Peter Biello: Ok weird question but do they make good pets. But I do think that it's appropriate that a fishing game agency would recognize verifiable proof if they could. So the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station has a database on mountain lion and they can identify. John you're on the air. But but I've also seen it cited the opposite way that look they're very secretive. Author of The last woman in the forest on Saturday July 13th at 7 p.m. at Warner town hall Warner historical dawg. Peter Biello: And that will make identification for a layperson rather difficult. And the second question is this a behavior mountain lions exhibit. Its impossible to say, but I think the odds are pretty good that some of these sightings are legit. We we hear that there is allegedly a government conspiracy to deny the existence of mountain lions here in New Hampshire so I guess a local government conspiracy. I mean so what what is the practical change that it would bring to New Hampshire if any. The engineers Dan Colgan our senior producer is Allan Grimm. But you won't find evidence of their existence in paw prints in the snow or a deer carcass in a tree. 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. So what those ranges. Mountain lions can be found throughout Arizona, and data suggests the populations are not only stable, but growing. You know interactions are pretty unusual. BUT THAT SAID, Id love to be proven wrong. It was really muscular looking cat I mean is that like a side angle to me. They absolutely do. Wed love to be part of the first verified sighting. HOLDERNESS, N.H. (AP) Two of the known mountain lions in New Hampshire have spent their 15 years in close proximity to humans. They don't know the direction they're going. Peter Biello: I did mention four feet nose to tail would be kind of small for a mountain lion. OK. That location they just described we had two or three Bobcats radio collared on just off the runway in Laconia airport. The great thing about pictures isn't the animal itself it's the background. And that the Florida panther was more closely related to the eastern outline than the western mountain lion was. Tim Yeah. These young males are tracking looking for mates and if they don't find a mate they just keep moving and moving and moving. If so that's for us as an agency. 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. Peter Biello: When did you allegedly see a mountain lion. Chartered: 1973 . But are there mountain lions living in New Hampshire? Pat what do you think the mystique of the mountain lion. So try to take photographs if you see something like this. 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. "Of those three to five reports,. Mountain lions remain an enigmatic animal for residents of New Hampshire, with New Hampshire Fish and Game reporting three to five sightings per week. They lived perhaps elsewhere in New England and they were just passing through and happened to have an encounter of some sort. 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 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. 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.. The Connecticut Mountain Lion is the best documented wild Mountain Lion in New England. Peter Biello: Hmm. New Hampshire Public Radio | Course like Sue said you have to see it and it's not always that visible. The second story window through about 30 feet away from it. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference. Long before NASA was asked to put a man on the moon one engineer had already figured out how to get there. Deer Bear Moose Wolves Fisher Mountain Lions. When they were landing or taking off and it seems like it's been there for like. Peter Biello: Nice to be here. There is some information that suggests that it spent a portion of its time in Massachusetts near the Claiborne reservoir. Peter Biello: There have been several alleged sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently. Part II. I tracked cats and all the western states. Somewhere the way they travel the things they do they're going to leave evidence. And here we're talking about in this situation we're talking about it migrated from the West. Well Is DNA the most reliable means we have of identifying whether or not what we saw is actually a mountain lion. Sam Evans-Brown: So I just had two thoughts which is that we hear a lot of these stories and all of us here have heard these stories. NHPR is nonprofit and independent. I just don't understand the mechanism for how that would happen. Today on the exchange we discuss what residents may have been seeing and what breeding mountain lion pairs would mean for our ecosystem. And just one more note about this danger question when even when you look at the states that have extended populations stable populations of mountain lions attacks are relatively rare. So I just throwing that out there it's interesting. 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. The 17-year-old Kiger mustang mare was born in Bend, Oregon, said Hodskins, who got her . We live around Cold Springs Campground and it was undeniably a mountain lion. He played a pivotal role and he battled for recognition. So and so the idea that they can follow up on every individual sighting is just crazy right. Peter Biello: And then it ran away okay. GAP MOUNTAIN LIONS CLUB Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire (USA) District 44-N . No evidence and other states where Mountain lights have turned up. So there's even debate about that very subject. That's next time on one day. What do you think that. So we're fixated on natural but there's other possibilities. WMUR uLocal: On this trail cam video, an unidentified feline is spotted. Rick shaking his head so Rick now correct me please. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference. Post your sightings and NH photos here! And they were using all the habitat. Are these big cats back?Subscribe to WMUR on YouTube now for more: http://bit.ly/1lOjX9CGet more Manchester news: http://wmur.comLike us: http://facebook.com. The tail leave is a giveaway but not everybody gets to see the tail. Give today. 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 . Patrick Tate: And there's one other way to model that is the same animal. It doesn't happen as much anymore. And Rick Van de Poll naturalist and founder of ecosystem management consultants of New England. So that did it for me. Were there any differences between these two that we could have noticed right off. Patrick Tate: My line being a large predator a cat watch ambush his prey animal that hasn't been. Good morning guys. They create these big latrines that are very obvious. Less successful males roam further. The best documentation we have in New Hampshire suggests there hasnt been a mountain lion killed by a hunter in this state since 1885. In fact, Pat Tate concedes that hes been told of sightings from folks that he considers to be very credible, very woods savvypeople who know what a bobcat looks likebut those folks have never snapped a good photo or found a good track. Pelosi story here we go. Do cougars live in New England? 