Why do they believe it now? About a week later I seen a documentary on black mountian lions, and that is exactly what I had seen, same size and coloring. For related content, read about How The Worlds Most Notorious Mythical Creature Is Said To Dwell In This Small Virginia Town. Police say man who pointed gun at officers in area of Route 250 Bypass is dead, ACSO looking for suspicious man in the Weyers Cave area, Wreck cleared after crash shut down Woodrow Wilson Pkwy near Staunton, Waynesboro man arrested after eluding police, WPD says, Autopsy shows man in Jefferson Co., Ala was attacked by pack of dogs, Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction resigns, Bond denied for owner of dogs accused of dogs deaths, Pilot identified in fatal plane crash near Hillsville, Charlie Obaugh RV & Outdoor Student Athlete of the Week. We got a clear enough look at it to even distinguish what appeared to be some some kind of scarring, or maybe it was just dirt streaks, on its upper right hind leg. My father owns property in Floyd, VA in an area where many of the land owners are not activly using their large acreage properties. Nobody even thinks anything of it because of its regularity. Colby is a freelance writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. It was standing in front of my car. I went on line and llistened to mountain lions and cougar screams and it sounded exactly like that. There is an abundent population of squirl, deer and turkey. 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. 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. Last week in a dusty spot I found what I thought might be catamount signs. Theres no guarantee that cougars trekking from South Dakota will stick around, or that the female in Tennessee will have kittens. Well, then we know theres a cougar there, Peterson said simply. WVa Sanctuary provides safe home for mountain lions and bobcat. Three months later a mountain lion was wiped out by an SUV on a highway in Connecticut. Add my name to the list of people who have seen mountain lions in the wild. I know another person in Albemarle Co. who sees them sunning regularly there and has for years. Whatever it was was big and right under my window. For anyone that has seen a cougar in the East or would like to support or be involved in their return then jointing ECF is only logical. Cat like head and ears and face, long tail (about 20+ inches), bristly fur, grayish-brown in color, rather thin overall. The last one seen was last summer. The species epithet "concolor" is Latin for "of one color," because adults are a solid version of some sort of tan. Unfortunately, we lost our big barn cat to these predators and continue to see and hear them on a regular basis. Then 20 miles later at mile 183 at about 2:25 AM I saw a much larger cat on the left side of southbound 81 where there was no guard rail. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. It was last June that my husband and brother in law were traveling on rt 66 where it goes into rt 81 (somewhere between Front Royal and Strasburg) and saw a cougar dead on the side of the highway! I live in historic Jonesborough, TN. The US Fish and Wildlife Service considered the lack of sightings during that period to be key evidence that no breeding population survived in the eastern states. No, its one persons opinion of the world around them as they exist in it. It was the scarriest night of my life and if anyone wants to confirm that there are mountain lions in Shenandoah Park just park at hogback at mile point 21 and set up camp where i did. We camp along the Potomac on float trips and always see and especially hear them at night. My farm helper saw one at approximately the same location yesterday. The dog was close enough I could open the door and bring her in. As I inched my way down the road I saw the tall grass to my left move as if something was approaching the road. It was a brownish tan in color and was at least as large as my yellow lab. There are at least 10 different subspecies of white-tailed deer, and it doesnt make a bit of difference in the grand scheme of things.. I do believe that it's just mistaken identity.". Today, there are less than 200 Florida panthers remaining. So they say Mt. I too hope to see mountain lions return to Virginia, but I really dont think there are many here yet, if any all. If you have any copies of these Virginia cats, you should post them or at least the links. A mountain lion photo has been circulating on social media for more than a year, claiming people have seenmountain lions in the state, and officials are calling shenanigans on the post. I live in Springfield VA in a subdivision, but there are wooded stream areas close by that are often used by deer and other animals to move through the area. I kept hiking and went all the way to HWY 19E where I slept in a shelter half a mile from the road. It isnt certain, but some researchers claim that there could be native cougar populations across the Blue Ridge