Moose Droppings

I have no doubt that there is a strong likelihood that within the state of North Carolina there are some Mountain Lions, cougars, or panthers whatever you want to call them roaming around free. Are they true Eastern Cougars held over from long ago when they once roamed the entire east coast of the United States? I doubt it. Could there be some that have expanded into the area from Florida? Once again I think that is unlikely as well.

The primary food source for a mountain lion would be deer and there is no doubt we have lots of them but so does Georgia and South Carolina. I know they are a very reclusive animal but Florida and these other states do not seem to have such a saturation of Mountain Lions that they would even feel pressured to expand into North Carolina.

I believe that when we find a mountain lion will discover it is a captive one that some how has found it’s way back into the wild. We had some pretty strong eye witness accounts out of Moore County this past summer witnessing a large cat. Tracks were discovered and photographed, although I’ve never seen them published anywhere, and a “Wildlife Expert” working with County Animal Control identified them as cougar tracks. Shortly there after “State Wildlife Experts” identified them as bear tracks. At the time I was somewhat suspect of the findings but not being able to see the photos there was no way I could pick which expert to believe.

The latest sightings are happening in Union County which is the county that is south of Charlotte and on the South Carolina border. Here is what the local TV Station WBTV is reporting;

None of the panther sightings have been confirmed, but the deputy director for animal control tells me they’re now considering the reports to be very credible.
That is because a local man says not only did he see a panther, but he found the tracks in his yard to prove it.
Animal Control came out to investigate and officers say the tracks are consistent with ones left by a panther.
We tried all day to track this man down, but animal control officers are being very reluctant to give out much information because they don’t want to cause any unnecessary panic.
The sightings started about a month ago all in the same area, just south of Monroe on G W Broome and Griffith Roads.
The deputy director says the sightings coincided with several reports of dogs being attacked and in some cases killed by an unknown animal.
About two weeks ago, a beagle died and a few weeks before that a pit bull was brutally attacked and sliced open in several places.
WBTV has learned that it is very unusual for a pit bull to be attacked by anything, because they are known to defend themselves better than most other dogs.
However, the man who found the panther tracks in his yard says his daugther was actually within 12 feet of the animal on Sunday and his neighbor spotted it again Tuesday.
But so far, no one has managed to get a picture of the panther, so until that happens, Animal Control can’t confirm any official sightings
Animal Control has set several traps in the woods around the area where the sightings happened.

This could be an important find if it is an Eastern Cougar because the US Fish & Wildlife has just launched a website and a study on the Eastern Cougar.

As part of the review, the Service is seeking information on the status of the eastern cougar in the 21 states — from Maine to South Carolina and west from Michigan to Tennessee — where the Endangered Species Act protects it. Lacking definitive evidence of the species’ existence, the Service has presumed the eastern cougar to be extinct. It is improbable that a small cougar population persisted in the eastern states for over a century. Most of the confirmed cougar records since 1950 (animals killed, good quality photos/videos, genetic evidence) are known to be escapes of captive origin. There may be thousands of captive cougars in the eastern United States.

“An important part of the Service’s review will be to compile the best available scientific evidence and objectively assess whether the eastern cougar is truly extinct,” said Mark McCollough, endangered species biologist in the Service’s Northeast Region. McCollough and other Service staff will prepare the status review.

Anyone wishing to submit information regarding the eastern cougar may do so by writing to:

Eastern Cougar
Northeast Regional Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, MA 01035

or by email to EasternCougar@fws.gov Information must be received by March 30, 2007, for the status review, although the Service will continue to accept new information about eastern cougars at any time.

I’ll try to keep you informed about any developments in Union County as this story continues to unfold. I would hope with the prevalence of cameras across our society, especially game cameras & camera phones, that photographic evidence will be collected.

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