Thank you, I doubt anyone would want to believe this, but after reading all the comments on "mountain lions" I have to share what happened to me and Larry. And two glowing eyes staring back at them. Not only us, but two cars behind us also completely stopped and watched this graceful cat. I didn't tell anyone because I knew I would be called a liar. The National Park Service says vehicle strikes are the leading cause of death for mountain lions in the southern California area. I guess the Radars didn't want it. He sat there quite a while, Door said. The unknown factor is how many of the big cats are being kept illegally in West Virginia. A mountain lion hit and killed by a car in Milford, Conn., last month was a long way from home, most likely the . My wife and I watched the cat walk up the hill through the woods and disappear at the crest of the hill (which is where our neighbor's yard is). Today, my friend, who lives in Ronceverte, told me that he heard a horrible scream that seemed to have come from a cat. No one else was hurt. The mountain lion no longer exists here in West Virginia at least in a naturally reproducing state.". The eastern mountain lion and eastern timber wolf are long gone, but Rauch said coyotes and what has pretty much always been a small population of black bears are here. Have you heard of any other sightings in this area? (U.S. National Park Service, via AP, File), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Authorities said the lion, tagged P-81, was found on the Pacific Coast Highway in the Western Santa Monica mountains after being struck by a vehicle. It was close to dark, and an animal with a color that approximated a yellow lab appeared in the clear spot. Copyright 2023 West Virginia MetroNews Network. "Unfortunately, wildlife cross roadways, freeways and highways to get to areas where they feel they have better opportunities in food, companionship, etc.," said Tim Daly, CDFW public information officer. And the other near our home in Leadmine, Tucker Co. This was on January 25 at around 5:30 pm. A look at years past when snows creeped into our citified neighborhoods, away from the mountains and foothills. Doors photo of the cat went viral by Tuesday. We were near the end of the road at Beaver Creek (about 6 miles below the old logging town of Spruce). According to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which tracks mountain lions in the region, as of December at least 32 mountain lions (collared and uncollared) have been killed by vehicles on roads. 2023 Southern California Public Radio - All Rights Reserved, A Brief History Of Why It Does Occasionally Snow In LA. Its typically just a solo male coming through, he said, noting the DNR doesnt want a bear to set up shop near a city, where interaction and conflict with humans is inevitable. I wanted to do some research into my sighting. Upon further examination, the cougar turned out to be P-104, who was collared just two weeks ago for a study. According to California Highway Patrol, it happened just after 1 a.m. in the southbound lanes at Getty . This dog runs from nothing, but it did today when it heard that scream. It was an experience The lion continued up towards Cacapon mountain.Sincerely,Terry and Marsha Moore. Authorities said the lion, tagged P-81, was found on the Pacific Coast Highway in the Western Santa Monica mountains after being struck by a vehicle. That's what it looks like to me as well, 4bear!! Some say maybe it was a bobcat or maybe it was a large housecat. It was around 2pm on a weekday, hardly any traffic at all on that road during the week in the early afternoon. I'm 30 years old and scared to death for the safety of mydaughters. By the time she grabbed the handle, the cat was just on the other side of her car. So unexpected that it's common for people to initially mistake them for panthers. Mountain lion hit by car in Franklin County. Hoo boy! A mountain lion darts from a hiding are in Brentwood Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, prompting a precautionary lockdown of a nearby elementary school. Does this look like Mt. Hi My name is Brandi, I live in Four States, WV. I know the sound of them because I do research on the internet of different animals. He previously worked for KOAM. This is a first. The sub-species of the eastern cougar indigenous to the state is extinct. Later we heard a report of a deer kill close to Cabella's. I thought it might have been a bobcat, but his description sounded more like a puma/mountain lion! It was about 80lbs. Deputies respond to armed and barricaded subject in Independence, Noel man arrested; allegedly said he would shoot dog again, Warrant issued for man after dog is found with arrow in its head, Pittsburg High School student dies in morning crash, >> WHAT TO DO IF YOU ENCOUNTER A MOUNTAIN LION? P-54, who was being tracked by National . Eastern mountain lions once native to the state are extinct. Hello, My name is Aaron. A mountain lion was struck and killed by a vehicle in Simi Valley Thursday evening, officials announced. I don't need to have there input if they were going to act like we needed to make up storiesjust to have something to talk about. Webmaster's Note! Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Mountain Lion (Cougar) confirmed DNR image. Until 1993, I was working for a Coal Company in Sharples WV, while riding with a fellow worker in a company pickup truck we were looking for deer and we spotted a set of eyes in the headlights about twenty five to thirty yards away, for at least a full minute neither one of us said a word, I think we were both in shock. Missouris native mountain lions have been considered locally extinct since the 1920s, but some isolated individuals have made their way east from more densely populated western enclaves. A driver caught the incredible moment a mountain lion was hit by a car and flipped through the air in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. It occurred after 8 p.m. Monday night, January 23, 2023, at Highway T and Old Highway 100 just north of Villa Ridge in Franklin County. A few minutes later I walked over to see that the big cat was tracking a deer and the cat track was 4 1/2 inches wide and looked to be about 6" to 7" long with the tail, a big head with small ears, black shiny hair with a long bushy tail.Submitted by: Ronnie SDate: Mon, January 21, 2008 11:45 am, After visiting your site I have decided to tell you of a sighting on a bow hunt with my 23 year old son who was 16 at the time. Ripley County, Mo. So when he came running at me I figured there was another neighbor hood cat outside after him so I walked around the corner of the house and soon realized there wasn't another cat. Cat Track. Presley Ridge in Laurel Park WV, Harrison County. Hoping that is was a deer, I lowered my rifle and placed the scope on another clear spot that was in the pathof the animal. Anyway, to make a long story short, our bass player, Markel Fertig, was driving to the mountains of Pocahontas County about 6 years ago. The hunt took place in Mineral Co. and was one of the most shocking things my son and Ihave ever had together. These animals, slightly smaller than the wild bison that once roamed the Great Plains, remain in Canada. Lion. I thought you might be interested in what I saw. He comes to KOAM 7 News Now-CBS/FOX (Morgan-Murphy Media) with more than 30 years in media and entertainment. Warren County, Mo. One month ago my mother Celestine was taking my daughter Addie to baseball practice and had herfather in the car with them.. Shannon Becker was born and raised in Joplin and began in radio before graduating from Joplin Senior High in 1990. Photos of mountain lions sent to West Virginia DNR, for example, generally involve a location other than the Mountain State, he said. The Top 5 newsletter catches you up with LAs top 5 stories in just 3 minutes. We were there a good 10 minutes.. Webmaster's Note! I am greatful others have been seeing them and are posting their sightings on your site as well. I remember seeing a black animal thought was a black german shephard that may have gotten loose. I have saw one with my own eyes.Submitted by: J GoreBurlington KY. Webmaster's Note Sighting a Black Mountain Lion is a rare and unexpected event. The 2015 Obion County sighting was hardly the only mountain lion sighting in the East, nor was it even the only confirmed sighting. Illinois Department of Natural Resources experts believe the animal was this mountain lion . We were about 150 to 200 ft. from the main gravel road. Screen grab from Tiffany Mitchell Door's Facebook post. The mountain lions that once roamed the hills and hollows of West Virginia are long gone. Mountain lion (cougar) struck by vehicle on January 23, 2023, in Franklin County, Mo. About 15 years ago we were camped at the head of the Cranberry. Hello.. my name is Jennifer and my husband Zach has a field camera posted in our field in Triadelphia WV (A community in Ohio County). My friend also saw it and we had about 30 seconds that it stood and looked at us. (Check out wvdnr.gov for updates on these animals and others.). This is only the third confirmed mountain lion sighting in MDCs St. Louis Region since 2011. But when they arrived, it became clear the lion's injuries which included broken bones, lacerations and likely internal injuries would be fatal. I was doing a search on the internet and found your sight and was excited to see that a man named Chris Sparkman had sighted one in Paw Paw about 9 months before my sighting. Keep em wild., Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. Not a first-hand sighting, so post/do not post at your discretion. The lion later ran away. About 10 yrs ago, my friend and I were coming from the Coleman Cliffs area in Frankford, W.V. The National Park Service says vehicle strikes are the leading cause of death for mountain lions in the southern California area. Mountain lion sightings are very rare in the greater St. Louis region, Zarlenga said. Lion crouched down along the road at Gormania WV. The young male lion had been struck by a car around 7 a.m. in western Malibu. The elk went extinct, Rauch said, because of habitat loss and market-level hunting for