But I was riding a mountain bike not far from my house. 8 9 2 6 4 7 7. Numerous scat and fur specimens have been turned in as part of mountain lion report investigations; DNA identification has shown these submitted samples to be from domestic dog, coyote, bobcat andraccoon. Peter Biello: But clearly you know you're saying like hoaxes people who claim to have seen a mountain lion but knowingly have not or are appropriating photos taken elsewhere of legit mountain lion say out West where they people acknowledge that they exist certainly knowingly or unknowingly in this case the person who sent it to me said hey a friend of mine sent me this photo and said he took it on his back porch also. Do you get a lot of these these these things that end up being hoaxes. We've met Fish and Game's BURDEN OF PROOF. I've seen him in the woods and that was not a bobcat but I was looking at. And as the biologist who's gonna stand on this and if I'm going to say this is a proven picture I need to be able to stand on it so soundly and have the evidence so I going to go through it with a fine tooth comb kept picking pieces apart trying to answer these pieces. We have evidence and as biologists we would find it quite exciting to find that evidence of one in the state. Share. The second story window through about 30 feet away from it. It doesn't make much sense because you know mountain lions are as we as we said before. It's got a a smudge of black and bobcats and links just don't have that we don't have any other cards. There's a lot of photographs that you can see that it's very clearly a tabby cat that someone has thought was a mountain lion. Do you want to see real, living mountain lions that do exist in New Hampshire. Almost all species disperse greater distances than females. I mean it wasn't your idea. We'll be right back. Sunny today high temperatures low to mid 80s it'll be clear tonight overnight lows in the 50s for tomorrow sunshine with high temperatures mid to upper 80s. Give us a call if you have a question or comments or story about perhaps seeing a mountain lion here in New Hampshire. So take care of this problem. Mountain lions remain an enigmatic animal for residents of New Hampshire, with New Hampshire Fish and Game reporting three to five sightings per week. Want to put this to to Patrick Tate who may have heard some some info or info from listeners like you about these these these cats. So for me as a person who's had the Bobcats right off my grits similar carries sticks to a bobcat The Long Tail obviously very different but those facial markings were overlapping for me. Have a photo.
Peter Biello: Sam I wanted to ask you a little bit about that first and then turn to Patrick Tate efficient game. Support for an age PR comes from you our listeners. Patrick Tate New Hampshire Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist thanks very much for being here this morning really appreciate it. Peter Biello: When did you allegedly see a mountain lion. The nonbelievers are going to say Show us your evidence and show us prove this to us. Think you've seen a mountain lion? But having read a bit of information about his cougar there are a darker subspecies. That's why we always go back to the physical evidence to support what they're reporting. And Rick van de Poll naturalist and founder of ecosystem management consultants of New England. And they were using all the habitat. Peter Biello: Ok weird question but do they make good pets. The views expressed in this program are those of the individuals and not those of an HP are its board of trustees or its underwriters. Chapter X, Predators, Panther (Mountain Lion) From History of NH Game and Furbearers by Helenette Silver, Research Clerk, NH Fish and Game Dept. Patrick Tate: And there's one other way to model that is the same animal. And it was unmistakable. All of that remains unanswered but it is an extremely interesting question. Thank you very much for listening. Mountain Lion | Squam Lakes Natural Science Center All exhibit and hiking trails are CLOSED for the season. Through DNA they approximate area in the United States or North America where I was born. But before I go any further I want to say we do not have sufficient game. Peter Biello: Ok. So what a neat experience. So it's six months of a large large predatory animal that moves great distances on the landscape that is not known if it went northeast west Salt and how many circles it did. Sam Evans-Brown: So Tim so this cat's been been referenced a couple of times I think we should talk about it specifically lay the whole story out for folks who haven't heard the story because it's actually I think really indicative of a lot of stuff for talking about. NHFG Wildlife Biologist Patrick Tate identifies this cat as a bobcat. It all used to be based on measurable physical traits color, skull size, paw size, etc but now its based on whether an animal can be shown to be genetically distinct from others. Or years or so. And that the Florida panther was more closely related to the eastern outline than the western mountain lion was. Early in the morning. Thank you very much for that story really appreciate it. Patrick Tate: My line being a large predator a cat watch ambush his prey animal that hasn't been. And