Hepper.com does not intend to provide veterinary advice. What You Need to Know! The last known living Eastern Cougar was sighted and suspected to have been killed in 1938. Andrew Moore of the Greenville Journal pens a story about alleged mountain lion sightings in South Carolina. However, an individual animal is occasionally observed, or killed, as a result of someone releasing a "pet" cougar that got to be too much for them to handle. Some of them have migrated as far north as Jasper County in the southern tip of South Carolina, Chastain said. Two clicks on Google search brought up pictures exactly like what I had seen - an Eastern cougar cub. . I assumed it was a cat.'. Learn more. There are cougars out there, but they are all without exception the progeny of released Western cougars, he said. In fact, there are more than 80 names for the puma, more names than any other animal, according to the book "Cougar: The American Lion," by Kevin Hansen.It is important to note, though, that pumas . Neither am I Rudy Mancke, Marlin Perkins, or Jim Fowler. Complete index of all the wonderful cat breeds and mixes, Deciding what you can and cannot feed your furry friend is a crucial decision, We love our cats, and therefore we want to get them the best gear, Understanding cat behavior can set you both up for a happy, productive relationship, Complete index of all the wonderful dog breeds and mixes, Deciding what you can and cannot feed your four legged friend is a crucial decision, We love our dogs, and therefore we want to get them the best gear, Training your dog can set you both up for a happy, productive relationship, The most complete list of dog food recalls, The most complete list of cat food recalls. A history of mistaken identity and conspiracies. Your Safety in Mountain Lion Habitat. 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. Tom Horton; Jul 2, 2012 Jul 2, 2012 Updated Aug 20, 2020; . There are a number of answers to this question. In an instant my senses said 'Bobcat.' Males are considerably larger than females, which can be as small as 10 pounds. In others, the encounters are more direct, like the report from a U.S. Forest Service employee who said a big cat had chased him into the Chattooga River. They believe what they saw, said Butfiloski. The majestic cat only lives in a small portion of the United States. "There are no known cougars in North Carolina," Jodie Owens of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission told the Observer. I know what I heard that afternoon, he said. The fight would probably play out with one of the creatures stalking the other. But there are still instances where new creatures are spotted here from time to time and, even worse, a population of a dangerous species spreads into our own backyard, effectively infiltrating suburban life. While mountain lions may occasionally wander into the area, they are exceedingly rare and the state has no breeding population. Says Perry, Except for a very small population in Florida, there are no known groups [of mountain lions] in the Southeast, or east of the Mississippi in all truthfulness. Read on to learn exactly what people might be spying in the woods. 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. One is located in the mountains and the other is found in the coastal plains. Can Cats Eat Rosemary? In fact, the wildlife agency has yet to receive a single piece of credible evidence even supporting the existence of mountain lions in South Carolina. Many biologists, myself included,would beexcited about the thoughtof finding a population of wild cougars in South Carolina.. Many ridges, creeks, swamps and mountains were long . Robin Jarvis is a travel writer and editor for OnlyInYourState.com with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. However, they have not been able to confirm any of these sightings. The female is about twice the size of a house cat, and if you spot one out in the open, it's not a good sign as they tend to stay away from people and out of sight. The massive cat cleared the road in one swift near silent leap. Adding more confusion to the situation is the small population of elusive panthers living in the Florida Everglades. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Speaking of Florida, the Florida Panther is actually a subspecies of the . Nearby City: Chestnut Springs. They are a native species in South Carolina. The eastern cougar, however, was declared extinct in 2011. "There's just no scientific documentation to back that up." . I live in the south eastern corner of Wilkes county on 70 acres close to Yadkin county and Iredell county. If you are not and would like to read this and all the other great . Slot canyons. Suddenly, the children saw a movement and a mountain lion came walking down the trail . But they arent true Eastern cougars. South Carolina has two populations of black bears. Mountain lions are sneaky animals, he said. Exceptionally stealth in staying hidden, bobcats are found in South Carolina, especially in the coastal plain. Mountain lions, which are also called cougars, pumas, and sometimes panthers, once roamed from coast to coast. He points to Florida where, despite a known population of less than 200, several Florida panthers are killed every year by vehicles. Flickr/Ken McMillan. However, without females in the area, males are unlikely to stay for long. South Carolinas collection of exotic pets includes mountain lions, tigers, and other big cat species, according to Butfiloski. 