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. Listeners give us a call if you'd like. For all the men out there that don't realize it. Peter Biello: Listeners give us a call if you have a question or a story of a sighting 1 800 8 9 2 6 4 7 7. But before I go any further I want to say we do not have sufficient game. Peter Biello: Wow. As wildlife biologists, wed be fascinated to say 'look look what was found in our state.'. So one thing I'd point out is we've been talking about situations with no evidence a number of them come in with photographs and yet what they fit what they description of the animal they saw and by the way I got a picture of what I saw. Every other Friday on Morning Edition NHPRs Sam Evans-Brown tracks down answers to questions about the environment and outdoors for our listeners in a segment we call Ask Sam.. You know I'm like seriously I can't get a picture of the thing but what it what it is. There was a lot of DNA evidence. Sam. The states never denied mountain lions are here, and theyve never admitted mountain lions are here. County road and all of a sudden a big cat jumps out of the woods over a stone wall stood in the middle of the dirt road as I rode towards it. Give us a call if you have a question or comments or story about perhaps seeing a mountain lion here in New Hampshire. 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. Yes and you want to share what you learned. 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. About two years ago I was at the Laconia airport on the way home from the airport and there's a big lake on one side called Lily Pond. So what a neat experience. And I can recall its information but I can't confirm or verify anything. Can you look into this picture. Verifiable pictures recorded by the observing person or a trail camera. From: Boomerdog in OK 08-Oct-07 And we want to know your stories if you have them 1 800 8 9 2 6 4 7 7 or email exchange at an HP bar dot org we'll talk about conspiracy theories when we come back. Mountain Lions in New Hampshire-Fact or Fiction 3,207 views Jul 31, 2019 78 Dislike Share Save New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife 634 subscribers During my thirty-one career at the New. You treat it as if it's a sincere situation. And when provoked no animal could stand before him elegantly put. They just end up in these places. PublishedNovember 16, 2018 at 6:16 AM EST. Let us know your story and share your photos! (Cue the X-Files music: The Government is denying the cougars exist!) This decision was primarily for nerdy phylogeny reasons, though, because the eastern cougar probably never existed. To date, the Department has not received any verifiable evidence (photographic or DNA)of mountain lions existing in New Hampshire. Rick van de Poll: Rick your thoughts. Patrick Tate: I don't believe it is. And what was really remarkable about the whole thing was I was maybe a half mile down on all buildings. Peter Biello: Worth mentioning if we're scaring anybody question a mysterious mountain lions lurking perhaps in someone's backyard. Ecosystem Management Consultants of New England, Ask Sam, and recently fielded question about mountain lions, 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, We also hear excerpts from an interview with, Read about the most recent cougar "sightings". And sometimes I've seen pictures of those where it's the question is What is that is that a bobcat. 1,470 likes. Patrick Tate: Nice talk to you too. The supervisor that hired me in the game division in October of 1978 passed on to me this whole big folder of mountain lion information and sightings going back probably a couple decades. You saw what you saw. They create these scrapes where theyre communicating with each other with scent. So before we get to the the the the stories of sightings we're getting a lot of calls. 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. NH Fish and Game relies on physical evidence to answer questions about the presence or absence of mountain lion in the state. Residents believe cougars still roam New Hampshire's forests. Peter Biello: We mentioned that the eastern cougar and the Western cougar are they were separate eastern cougar believed to be extinct. 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. Chapter X, Predators, Panther (Mountain Lion) From History of NH Game and Furbearers by Helenette Silver, Research Clerk, NH Fish and Game Dept. It is also known as cougar, panther, mountain lion, and puma, though catamount is the preferred regional vernacular. 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. Caller: And then there's the Lily Pond Road and then there's a six foot tall fence. So when we talk about the threshold of evidence required to say for sure you have seen a mountain lion it is rather high. We send out DNA samples to the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station. Think you've seen a mountain lion? 1957. 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. You don't know what's going on. 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. He told me that on one of his many scouting trips for Black Bear he found a deer carcass up in a tree. David Erler says some of them probably have. So take care of this problem. We've met Fish and Game's BURDEN OF PROOF. 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. Enable JavaScript by changing your browser options, and then try again. 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.. Thanks for taking my call. From "History of New Hampshire Game and Furbearers" by Helenette Silver, Research Clerk, NH Fish and Game Dept. 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. Reviewing the evidence, the U.S. So so. The nonbelievers are going to say Show us your evidence and show us prove this to us. It traveled all the way from from you know Minnesota to New York without being so seen Patrick take. No I saw a camel. Your support makes this news available to everyone. Information online ad an age student loans dawg. Sam Evans-Brown has been working for New Hampshire Public Radio since 2010, when he began as a freelancer. Mike thanks for your call. 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.