Mountain lions, panthers, cougars or whatever you want to call them, were extirpated in Mississippi over 100 years ago and none have been confirmed in the state since. What is the best magnification for birding binoculars? $10 per thousand reads up to $50 per post. A slight chance of rain showers after 4am. Editors Note:Extension Outdoors is a column authored by several different experts in the Mississippi State University Extension Service. 25-61-19, This site was last modified on: Jul-20-2022 2:45 pmhttp://extension.msstate.edu/news/extension-outdoors/2016/should-mississippians-fear-lions-tigers-bears, Urban Wildlife
Others are thrilled with the thought of these animals living in the wild. Published 12:17 am Friday, September 13, 2019. One being in Louisiana! It's a house cat. I never, ever make up a story, Loy said. Now some cougars are even showing up East of the Mississippi. Based on data from National Weather Service and OpenWeather. Changes in hunting laws and recovered natural habitats have allowed bears to survive in pockets of the Mississippi, Pearl and Pascagoula river drainage basins. "He could be in Mississippi. While claims of cougar encounters are commonplace in Mississippi, there have been no confirmed sightings since the cats were extirpated over 100 years ago. The proof of cougars reclaiming old stomping grounds is slowly being acknowledged by biologists and laypeople alike. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. The Opossum above was captured by the trail cam. Never saw it again.. Mississippi Master Naturalist Program. Code Ann. It is mostly grass up there and the few bare spots that I found I could see nothing scratching the surface, but it has been several days.. Swipe right to left for next article. Swipe left to right for previous article. Bonner noted that over the last few decades, he and his hunting buddies have seen numerous cougars in the wild, yet wildlife officials continue to maintain that there are no cougars in Mississippi. At one time, though, they were quite common. That's about four times the size of your average house cat. Legal | Ethics Line | Policy about commercial endorsements | DAFVM | USDA | eXtension | Legislative Update: Miss. STARKVILLE, Miss. All up and down the western side of the Mississippi River, cougar sightings have been confirmed. Cougar chases down the possum and returns with his supper. Biologists have longed believed the predominate Mississippi wolf species was the red wolf (Canis rufus ). Loy said he realizes how unusual his story is since experts say the existence of black cougars, or black panthers, have never been confirmed. Mostly clear, with a low around 80. Wildlife and Fisheries Enterprises
Should Mississippians fear lions, tigers, bears. Wolves probably disappeared from Mississippi at least by the 1950s, if not earlier. What kind of cat was caught in Mississippi? For information about the website contact webteam@ext.msstate.edu. They have black jaguars in Central and South America but no black panthers. (Wednesday) was the first day I ventured out there, Loy said. These different names have led to a lot of confusion, so just to clarify; these are all the same creature. Loy said he deer hunts on his property and his deer cameras have captured raccoons, bobcats and coyotes but never a cougar. 
My immediate reaction was, That is a cat. It was much bigger than any kind of a house cat. Most biologists credit these sightings to misidentification, released exotic pets or (rarely) animals passing through from places like Texas where lions still live. It slightly resembles a house cat in appearance, but is about twice their size. Well look no further! The truth is there are costs and benefits to having bears and other such animals living in a human-dominated world. Are there any cougar sightings in Mississippi? She just saw my pictures.. Do you think climate change is responsible for the extreme heat we are experiencing this summer? 25-61-19. 
Are there mountain lions or Panthers in Mississippi? Interbreeding with coyotes also helped to put this species on the endangered species list. She didnt see them physically. Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution. Bobcats can weigh up to 40 pounds. Because of changes in their habitat and overharvest by humans, no wild populations of these big cats remain in the state. The Red Wolf, a sub-species a little smaller than the ones at Wolf Howl, is native to Mississippi, and Maria said there are only 100 left in the wild. As the number of bears slowly increases, it will be important to remember this is still an endangered species in Mississippi. These big cats fed on deer, elk and other large prey. Mississippi wildlife experts said that panthers do not exist in Mississippi, however, biologists said it is possible this could be a black cougar. Below, I have posted a number of photographs of a cougar captured on an old film (not digital) trail cam in Louisiana! What happens if same Nakshatra people marry? MSU Extension Service 
I was just headed home on Briarwood, the commenter wrote Tuesday, and saw a panther go behind a house on Linwood. 
I went up there and I looked at the ground. Return To East Coast Proof Loy said he had heard about the other post and said he thought it could have been the same cat he saw despite the distance from his house. However, lions and bears are part of the states natural heritage. Given that cougars, also known as mountain lions and panthers, have been known to travel hundreds of miles in search of new territory, Davidson said the cat could be just about anywhere now even in Mississippi. 