26 Sep 16. Paddling Through The Hidden Wadboo Creek Is A Magical South Carolina Adventure That Will Light Up Your Soul, This Rustic Shack Restaurant In South Carolina Serves Up Heaping Helpings Of Seafood, Open For More Than Half A Century, Dining At Tonys Pizzalicious In South Carolina Is Always A Timeless Experience, Cool Off Under A Waterfall At This South Carolina Hotel, Some Of The Worst Drivers In The Nation Are Found In Three Top Cities In South Carolina According To A New Study, Step Inside A 1790s Ghost Town To See The Rubble That Remains Of Pinckneyville, South Carolina, Sip Wine And Mingle With Ghosts In One Of South Carolinas Oldest, Most Haunted Bars, Most People Dont Know About South Carolinas Deadly Tornado Alley. What You Need to Know! Old-timers there used to point out the bear pits where their ancestors trapped black bears for their pelts. When I stood up, it ran, shetold Fox News. More:Wandering South Carolina elk 'rules the roost' at new home in Charles Towne Landing. The mountain lion is the largest cat in the borders of the United States and it roams mostly across the western states. Greenville, SC 29613. Koehler, for one, remains convinced at least one mountain lion inhabits these parts. A wild mountain lion hasnt been verified in South Carolina in about 100 years, said Perry, whos studied mountain lions for more than a decade. It is estimated that cougars make a kill of a large prey item (deer, etc) about once each week. The mountain lion used to be found all over the United States, but now is primarily seen in the western U.S. An endangered subspecies of mountain lion also remains in Florida. Read moreTeacher to Parent: Idea of voting for principals raises many questions, Theres alwa Read moreGuess the mystery plant: A South Carolina native pine, I like board Read moreColumn: A walk in winter woods. "There are no known cougars in North Carolina," Jodie Owens of the N.C. Wildlife Resources . However, its unclear how many there arebecause no one tracks it. According to wildlife expert Ken Burton on the enature website, there are mountain lions in Western NC along the Smoky Mountains. The story cites lack of hard evidence for the existence of mountain lions in the stateno carcasses, no trail camera footage, and no actual sightings corroborated by others. There are Mountain lions in North Carolina. Mountain lions, or eastern cougars, once "lived in every Eastern state in a variety of habitats including coastal marshes, mountains and forests," according to the U.S. But he says having a few of them roaming the woods is a good thing. Thus, these cats inhabit rugged terrains with steep slopes and little vegetation. As for the black panthers the US, the majority of people are skeptical. This cat can be found throughout much of South and North America. The eastern cougar historically lived from Maine to South Carolina and from Michigan to Tennessee, the wildlife service said. Occasionally, individual animals may be spotted, but these sightings are not confirmed. You can tell the similarities by looking at them, specifically thanks to their black-tipped ears. Born Free USA, a national wildlife conservation group, estimates there are up to 20,000 big cats owned privately across North America. Only 14 red wolves remain in the wild half the number that were out there a year ago. Apparently, there may not ever have even been a subspecies of the critter in the East different from its big cat cousins in the West also called mountain lions the agency goes on to report. There is no established cougar population in the area, which means that these large cats are not currently breeding and living in South Carolina. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. It was a little too big to be a bobcat.. Well-known naturalist Dennis Chastain of Pickens says theres no doubt that there are cougars (pumas/mountain lions) in the woods and wild places of South Carolina. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources receives at least 100 calls a year about mountain lions, according to SCDNR biologist Jay Butfiloski. Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Search for cougars continues in Pennsylvania. At Furman, students live on campus all four years. However, that does not mean that cougars may not end up in the state at all. The big cats once roamed the entire Southeast but were decimated by hunting. He said there used to be a den behind the Bowles horse farm before the farm was there. We Inspire. Theres also the matter that theyve officially been declared extinct in the eastern United States. Sign up for our e-newsletters or subscribe to get our print publications. Stay on top of cat food recalls here >, Have a dog? Mountain lions can bound up to 40 feet while running, leap 15 feet up a tree, climb over a 12-foot fence, travel many miles at 10 mph, and reach speeds of 50 mph in a sprint. But adult males average 140 pounds and 7 feet long from snout to tail. The story cites lack of hard evidence for the . Some actually believe mountain lion sightings in South Carolina can be attributed to the Florida panther, the only surviving subspecies of eastern cougar. Their small size paired with their stealth ability allows them to stay hidden quite well. Service starts with Lions. Most, if not all, wildlife experts