“I do not believe that South Carolina has a free-ranging wild cougar population,” said Butfiloski. A distinctive feature is their 30-inch long tail (so different from our native and still abundant bobcat, which has a very short tail). By the 1960s, mountain lions dwindled in the western states but managed to survive into the 21st century. Community Journals’ editorial independence is safeguarded by our readers. Furman biology professor and cougar expert Travis Perry says it’s possible for mountain lions to travel great distances, but it’s not very likely they’ve traveled to our state. Cougars were eliminated from our state, as they were throughout much of the eastern US, for a combination of reasons including: a) loss of much of the forest and deer herd during the heavy agricultural activity of the late 1800's and b) the cougar's habit of substituting livestock for wild prey items (in the latter cases, stock owners typically took direct and terminal action against the cougars). Slowsociopath ( ) @ellle_em Cougar or mountain lion colloquially f*ck a mountain lion have played with wounded rabbit calls to pull predators into scout camp, and Northern California Robert Downing, a former Clemson-based biologist for the U.S. The big cat was captured after roaming free for two days. The eastern cougar, however, was declared extinct in 2011. The Mauldin Police Department tried to capture the cat using a metal cage baited with a slab of beef donated by a local grocery store but quit after trying for several days. The last three eastern cougars were killed in 1930 in Tennessee, New Brunswick in 1932, and Maine in 1938. Jaguars, which are primarily found in South America, have established a small population in Mexico and occasionally cross over into Arizona or New Mexico, according to Perry. … When I stood up, it ran,” she told Fox News. “I was shocked when I first saw the prints, because they were so big,” said Claes. Cougar. In fact, the bobcat is the only native wild cat found in South Carolina today. Fears that a hungry lion or an angry chimpanzee could escape captivity in South Carolina are driving a plan to prohibit state residents from keeping the exotic animals as pets. Now there are less than 100 panthers surviving in the swamps of South Florida. I have seen one adult mountain lion. He looked me straight in the eyes before taking off down the trail leading to a stream. More recent mountain lion reports stem from the Upstate. If you are able, please support Community Journals today. The cougar (also known as mountain lion, panther, painter, catamount, puma, and other names) was once one of the most widely distributed mammals in the Western Hemisphere. The responding officers later spotted the animal near Earle and Daniel halls, according to reports. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluation in 2011. Including the tail, it was long enough to almost cover one lane of the road. Last year, Ben Claes, owner of Jireh Property Services in Taylors, was cleaning a lawn down the street from Koehler’s house after a snowstorm and noticed large tracks on the ground. “SCDNR said the prints were from a dog, but I’m not sure I really agree with them.”. "North Carolina Department of Transportation crews picked up debris off … In one of the state’s most rugged areas, South Mountains State Park features elevations to 3,000 feet, an 80-foot waterfall, mountain streams and more than 40 miles of trails for hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers. This article intends to emphasize the differences between these two fascinating carnivores. A responder adds, 'The DNR swears up and down there are no mountain lions left in SC. A young female mountain lion is the latest to join the National Park Service's study of the big cats' survival in and around the Santa Monica Mountains. The eastern cougar or eastern puma (Puma concolor couguar) is the extirpated population of cougars that lived in northeastern North America, which some authorities have considered to be a subspecies. Despite the widely-held belief in the scientific community that eastern mountain lions have been long gone and any cats seen roaming the region these days must have made the long trek from midwestern states like South Dakota, some Appalachian residents remain convinced that the cats never actually left the area. 28 when it ran across the road in front of me. That’s when he started comparing animal calls online. “People who report these sightings come from all walks of life, and are usually sincere and honest. Panther. Koehler wasn’t able to record the sound before the mystery creature moved on, but he remains adamant there’s a mountain lion roaming around his house. Male mountain lions, also known as toms, occasionally travel long distances and sometimes appear from South Carolina to New England, according to Perry. While there is some doubt the cougar still exists south of the Canadian Maritime provinces, significant