Catamount sighting in Wallingford - You tell me ? is it or isnt it?

[scootrd]

For years , Vermonters  have been reporting sightings of Catamounts back in VT , but no definitive proof except the occasional visual sighting, (some very reliable by groups of folks at a time , not just individuals).

But so Far Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife says they cannot confirm.

This Wallingford woman snapped a pic..

So you pro's chime in  especially you guys out west who see 'em more often -  is it or isn't it?

Story is Here  - http://www.timesargus.com/article/RH/20100726/NEWS02/707269905/0/NEWS02

[scootrd]

don't want this one to fall on the wayside unanswered. Like those in the know to weigh in.

[Savage_99]

That picture does not look like a mountain lion to me.

I saw a mountain lion in southern vt in 1957.

I have seen two mountain lions in western ct in the last two years.

[Doublebass73]

It looks like it could be a young one. I know of two different game wardens, one from NH and one from Maine that have photos. When they brought the photos to their supervisors both were told "these don't exist".

[Bossloper]

No state agency will confirm anything without being 100% sure, and that takes proof beyond a picture, footprint or some scat. In most regards they will not deny a sighting or photo, but to declare that they exist in a state means that there is an established and reproducing wild population of lions. Until research proves that, then states will continue to deny their existence. Lions have large home ranges, up to several hundred square miles, so it's a fairly complex undertaking to collect the amount of data necessary. Plus, agencies are faced with the typical "where does the money come from issues" to fund a undertaking of that magnitude, so it's a hard sell. Believe me, agencies would love to do the research, but with ever decreasing funding, something else would have to be sacrificed in order to allocate bodies & resources to do the research.

Right now there's a better chance that the research will be done by an animal rights or anti-hunting group, because as our population continues to grow, the percentage of it that hunt & fish continues to go down, as does the funding of state agencies. State agencies would love to be doing far more than they currently can, but it takes money, and they just don't have it. Maybe down the road, when there are fees associated with the non-consumptive recreational outdoor uses, there will be funds for research like this and other things.

[Graybeard]

House cat. I have one just like it that roams my property. I would deal with it but here in Bama it's a felony and I have a neighbor who'd love to turn me in for it if I harmed the stray cat.

[scootrd]

seems quite large to be a feral house cat. Too bad there wasn't a side view Pic.

[shooter]

That's a bobcat folks...
Shooter

[torpedoman]

mountain lions have rounded ears , this one has pointey ears.

[jlchucker]

About 20 years ago my brother claims to have spotted one in a meadow near Chester, VT.  Kinda scroungy looking, he claimed, but about as big as a large dog.  The one in your photo sort of looks like my big ol' orange tomcat Skippy--but it's hard to say because we can't see much besides the head.  I grew up in Southern VT and hunted lots of areas down there--and have lived in the northern part of the State now for the better part of 25 years.  I've never seen anything that I thought might be a catamount.  I think these days there are so many newer homes, second homes, and yuppiefarms here that such critters wouldn't have range to roam without being spotted more often.

[equinoxbuilders]

It's a Canadian Lynx with summer fur.
Could be a Bobcat like 'Shooter' said.
However, the belly looks to be white and the coat looks to be a solid color.  No stripes or spot patterns that you'd find on a Bobcat.
Picture isn't clear enough to be 100% sure.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,25834,26328,26569,26714,26745,26762,26781,26849&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=canadian+lynx&cp=11&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1600&bih=682

because of the darker backround above it's head, you can't make out the black points on the ears.(ear tufts)
But if you look closely at it's right ear, it looks like one of those black points covers the branch above it's head and thus looks longer than 1".

I've seen Canadian Lynx at a local petting zoo down the street from me. http://www.charmingfare.com/
Use to bring the kids there often.
At the time, they had the Lynx and Bobcat pen close to each other so people could see the comparisons/differences up close.

The farm 12 years ago had Timber Wolves, Cougar, Bobcat, and Lynx to name a few.
In the picture:
If it is facing directly at the camera, I'd say Lynx because of the ear tufts.
If that is it's body to the left, and not more ferns, then it's a Bobcat. Stripe/tiger pattern.

Here is a list of the animals they have on the property today:http://visitthefarm.com/animalfacts/animals.php

I'll tell you one thing.  The Cougars took a keen interest in my 3 yr old at the time.  One wouldn't take it's eyes off my kid while pacing back and forth licking it's chops.  
So no, we didn't pet that one.  

Here's a cool link for identifying Lynx and Bobcat on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife site:
http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/factsheets/Furbearer/How_to_Avoid_Incidental_Take_of_Lynx.pdf

[mkozlows]

 I live in Southern Vermont. I agree,the cat in the picture sure looks like a Canadian Lynx. However, three years ago, as I was returning home in the wee hours of the morning I had a huge cat jump across the road right in front of me. I am convinced it was a Catamont. It had a long body, with a very long tail.

 I decided that perhaps it wouldn`t be one of my smarter moves to stop and get out of my truck to take a look so I decided to return the next morning. Sure enough, right where he hit the soft berm on the side of the road where paw marks, perhaps a little smaller than a balled up adult humans fist. I found probably a dozen or so heading out into the thick woods.

 I called the Vermont wild life office, they took my name and number and said someone would call me back, but no one ever did. I sure wished I had taken a picture of the tracks just to prove what I saw. Weird thing is, everyone I told the story too where not surprised at all, seems I am not the only one in my neck of the woods who have seen them. Hopefully I will get to see one again.