They missed one from about two years ago that passed through West Philly before turning up in Delaware. The crime rate in that part of the city took a nose dive for a couple of weeks. My wife and I spotted one in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey about ten years ago. It may have been one that someone owned before it got too big, but it was there.
Fox News 25 had a video of a live "bobcat" taken in an adjacent town, just north of the 2004 sighting linked to.
But be careful what you wish for. Poor 70 year old Jim Hamm almost had his head torn off earlier this year by one of the nice puddy-tats.
... Upon noticing that the lion had her husband's head in its mouth, Nell Hamm, 65, grabbed a 4-inch-wide log and beat the animal repeatedly -- to no avail. She then removed a pen from her husband's pocket and tried to poke it into the cat's eyeball -- but the pen simply bent and became useless.She went back to using the log. The lion eventually let go and, with blood on its snout, stood staring at the woman. She screamed and waved the log until the animal walked away.
Mr. Hamm recently went home from the hospital. What an incredibly strong 70-year old! A little more information here.
we have brown AND Black here around Seneca... i have seen both with mine own eyes.The great thing is that a confirmed Cougar presence here in Maine would both increase tourism and justify a bigger state government (Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife) -- a doubleplus good for our two remaining industries!
"Here, kittykittykitty..."
While the green area in the west is labeled their "established" range, their former range was all of North America. Eventually, it will be again.
2 suspected sightings here in eastern Maine last fall...about 3 miles apart....
Lot's of large undeveloped area on the East Coast that could provide panther habitat. SE Georgia, Eastern Carolina, Upstate NY, VT, HN and Maine.