and authorities believe black panther sightings are a result of misidentification. Many residents insist theyre either seeing or hearing mountain lions despite the lack of evidence. The thespians were nearly the stars of a Greek tragedy that day. For a solid four seconds, Marchibroda watched as a large, sleek cat standing about three feet tall with a long, curled tail crossed Skyline Drive near Gavel Springs Gap less than 100 feet in front of them . Koehler called several neighbors, but they couldnt explain the barking. Why are there no mountain lions in PA? There has never been a confirmed or documented case of a melanistic mountain lion in the United States. Location: down in a hole. |, Presented by TD Bank, TD SYNNEX & The YMCA, The People and Places That Helped Shape Greenville, There is another possibility that seems to be increasing in likelihood in recent years. Published February 18, 2023 at 8:01 AM EST. While they are relatively common in the state, it is actually quite difficult to spot them. But then his neighbors dogs started barking. One is located in the mountains and the other is found in the coastal plains. Our students develop intellectually from a challenging and supportive academic experience and, through high-impact, real-world experiences and mentoring, graduate ready for accelerated career and community impact. This is a list of known or suspected fatal cougar attacks that occurred in North America by decade in chronological order.The cougar is also commonly known as mountain lion, puma, mountain cat, catamount, or panther.The sub-population in Florida is known as the Florida panther.. A total of 126 attacks, 27 of which were fatal, have been documented in North America in the past 100 years. While everyone knows the dangers of feeding a bear, most people overlook the possibility of one of them running across the road while you're driving. The male mountain lion is a new individual to the lab's DNA database. Florida spent more than $1 million to protect these cougars which also are called panthers, he said. The mountain lion was there hundreds of thousands of years before you . More:Hurricane Irma: Lowcountry animals moved to the Upstate. 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.. Cougars are known to have a long-range, especially males. As we previously stated, these cats are not currently established in the state. Im making fun, but the reality is a bit more nuanced. Young cougars are marked with dark spots. They are also known as . They are about the same size as most domestic cats, after all. 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. But SCNDR later concluded the animal was probably a black coyote. We Inspire. What are potassium channel activators used for? Sometimes, they travel quite far to make this happen and they may travel so far that they end up in South Carolina. There may be a hint of nail indentations, which cats wouldnt have,he said. They are found at elevations ranging from 5,900 ft to 13,000 ft. The last three eastern cougars were killed in 1930 in Tennessee, New Brunswick in 1932, and Maine in 1938. They were extirpated from Indiana by the late 1800s. Most tracks and pictures could possibly have been a different animal, which means that they cannot officially count as a cougar sighting. In South Carolina, bobcats typically inhabit areas of dense, thick brush such as bottomland forests in the coastal plain. The story was soon revealed to be a hoax but it reignited the many rumors of panthers and large wild cats in South Carolina. Photo donated by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Kameron Peresnovich. But the population decreased in the 1900s as wild lands were cleared for agriculture and game hunting increased. It was at least 5 foot long plus the length of its thick long tail which was at least 3 feet. Greenville Journal. The younger, weaker male lions will travel to get away to other areas and establish their own territory. Like the Carolina parakeet, the predator cat couldn't cope with spreading civilization encroaching upon its feeding fields. Whether theyre called cougars, mountain lions, pumas or catamounts, wildlife experts believe the cats exist as a stable, breeding population in the western U.S and, according to both the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, transient western cougars have been spotted in both states since 2015. Their beige or tawny fur helps camouflage them in countless environments. I do not believe that South Carolina has a free-ranging wild cougar population, said Butfiloski. Hepper is reader-supported. They are shy and do not like people, though they will live near populated areas. Heres how that came about: People go to a pet store and buy a baby cougar. See answer (1) Copy. The reason given is that it had declared the animal to be extinct in 2011. . They have short ears and large round heads. Jaguars and leopards, on the other hand, have a gene that occurs in six percent of the population that causes black cats. Wed love to know! Over the span of my career in the Charleston County School Districts Human Resources Division, I have been a part of numerous di Read moreOpEd: Increased educator compensation key to teacher retention, What do you think of the current political issue of electing school principals? Last year, Ben Claes, owner of Jireh Property Services in Taylors, was cleaning a lawn down the