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Hey Richard and DT guess what I saw in my back yard/paddock today.
A mountain lion :shock:.... seriously.
Posts: 3,677
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Joined: Dec 2005
It was scary Richard and I was indoors at the time. It just sauntered by the horses (must have been down wind from them) like it owned the place and proceeded into a field that I walk every morning . I had heard there were other previous sightings and my uncle even got a pic of one on his farm in Ky. Upon reporting it to varoius authorities I discovered they have been in the area for at least the past 20 years but sightings are increasing. The Ohio Wildlife Division apparently knew the cougars were moving in from West Virginia several years ago and decided to keep it under their hats . I think they wanted natural predators for the enormous deer population. As I said there have been previous sightings in my immediate area including a pic of a cougar drinking from a local pond , suspected sheep killings, and one seen leaping the width of a 2 lane country road .... the road I live on. Bear have returned as well. I think it's cool that they have returned( they've been here for 18,000 years:D) but feel folks should have been notified as this isn't the frontier any longer.
Posts: 3,677
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Did a TV interview this morning along with another local resident who also saw the cougar.Also in attendance was tracker Bill Reichling of The Eastern Puma Research Network.Do to past and present ridicule incurred in reporting such sightings and privacy concerns, the other resident and I insisted our faces not be videotaped and the the property locations not be disclosed. Media wasn't happy but....
Mr. Reichling lives in the Cincinnati area and has photos of cougar sightings there . One is of a black cougar. I didn't know there was such a thing but my neighbor's son who is charge of the mammalians at one of the New York city zoos assures me there is that coloring among cougars.
The reasonings behind the government and media gag on this are interesting. Apparently ,according to Bill , the only reason the info is available to the degree it is in Michigan is due to a "very stubborn and persistent Irishman."