sightings occur in Tennessee and North and South Carolina. Now there are less than 100 … One of the biggest misconceptions about North Carolina wildlife is the existence of cougars, or black panthers, in our state. Several years later, the story of a federal forester’s escape from the clutches of a black panther in Oconee County made headlines. Some actually believe mountain lion sightings in South Carolina can be attributed to the Florida panther, the only surviving subspecies of eastern cougar. “Mountain lions typically keep their distance from humans,” he said. Painter. I know this aint worth much without the photo, but I saw a legit trail cam pic of a big cat in Cambridge today. Koehler, for one, remains convinced at least one mountain lion inhabits these parts. Jaguars and leopards, on the other hand, have a gene that occurs in six percent of the population that causes black cats. It was hunted to extinction last century, but throughout the Blue Ridge, there are claims from locals that the cat has returned. “I’m not the only person hearing and seeing these cats,” said Koehler. In fact, some say it’s already happening. There are approximately 20 recognized geographic races of the cougar throughout its range. Cougars are considered extinct in North Carolina, ... South Carolina. “Dominant toms may inhabit a 100-square-mile area, and any other males, including cubs that are just born, are competing against the alpha,” he said. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources receives at least 100 calls a year about mountain lions, according to SCDNR biologist Jay Butfiloski. LaRue, for instance, said people are probably seeing a house cat or black lab. It was big and muscular. Their fur is short and rather uniform reddish to light brown in color. The eMammal project has placed cameras in 30 parks larger than 10 km2 from Tennessee and South Carolina North to Maryland. Leopards, however, live in Africa and Asia. “We’ll probably see younger males pop up here and there in the remote areas of the mountains. “I’ve received reports from every single county,” he added. A true backcountry experience is offered at 24 backpacking campsites at seven locations. Andrew Moore of the Greenville Journal pens a story about alleged mountain lion sightings in South Carolina. And earlier this year, South Carolina passed a new law, effective next year, that makes it illegal to own a “large wild cat, non-native bear or great ape.”. The largest cat native to the eastern US, adults can exceed 8 ft in total length (including their tail) and 200 lbs. In South Carolina, as in much of the east, what largely remains of the cougar is its name, which is linked to many of our landscape features. Mountain lions and panthers, both are very interesting carnivores of the Family: Felidae. Mountain lions stretch and reach up high to scratch trees, and they also scratch logs—leaving deep claw marks. There have also been sightings in Georgia, as well as North and South Carolina, and small populations are returning to states such as Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas. Mountain Lions in the State of South Carolina. Some people even claim SCDNR is covering up the presence of mountain lions. Today the only known reproducing population of cougars in the eastern US occurs in south Florida in the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp. Bobcats are manageable, but cougars? “I listened to bobcats, coyotes, and all kinds of other animals. In 2007, Terrance Fletcher, a technician with the U.S. Forest Service, claimed he was chased into the Chattooga River by a 7-foot-long panther with “jet black” fur. Mountain lions, which are also called cougars, pumas, and sometimes panthers, once roamed from coast to coast. In 2015, Michelle LaRue, a research ecologist and speaker at the University of Minnesota and executive director of the Cougar Network, cast doubt on black panther sightings in a blog post, saying “there is no compelling evidence that a single wild ‘black panther’ has ever existed in the United States.”. “There would be road killed cougar carcasses showing up at least once a year if we had an established population,” he said. I reserve a special kind of F that for this revelation. At the time of European settlement it occupied a wide range of habitats from Canada well into parts of South America, and was found throughout the continental United States. Fish and Wildlife Service says that most sightings turn out to be b… More recently, a Piedmont resident captured a trail camera photo of what many believed to be a black panther. Cougars, also known as mountain lions, were once common here and they have left a legacy of place names throughout the state— indeed, the entire Southeast. Contributed by John Garton, SCWF Board Member Emeritus. The Pacers are 0-1 on the year while the Mountain Lions stand at 3-1-1. Catamount. The approximately one-year-old puma, dubbed P-96, was captured on Feb. 12 in the Simi Hills and was outfitted with a GPS radio collar to help researchers track her movements. China GDP grows at slowest pace in more than four decades in 2020 A Duncan, South Carolina, woman recently encountered a mountain lion while … At first, Koehler was concerned that it might be a woman or hiker in need of help. Born Free USA, a national wildlife conservation group, estimates there are up to 20,000 big cats owned privately across North America. There are mountain lions in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but wildlife officials still call them extinct and haven’t done much to support their populations. Sometimes, these cats get pushed very far away from where they were born.”