street from Koehlers house after a snowstorm and noticed large tracks on the ground. The mountain lion ( Puma concolor) is sometimes called cougar, puma, catamount, and panther. I said in the forum "black panthers in the hunting woods," that there are black panthers in SC, and I know its hard to believe. As a territorial species, these cats do not live close to each other. Well-known naturalist Dennis Chastain of Pickens says there's no doubt that there are cougars (pumas/mountain lions) in the woods and wild places of South Carolina. How to Keep Cats Out of Flower Beds (11 Easy Methods), Why Do Cats Move Their Kittens? Federal Fish and Wildlife experts studied the matter of the Eastern cougar and declared it to be extinct -- at least in this region it is gone, they say. Something was making the d---edest noise at me early one morning before dawn. Foolishly, they threw a dried piece of beef to the hungry carnivores. Back away slowly, preferably to a place of shelter like a building or vehicle. (An Overview), Why Do Cats Eat Plants? Currently, experts are adamant that there is no known mountain lion population in South Carolina. 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). Just as armadillo sightings and occasional crocodile visits are being noted around our coast, it's possible, that the Florida panther has made his way north, too. Greenville County, which requires residents to obtain a permit and undergo inspections, has issued 17 permits for exotic animals, including two tigers, since 2012, according to spokesman Bob Mihalic. He believes people who reported seeing black panthers were seeing animals either at early dawn or late dusk, when colors are hard to disginguish. Many wildlife experts and authorities are hoping that mountain lions will eventually migrate east from the Rocky Mountain states and repopulate the region. Im telling neighbors to be more aware of their surroundings when theyre walking their dogs around here.. But they arent true Eastern cougars. 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. Except for a very small population in Florida, there are no known groups in the Southeast, or east of the Mississippi in all truthfulness.. In 2017, SCDNR issued a warning about these dangerous sea creatures showing up on beaches. The West Virginia Wildlife Center . It had the exact cadence and shrillness of a females call when shes looking for a mate, he said. SCDNR has yet to receive a report of drivers hitting a mountain lion, said Butfiloski. Have you spotted any of the above in an out-of-place spot in the Palmetto State! Some people even claim SCDNR is covering up the presence of mountain lions. They can weigh anywhere from 1025 pounds. 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. Located in: Saluda Mountains. Genetic data gathered from a number of samples shows a distinct lack of the genes required for that coloration. Butfiloski, however, believes black panther sightings are likely black coyotes, bears, bobcats, and other wild animals. 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. For the past hundred years, many Southerners have believed a version of this story about the fate of the pantherotherwise known as the cougar, puma, or mountain lionin the Great Smoky Mountains. While there may be a few stray mountain lions wandering around the state, there is not currently an established population. Make noise, make yourself appear larger by waving your arms. Instead, theyre wandering males. There are some black cats, such as leopards, but they are not native to North America. These animals often end up being released into the wilderness areas. The report said it appeared to be a female lion with two kittens, or two . Similar to Tennessee's wild elk and buffalo, the cougar was extirpated from the state around the early 1900s due to overhunting and . A 2011 article from The Post and Courier revealed a string of unconfirmed mountain lion sightings in the Lowcountry. However, as people moved into the area, much of their environment was destroyed. This mountain sits near the border of South Carolina and North Carolina. They are most commonly found in areas with plentiful prey and adequate cover. Are there Mountain Lions in South Carolina? North Carolina. What IS Out There? Cougars are stealthy predators that can run up to 35 miles per hour. Since there is no melanistic, or black, phase to the cougar, Florida or Western, that is actually not genetically possible, he said. The Mountain Lion will return to feed on the prey for up to 10 days. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Andean Mountain Cat. Generally, mountain lions are calm, quiet and elusive. 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. With the closest mountain lion population being in South Florida, cougars would have to travel very far to end up in South Carolina. Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. In 2007, a contract security officer called the universitys police department after he spotted what he thought looked like a mountain lion near the Calhoun Mansion. UNSPECIFIED - MARCH 03: Cougar, Puma or Mountain Lion (Puma concolor), Felidae. There's no question there are some. CHARLESTON Four endangered red wolves have returned to the birthplace of South Carolina, going on display in a zoo where their species freely roamed more than 300 years ago. 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