I think a lot of folks would like them to be around. Because I mean as we've heard in the past 10 minutes like there's there's some disagreement or at least some some vagueness about what an actual mountain lion should appear like in the wild assuming we can even get close enough. Patrick Tate: So the individuals can say that but for an agency that's based on science and what not to to go off with no evidence and then get into that giant debate and all these other issues and put credibility at risk I don't think that would be a great path to take. We discuss what residents may have been seeing and what breeding mountain lion pairs would mean for our ecosystem. It's good to talk to you. So that's the specimen that you find going long distances. Sue Morse: The big cat really commands the utmost respect not so much fear but fascination. And the second question is this a behavior mountain lions exhibit. David Erler says some of them probably have. So Michael follows with the question. Are there Mountain Lions in NH? OK. Patrick Tate: No downward pressure at all I think actually Sean turned up and we found the evidence there a number of people would finally say finally we can put this debate to bed. Part II. So the whole media hype about how scary mountain lions are should should go away immediately and that would be that I think the major thrust of educating folks about these casualties vs.. Sam Evans-Brown: Sam go ahead. Fish and Game then deny the evidence. Mike Guyton pressure was almost Greyhound like very muscular large back legs on it and the coloration on it was almost an orange brownish orange color and so I stop and I look at this thing in the field and as the animal looks at me the face was very chiseled definitely not a bobcat. I mean they're a survivor. Thank you. Peter Biello: Well yeah. It's listed as population of least concern. It's not a skinny rope like tail like a housecat. You know I'm like seriously I can't get a picture of the thing but what it what it is. The American Lion The Saber tooth Tiger and this was the one that survived. You're on the air. Sam Evans-Brown: Certainly that is a thing I've heard but again you have to think of the incentives involved here. Course like Sue said you have to see it and it's not always that visible. Do we have native species that could have exhibited this type of behavior leaving leaving a deer carcass up in a tree. This is where things start breaking down when you so I get pictures with this great description and one of my favorite stories is a great description what the witness and then so I called the witness and wanted information from them and the person says What are you talking about. Its impossible to say, but I think the odds are pretty good that some of these sightings are legit. Caller: I got home to my wife that a gene that you should have seen the cat. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference. Theres a project called the Cougar Network that tracks verified sightings, and they are all around us: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New York and New Brunswick have all had verified sightings over the past 20 years or so. They don't know the direction they're going. We'd be inundated with scouts in the past when newspaper articles have been written about DNA and scouts. But if people are still seeing mountain lions, why is the state and federal government seeking to COVER IT UP!? I wanted to get your thoughts on the mystique of the mountain lion start with you Rick. 44-H Links. I really really enjoyed listening to this program so thank you all very much. That's pretty elaborate. Peter Biello: They make great mascots at least. Listeners we'd love to hear some of your thoughts on this. They sent he sent his scent those two samples with his to Wyoming an unfortunate Fish and Game Commission there did not get a positive read on it but send it back to Central Michigan University where they did a nuclear micro satellite DNA analysis and found no significant difference between that scat and other scats that were tested from the Rocky Mountain region. Let's talk to Mike in Webster. Sam Evans-Brown: Pretty well I was going to say it is nice to hear about how to identify the facial markings but probably I'd being a to identify the tracks is probably the more useful useful tool that one can have in their tool box. Thank you. And there are thousands of mountain lions killed every year legally through hunting, and there have been untold tens of thousands of mountain lions killed by hunters over the last hundred years, says Mark Elbroch, the Puma Program Director for Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization, So even the folks who live with mountain lions still have a fancy and see something thats not there to me thats incredible.. Sam Evans-Brown: What he would have stopped as well I think is way way that the reason that mountain lion kept moving is because he wasn't finding anybody. Ive received pictures of dogs at odd angles, says Tate. Yes and you want to share what you learned. Rick van de Poll: Yes. Sam Evans-Brown: And second the evidence required is is you know pretty pretty tough to gather. Peter Biello: There have been several alleged sightings of mountain lions in New Hampshire recently.