meat. Mountain lions are abundant in all those places, yet I've never seen one. Heres everything you need to know about coyotes in Los Angeles County. This was definitely a mountain lion. It occurred after 8 p.m. Monday night, January 23, 2023, at Highway T and Old Highway 100 just north of Villa Ridge in Franklin County. I kept having visions of my son in danger and it involved a mountain lion and no matter what I did I could not get the fear to go away. Its the latest in a mounting number of reports of a mountain lion sighting in the area along Kingwood Pike near the Monongalia/Preston County line. That's one heck of a cat, he's got a head like a pumpkin. Create a password that only you will remember. P-81s death comes more than a month after P-22, a Los Angeles area mountain lion, became a local celebrity when he was photographed beneath the iconic Hollywood sign by a camera trap. in Buckeye. Needless to say, this sighting was a treat that I will treasure forever.Chris SparkmanWoodbridge, VA. Webmaster's Note!The community of Paw Paw is known for the nearby Paw Paw Tunnel. The Conservation Department asked anyone who sees the animal to stay away from it and report the sighting to the state conservation department or local police. Choose wisely! But here goesMy wife and I bought a house in the Whitehall area of Marion County in the summer of 2002. That lion had also been struck by a car and was euthanized by authorities. West Virginia: The Mountain State, known for the Appalachian Mountains, and its history of logging and coal mining West Virginia is located in the tree-covered Appalachian Mountains. Webmaster's Note! P-22 is believed to be about 12 years old, making him the oldest Southern California cougar currently being studied. An adult male mountain lion was hit around 6:30 p.m. on Pacific Coast. DEKALB COUNTY, Ill. - A mountain lion struck and killed by a vehicle has been delivered to the U of Illinois for a full necropsy and DNA analysis. As the ears looked really strange and small and the face seemed short just didnt dawn on me that it was a cat. "Technically the mountain lion is listed as an endangered species by the U.S. I'm from California and have spent quite a lot of time in the Sierras, Cascades, San Bernardinos, San Jacintos, and the Rockies. There is absolutely no doubt that it was definitely a Mt. It was about 75 yards away in a meadow. Had to be put down by fish and game people. Lo' and behold the thing crossed right beside my drive and up the hill not 15 yards from where we sat on the deck and it was beyond a doubt a cougar. . The cat started toward Mitchells direction. Trevor and his wife has been inhabiting cabin #2 for several weeks in exchange for performing labor (exchange) at the campground.Submitted by: Vince LombardiGrant County West Virginia, Hello! HeyFirst, Let's Go Mountaineers since the 'Eers are about to dismantle the ECU Pirates (providing the game is not cancelled due to the hurricane/tropical storm). Upon my return to Pa. Glad to hear we?re not the only ones who have felt that the big cat it here (eastern wv) having migrated to the area many years ago.Sincerely, Butch DownsDate: Wed, September 19, 2007 8:19 am. The story claimed the small dog was trying to make it through the doggy door when its hind quarters were grabbed by the big clawed paw. I did not see much more than that, it was booking across the road, 2 leaps and it was gone. A computerized tomography scan is scheduled for later this week to look into other possible chronic health issues that may have caused his decline, Clifford said. Missouri Department of Conservation workers said on Tuesday they were still searching for the animal and did not have more details about the lions gender, size or other characteristics. while most mature males mountain lions weigh 80 to 150 lbs. Above, a photo of P-81, who was hit and killed by a vehicle last month. And it never bared its teeth or roared. I am the owner of Abram's Creek Lodge and Campground in Grant County, WV (www.abramscreek.com).Last Wednesday early morning, at 1:30am 11/12/08, a cabin user (cabin #2) at the Campground in Grant County stepped out of his cabin at 1:30am to use the rest room. 107. The Missouri Dept of Conservation release information regarding a vehicle striking a mountain lion (cougar) not far from Six Flags. Franklin. Pineville is a town in Wyoming County, West Virginia, along the Guyandotte River and the zip code for Pineville is 24874. One of my friends, Charlie Keaton (retired school teacher), was on the Scenic Highway 150 two weeks ago and saw a mountain lion cross the road in front of him. Your tax-deductible financial support keeps our stories free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. We rode our bicycles with fishing poles and two dogs following to the Lake to go fishing. We plan on retaking pictures April 9, 2008 with a coin and measuring tape to give you something to compare the size with. It was this huge magnificent beast, she said. He added the agency understands the importance of this animal to the community and to California," and we recognize the sadness of it.".