The Last Recorded Mountain Lion Sighting in West Virginia

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MARTINSBURG, WV - Mountain lions were once as common as other present-day wildlife in West Virginia but hunting and other factors have erased the mammal from the Mountain State.

According to the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, mountain lions have been extinct in West Virginia since the 1900s and there has been no breeding population in the state since.

Despite the stated extinction in the 1900s, there has been a confirmed sighting of mountain lions since then. Yes, plural.

According to the West Virginia Encyclopedia, two mountain lions were captured in Pocahontas County in 1976. But these were not natural born mountain lions but were instead transported to West Virginia and released.

The last recorded hunting of a mountain lion in West Virginia was 1887 in Pocahontas County by Col. Cecil Clay and Francis McCoy at Tea Creek, according to the West Virginia Encyclopedia.

Photo byJackson WilsononUnsplash

So, what do you believe? Are mountain lions truly extinct in West Virginia or do they still roam the mountains? Let us know!