sent me to a website to look at all the bobcat pictures. Fish and Game then deny the evidence. 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. Well thanks for sharing. So that's the specimen that you find going long distances. 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. Post your sightings and NH photos here! HOLDERNESS, N.H. (AP) Two of the known mountain lions in New Hampshire have spent their 15 years in close proximity to humans. They sent he sent his scent those two samples with his to Wyoming an unfortunate Fish and Game Commission there did not get a positive read on it but send it back to Central Michigan University where they did a nuclear micro satellite DNA analysis and found no significant difference between that scat and other scats that were tested from the Rocky Mountain region. There have been several sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. Sam Evans-Brown: One in fact Helena silver in that sort of tome that Rick van de Poll read from at the beginning is she. You know interactions are pretty unusual. 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. So it is possible to see male Mountain lions roam into the northeast - there was one hit by a car in CT a number of years back - but we don't have a breeding population of Mountain lions in New England. So. 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. Peter Biello: But clearly you know you're saying like hoaxes people who claim to have seen a mountain lion but knowingly have not or are appropriating photos taken elsewhere of legit mountain lion say out West where they people acknowledge that they exist certainly knowingly or unknowingly in this case the person who sent it to me said hey a friend of mine sent me this photo and said he took it on his back porch also. Residents believe cougars still roam New Hampshire's forests 1957. And it came out we could see it had and we could see its long swooping tail. How far were you from this cat. 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 . Have a photo. And I think a lot of folks would like them to be around. Good morning guys. The states never denied mountain lions are here, and theyve never admitted mountain lions are here. Maps of Trapping Take by Town 1994 to 2004. Residents believe cougars still roam New Hampshire's forests - AP NEWS The 17-year-old Kiger mustang mare was born in Bend, Oregon, said Hodskins, who got her . There are corollaries in other states. And still the the folks there did weren't able to come up with it with 100 percent certainty what deposited that scat. Patrick Tate: It's wow interesting that you brought this up because I've had people report I saw cardamom. Pat do they typically just move around a lot. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Me Im willing to believe its possible that there are some out there. 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. Peter Biello: Ok. So you want identifiable backgrounds. Today she talked with us a little bit before the show about why the mountain line is so compelling and why we want it to be part of our world. Sam Evans-Brown has been working for New Hampshire Public Radio since 2010, when he began as a freelancer. First off if the standard for an agency to go forward with the public and put out a press release that them outlines here their believers are going to say I told you they'd been here the whole time. But Absence of Evidence Is Not Evidence of Absence, Right? So give us a call now. If you missed part of today's program listen to the exchange. 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. And so far we have not had any positive mark lion scats or any DNA. Caller: I have yeah. Chartered 1973; Member of District 44-H; . And they were using all the habitat. Through DNA they approximate area in the United States or North America where I was born. Mountain lions leave a lot of sign. Long before NASA was asked to put a man on the moon one engineer had already figured out how to get there. Want to report a Mountain Lion sighting in New Hampshire? New Hampshire Public Radio | 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. So one thing I'll add. Monday, December 5th: Mountain Lions in New Hampshire? - WMUR It was some sort of a Lion Mountain Lion animal. Rick van de Poll: Rick van de Poll so I was a non-believer as well. My wife and I saw a mountain lion. But on the other side of that coin there is this sense that there have been so many sightings locally and you guys Patrick you might recall the name the Wyndham McCracken she kind of turned herself into a local authority off authorities the right word but she was very dedicated to this. WMUR NH Chronicle Mountain Lions in NH Part I and Part II. Residents Report Mountain Lion Sighting By Elysia Rodriguez Published August 11, 2015 A southern New Hampshire neighborhood believes a mountain lion is roaming the woods near their homes. Are there other powers that be worried that scary mountain lions will scare off people from camping in New Hampshire. And so. Well within there. So Pat you field a lot of calls about people seeing or reportedly seeing mountain lions. So this whole illegal pet trade black market pro trade thing does does exist in a situation like that can happen. 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.