Community Corner

Mountain Lions in Connecticut: Fact or Fiction?

After decades of reports, DEEP has only been able to confirm one mountain lion sighting in the state.

Mountain lions are large predators weighing anywhere from 80 to 180 pounds, the females being on the smaller side, the males considerably larger in size. The mountain lion has been called cougar, puma, catamount and sometimes panther. Along with animals like deer, coyotes and raccoons, mountain lions like to prey on small livestock such as chickens and goats, hunting at night or in the early hours of the morning.

Mountain lions are believed to have once roamed nearly all of the United States. By the early-20th century, however, mountain lions were thought to be nearly eliminated in the eastern half of the United States. To the contrary, there have lately been hundreds of recent reported sightings in the Northeast, including one confirmed sighting in Connecticut.

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Wildlife Biologist Paul Rego said DEEP “regularly receives reports of mountain lion or cougar sightings and has for decades. We have, however, only been able to confirm one of those (the one in Fairfield county earlier this year).”

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Usually, it is another type of animal people have spotted and not an actual mountain lion, he says. Mountain lions have a rounded face, are tawney in color and have a distinguishable long, heavy tail.

The process for confirming a mountain lion sighting through DEEP includes positive identification such as photographic evidence or track identification. Little can be done to confirm sightings like the recent one in as “tracking the animal after a sighting is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” since the animal will be on the move and the tracks will have more than likely been washed away. The winter months are easier for identifying tracks since they freeze in the snow.

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If you find yourself in direct confrontation with a mountain lion, Rego warns, make loud noises and try to appear larger than the animal. Mountain lions, however, do not usually approach people.

Hunting mountain lions is also illegal, as the animal is on the endangered species list. People caught hunting mountain lions will be fined and potentially serve jail time.


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