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A-Z-Animals
Mountain Lions in New York: Do They Exist?
By Jennifer Hollohan,
2024-08-16
The majestic and stunning mountain lion is both revered and feared by outdoor enthusiasts. Their ability to silently stalk their prey and appear seemingly out of nowhere will make even the toughest person nervous. The large cats have the broadest historical distribution of any land mammal in the West. However, their numbers dwindled significantly over the years due to hunting and habitat loss. Most states no longer have a native population. So, which states do they live in ? Are there any mountain lions in New York?
Are There Any Mountain Lions in New York?
Historically, the Eastern Cougar ( Puma concolor cougar) called New York State home. They were common in the Catskill Mountains through the 1800s. However, as populations expanded, hunters targeted the mountain lions in the state heavily. The state government even offered a sizable bounty for the magnificent cats.
By the 1930s, the Eastern Cougar had officially been hunted into extinction. Now the Puma concolor cougar sits on the federal extinct species list.
So, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) official position is that mountain lions no longer live in the state. However, there is some controversy around this claim.
Some believe the state has previously released mountain lions into the wild to reign in an out-of-control deer population. There are claims that some mountain lion sightings include animals with neck collars or ear tags.
Rumors abound that around 2001, the DEC released eleven mountain lions in Albany County. That was supposedly followed up in either 2007 or 2008 with additional mountain lions, accompanied by wolves.
However, state officials vehemently deny the accusation. The DEC has issued multiple statements refuting the claims. Additionally, they stand by the position that there is no native population of mountain lions in New York.
One of the most recent reports of a mountain lion in New York happened in early 2022. Many residents in Western New York claimed to have seen a mountain lion. There was even footage from a trail camera to back up the claim. That footage got sent to the DEC, and an extensive investigation followed.
Investigators created a cutout of a medium-sized mountain lion. They placed it in the approximate area of the supposed mountain lion sighting. The goal was to highlight the difference in size between the feline caught by the trail camera and an average-sized cougar.
Additionally, they measured the length of the road and the distance between tracks left by the animal. DEC investigators determined that the animal visible on the trail cam footage was actually a large cat, not a mountain lion.
And in 2020, someone in Ulster County captured an image of a suspected mountain lion . A local newspaper, Hudson Valley Post , shared the photo with the DEC. The agency confirmed that the image did show a mountain lion. However, they were unable to confirm the location.
Before that, in 2019, residents of Saratoga County reported seeing a mountain lion. An expert later determined that it was not a mountain lion. However, they did not offer an idea of what animal the photo showed.
The DEC says that, in recent years, they have confirmed mountain lion sightings in New York. But most of them involved cougars that escaped from local facilities. One additional report is said to have been a mountain lion that crossed New York in its travels. That particular cougar came from a South Dakota population and made quite the trek!
Most mountain lion sightings end up getting attributed to other animals.
New York residents who suspect they have seen a mountain lion may want to report it as soon as possible. All reports should go directly to the Department of Environmental Conservation. However, the agency cannot investigate reports that do not have some tangible evidence. So they have requested that residents take a few steps before reporting a mountain lion sighting.
Take a photo, if at all possible. Photographs can be an easy method to quickly determine what type of animal is present in an area. Other animals, like domesticated cats and dogs, coyotes, and bobcats, often get mistaken for mountain lions.
Once it is safe, examine the area for physical evidence, such as scat or tracks. Take a photo of those if you spot them. The DEC requests that you place an object (like a ruler or coin) next to any tracks. Doing so will give them an idea of the track size.
You can submit all the documentation to the DEC website . Officials will get in touch.
Report suspected mountain lions to the appropriate state agency.
One of the reasons different animals get mistaken for mountain lions is because their actual size can be hard to picture. Mountain lions ( Puma concolor) are also called pumas, panthers, and cougars. Their common name will vary by region.
Mountain lions are one of the largest cats in North America. Adult males grow significantly larger than their female counterparts and average 140 pounds. They are between 80-225 pounds and up to 9 feet long (including the tail).
Their fur is a shade of tan that ranges from a very light brown to an almost red-orange. They typically have black highlights on their snout, ears, tail, and around their eyes.
Mountain lions vary in size, but weigh 140 pounds on average.
These large cats are not particularly picky about their surroundings. The primary concern of mountain lions is food. So, as long as a region has a sizable enough food source for the felines, they will happily call it home.
Mountain lions have an incredibly diverse habitat range . They live as far south as the Chilean peninsula and north as the Yukon. Historically, they lived throughout the United States. But extensive hunting and habitat destruction in the 1800s decimated their population. These days, only about 15 states have native populations.
The impressive animals will frequent regions close to sea level and wander up to around 10,000 feet in elevation. They live in deserts, wetlands, mountains, and forests.
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