. “We’ll probably see younger males pop up here and there in the remote areas of the mountains. Corrections. Proceedings of the 11th Mountain Lion Workshop Integrating Scientific Findings into Management Hunter Conference Center, Southern Utah University Cedar City, Utah May 12‐15, 2014. Small, domestic cats do an abridged version, scratching on posts, horizontal surfaces, furniture, trees and other objects. While some South Carolinians are reportedly spotting mountain lions, others are claiming to see something much more menacing: a black panther. Some actually believe mountain lion sightings in South Carolina can be attributed to the Florida panther, the only surviving subspecies of eastern cougar. According to Perry, the county’s lack of pet mountain lions doesn’t necessarily discount the sightings, because “mountain lions can travel very long distances.” He said it was highly unlikely, but possible that some people are actually seeing a western mountain lion or Florida panther that’s managed to dodge traffic and travel to South Carolina. Physical Description: Mountain lions are beautiful animals with tawny-colored coats (ranging from brown to reddish or grayish) and no markings. “But I think many people are mistaking coyotes, bobcats, and other animals for mountain lions.”. A wild mountain lion hasn’t been verified in South Carolina in about 100 years, said Perry, who’s studied mountain lions for more than a decade. Luckily, the big cats probably won’t pose a serious threat to public safety when they do appear in South Carolina, according to Butfiloski. The US Fish and Wildlife Service lists both of these races as endangered. The city of Simpsonville has also received calls about mountain lions over the years, according to Colleen Jenkins, an animal code enforcement officer for the city. COLUMBIA, SC. “There may be a hint of nail indentations, which cats wouldn’t have,” he said. Koehler called several neighbors, but they couldn’t explain the barking. 14 Young Harris Thursday afternoon. When you see the name "panther" "painter", "catamount" and other cougar synonyms attached to creeks, mountain peaks, gaps, and other features of our topography, it is a testament to the fact that this large predator was not only once here in South Carolina and the eastern US, but that its presence impressed people enough to name a place after it. They are active hunters and may cover as much as 20 miles in a night. Unlike many news organizations, Community Journals has made a choice to keep all of our content free and available to everyone. But then I found some female mountain lion sounds, and it was dead on. Cougars are stealthy predators that can run up to 35 miles per hour. “But for one to make it from the Southwest deserts to the mid-Atlantic mountains, Piedmont, or coastal areas is unlikely. Many wildlife experts and authorities are hoping that mountain lions will eventually migrate east from the Rocky Mountain states and repopulate the region. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's soccer team saw the pitch for the first time this season and lost a 4-0 contest to No. Many wildlife authorities and experts, however, remain skeptical of mountain lion sightings across the Southeast. But then his neighbor’s dogs started barking. “There are countless game and trail cameras out in the woods of South Carolina at any given time, and nobody has photographed a large cat, yet these animals do show up on game cameras in states that have cougars,” said Butfiloski, who believes the trail camera footage from Lady’s Island shows a house cat. Adults are largely nocturnal, solitary and territorial. The cougar (also known as mountain lion, panther, painter, catamount, puma, and other names) was once one of the most widely distributed mammals in the Western Hemisphere. One popular conspiracy theory claims SCDNR has released a breeding population of western mountain lions to prevent the state’s surging white-tailed deer population from causing too much agricultural damage. “South Carolina can probably expect to see one in the next decade given the rate at which these lions are showing up east and north of their established ranges,” said Perry. Sports ... also known as a mountain lion -- near the incorporated community of Nebo in western North Carolina. In 2009, Jenkins responded to a call after several residents at Jasmine Cove apartment complex reported seeing a “large cat” in the surrounding woods. C’mon God, what are we doing here in OH, we had a good thing goin’. There are Mountain lions in North Carolina. Most, if not all, wildlife experts and authorities believe black panther sightings are a result of misidentification. (National Park Service) For the year that researchers tracked the young male mountain lion P-78, the cat relentlessly prowled the … The big cats once roamed the entire Southeast but were decimated by hunting. SCDNR has yet to receive a report of drivers hitting a mountain lion, said Butfiloski. Subscribe for the Greenville Journal's free weekly digest of community stories. Few large animals have generated more lore throughout North Carolina than the cougar. They have short ears and large round heads. Despite their extirpation from the east, there are hundreds of reports each year to state and federal wildlife agencies of cougar and black panther sightings. A history of mistaken identity and conspiracies. Even thought they're on the endangered species list. But I’m not sure we’ll ever see an established breeding population.”, Wings of the City exhibition by world-renowned Mexican artist Jorge Marín comes to Falls Park, Greenville Theatre names Max Quinlan as producing artistic director, The Blood Connection sees historically low blood donor turnout, extends collection hours, Finalists for Greenville County Schools Teacher of the Year announced, Three suspects arrested in 2015 Greenville cold case, Generations Group at 30: Working to end the cycle of sexual violence in boys, Photos: Just Say Something 33rd Annual Red Ribbon Classic Golf Tournament, Greenville parents and students call for better ways to address mental health, Kimberly Simms and Wit’s End Poetry take verse from the page to the stage, Clemson Corner: Clemson, Nephron innovating robotics in pharmaceuticals, Letter to the editor: After a year of pandemic, Upstate’s seniors continue to adapt. But I’m not sure we’ll ever see an established breeding population.”. @emf1947 @ellle_em Mountain lion is what we called it growing up in Illinois, where there were no mountains, nor mountain lions. But mountain lions don’t get along well with roads, according to Perry. We are locally owned and passionate about informing, connecting, and inspiring the people of the Upstate and beyond. “It’s happening all across the state.”. It is estimated that cougars make a kill of a large prey item (deer, etc) about once each week. Contributed by John Garton, SCWF Board Member Emeritus. Real answer: Hate to burst your bubble, but it apparently was not a mountain lion. “Mountain lions are sneaky animals,” he said. Today there are no wild reproducing populations of cougars in South Carolina. But the variety of names also demonstrates the cougar's original distribution across the North American continent and from southern Canada to the tip of South America. However, it’s unclear how many there are because no one tracks it. Still 3 … The cougar is a big cat known by many names including panther, mountain lion, puma and up to 80 more, but these are all the same species, Puma concolor. There are no known cougar populations in South Carolina and according to the DNR, a wild cougar has not been documented in South Carolina in many decades. In South Carolina it is thought that the cougars occurring here were of both the eastern race (Felis concolor cougar) and the Florida race (Felis concolor coryi). I was about two miles south of Abbeville on hwy. What was once called the Eastern Cougar and roamed areas throughout the southeastern United States was declared extinct in 2011 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. “I actually drove out to the apartment and noticed some large tracks in the mud,” said Jenkins, who didn’t take photos of the tracks or file an official report. Fortunately, a mountain lion hasn’t escaped captivity for more than a decade in South Carolina, according to Butfiloski. “It was a little too big to be a bobcat.”. “I know what I heard that afternoon,” he said. The last recorded escape occurred in 2003 when a 200-pound pet mountain lion named “Rage” broke free from his cage in Laurens County. A 2011 article from The Post and Courier revealed a string of unconfirmed mountain lion sightings in the Lowcountry. The People and Places That Helped Shape Greenville, Presented by TD Bank & Synnex Corporation. History of Large Cats in South Carolina First, for clarity, the panther has many names, including puma, cougar and mountain lion–all of these names refer to the same animal in North America. According to Perry, western mountain lions have established breeding populations in South Dakota, Nebraska, and North Dakota in the last 25 years. 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