in as little as 25-30 years. They dont go after dogs and cats or people. Saturday 27 Sept 08 I found a large paw print in the mud from the recent rains. I raise miniature horses and am quite concerned as we are surrounded by woods in Warrenton. We got a phone call last night that one of our neighbors (in Midlothian, VA) saw a lion in the back yard. I went to Chestoa, which is an awesome overlook pretty much between Altapass and Linville. This normal school was founded by veterans of both the Union and the Confederacy, Concord is named for the ideal of "harmony and sweet . In fact, there have been 121 reports that are likely to have been true mountain lion sightings. Have some feedback for us? OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Right now the only natural predator of deer seems to be the feral Toyota Camry population. This is beacause the scream is that of the prey that he has just killed. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. Purposeful reintroduction, bringing breeding-age females to a suitable area in the Appalachians, could speed the process dramatically. The West Virginia Wildlife Center is open to the public seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Probably 10s of thousands across the Appalachian regions of the state. These creatures dont call Virginia home, but have been known to stop by for an occasional visit. A mountain lion photo has been circulating on social media for more than a year, claiming people have seen mountain lions in the state, and officials are calling shenanigans on the post. Speculation over what kind of animal attacked a hiker near Humpback Rocks on Friday namely, a bear or mountain lion was resolved Monday, thanks to the victim's mother. But anyways, I just completely got off of the Mountain Lion subject. Flash to present day. Lets explore: are there mountain lions in Virginia? They yelled back at me, got a little closer, and seemingly vanished into the valley after I heard the uncanny Mountain Lion yell. hunterb8s@yahoo.com. We were too busy looking at each other asking, Did you see that? We should have ben focusing on details. About 6 years ago my husband and I saw a mountain lion cross directly in front of us on Bobbletts Gap Rd, in Bedford County. It was a large cougar that had an eight point buck by the neck. 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. I bearly got a glimpse, thought at first it was a deer. There have been sightings of mountain lions in Virginia since the late 1800s, and its tough to imagine that every single one of them is misidentifying or lying about their experience, but it doesnt help that there hasnt been any physical evidence of mountain lions found either. I was about 100 yards away from the cat and watched it jump up a bank and into a patch of woods that had been logged. Several years later one of our neighbors was awakened by a commotion in the barn. Virginia's mountain lions, known as the Eastern puma, were once on the endangered species list. (we have more of both in these parts of Virginia, lots more sheep and lots more coyotes.) Virginia is home to a bounty of beautiful wildlife, including some magical animals that any of us would be lucky to spot. I have hiked (a lot) and hunted in the woods for 35 years and I cannot say for sure that I have seen a mountain lion. Victim of animal attack treated for rabies. I failed to mention the eyes looking at us! Every year there were a few here and there.. I also had NO idea they lived in that area, so close to my home :). My e-mail address is gardrserv@yahoo.com & would be more than willing to give anyone any info as to what & where I saw. From the next room, another person chimmed in my neighbors have been seeing one. This all occured three weeks after I had a full-grown Red Wolf walk up near me while blackberry picking in my mother-in-laws pasture (in the city limits.) I'll take any sighting you got, just make a note of location, size and color of the animal, some context on what you where doing when you saw them (hiking a trail, hunting, chilling in your yard, ect), and any behaviors you noticed from the animal. With numerous supposed sightings since the 1970s to present, it doesn't sound too far fetched. The Florida panther is a subspecies of the eastern mountain lion that lives in the Everglades and pine forests of central Florida. However, my husband couldnt contain his excitement and called me immediately to tell me he had his own personal proof of the existance of cougars in Virginia! As the summer progressed she got a couple glances at the animal but still no proof. Long may they thrive. ", "These cats are moving east looking for new territory," Renee O'brien posted on Facebook. Diana Marchibroda and her miniature schnauzer froze in their tracks when the mountain lion stepped out of the woods last May. About 1987 I lived across the river from Holy Cross Monastery. It certainly is rare to get more than just a glimpse of them. 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