Also, on Tuesday, a commenter on a social media platform stated she had seen a black panther go behind a house on Linwood Court. The information presented on this page was originally released on August 12, 2016. Until recently, the existence of cougars in the east has been met by total disbelief from those in the government and most people that have never seen one. The cougar goes by many names: mountain lion, puma, panther, catamount and others. It may not be outdated, but please search our site for more current information. Black bears were residents of the forests and swamps that once covered a large part of Mississippi. Assistant Extension Professor. Both: Dark Green The last confirmed wolf killing in Mississippi occurred in 1946 in Claiborne County. But that is changing! After Loy saw the cat on Saturday, he said he stayed away from the woods for several days but on Wednesday finally went to examine the area of the sighting. "They can walk great distances," Davidson said. What's the worst blizzard at Dairy Queen. And they are native to northern Mississippi. Weapons legal for use during the Primitive Weapons season are all archery equipment and primitive firearms. If you plan to quote or reference this information in a publication, please check with the Extension specialist or author before proceeding. While I was looking a huge black animal, which I can only describe as a cat, ran the length of the ridge and into the trees on the Trace. -- Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Most Americans over the age of 30 will recognize this line from the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy and her friends were traveling the Yellow Brick Road through the dark and wild forest, worried they might encounter these fearsome creatures. Neighbors $10 per thousand reads up to $50 per post. It has been real dry and the ground is hard and I could not see any print of anything, even deer prints, which normally there are a lot of deer prints, but the ground is real hard. A lot of places in Mississippi are overrun with deer, even with a huge hunting season, because there is no larger predator to moderate them, she said. Despite that, Loy said he decided to share his experience on social media. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), ART SHOW: Portraits and landscapes on display at new exhibit, School district considers policy: No medical cannabis on campuses, VIDEO: Former Natchez General Hospital being demolished, Free pregnancy center celebrates grand opening in Vidalia, Natchez adopts $37.3 million budget for fiscal year, 2022, Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) (Fig. 
Raccoon, fox, opossum, beaver, and bobcats may be legally hunted at night, with or without the use of a light, and with dogs, except during the spring turkey season. There wasnt anything on it but black.. All rights reserved. Rumors of solitary lions or other big cats are common across the Southeast and Midwest. I took my pistol, and I of course wouldnt shoot a cat unless it threatened me. Today, only about 50 red wolves live in the wild in a small population in North Carolina. As with the cougar, habitat loss and overharvest by people caused this species to disappear from the landscape. Saturday afternoon I went into my backyard, which borders the Natchez Trace in Washington, to walk the dog, and as is my custom I cast a glance toward a ridge near the tree line, Loy wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. He could be in Texas. Most of these bears are thought to have originally come from neighboring states such as Arkansas and Louisiana that still had black bear populations. Northsider Jeff Bonner shared this photo of a Mississippi cougar with us. By Dr. Leslie M. Burger Be aware!. "He could be in Arkansas. People also hunted too many bears for food, sport and safety concerns for families and livestock. Cat becomes social media sensation. The cougar once inhabited most of North and South America but by the 1900's had been largely exterminated from most lands east of the Mississippi River. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Join our newsletter to get updates on new articles, go in the draw for prizes and keep up to date with everything going on, Address: 58 Aberdeen St, Muswellbrook, Australia. For those that don't believe the picture comes from Louisiana, these other animals at the same location helps narrow down where the picture was taken. That commenter did not return messages seeking comment for this story. The patterns of the grass clumps in the cougar picture below and the bear picture below match up. Photos for publication (click for high resolution image): STEM Science Technology Engineering and Math, Thad Cochran Agricultural Leadership Program TCALP, Mississippi County Elections: Election Prep 101, Extension Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy, Creating Healthy Indoor Childcare Environments, Plant Diseases and Nematode Diagnostic Services, Follow best practices with backyard bird feeders, Best practices can protect birds, humans from illness, Prepare a wildlife friendly yard for winter, People and wildlife can coexist in urban areas, Legislative Update: Miss. I understand that black panthers dont exist, and there has never been one documented, Loy said. Copyright 2022 Mississippi State University Extension Service. These animals are smaller cousins of the gray wolf found in northwestern mountain rangelands. There is currently a big debate concerning the status of the cougar in the east! Ricky Flynt, a biologist with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, said the cat is far less sensational than some media outlets have made it out to be. This protected status means it is illegal to shoot or harass black bears that may be in your area. Usually there are deer on the ridge, which is about 75 yards from my back porch. And I decided, you know, I think Im pretty sure what I saw was a big cat.. The only other thing I thought it could have been was like a large black Lab but the head was small, Loy said. Before European settlement, mountain lions (also known as cougars, pumas, panthers, catamounts or painters) were part of the native Mississippi landscape. It came courtesy of his friend, Clarksdale dentist Bill Wilson, who took the photo from the window of his office at 850 North DeSoto in Clarksdale. 1) are also called bay lynx, barred bobcat, catamount, lynx cat, wildcat, and cat of the mountains. News $30 per thousand reads up to $200 per post. It was big.. I couldnt really see features on the head, and it did not run like a dog. They are generally described as being tan in color with a long, black-tipped tail, with adults weighing between 70 and 120 pounds. I sat on this for a few days, thinking, Do I even want to tell people this? Although wandering males were among the first bears to find their way back to the state, biologists now know cubs have been born within our borders. However, because of the eastern migration of western cougar populations, Davidson said it's possible they have traveled to Mississippi. Copyrights 2020-2022 All Rights Reserved. Loy said he also has considered the possibility that what he saw could have been something other than a large cat. Unlike cougars, black bears once again call Mississippi home. This will be the first photographic evidence of a cougar in the State of Louisiana in decades. Loy said he has purchased more cameras and plans to install them to try and capture whatever it was he saw on Saturday. Yet reports of cougars in states from Nebraska to East Texas and all across the Eastern half of the U.S. have been steadily flowing in. Code Ann. The bear below was captured on the same trail cam pointed further to the right. 
Loy said when he first moved to the property some seven years ago he saw some prints in the sand that appeared to be large cat prints and he even shared them with an official at the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Copyright 2022 The Northside Sun, 246 Briarwood Dr.- Jackson, MS 39206 | Terms of Use| Privacy Policy. If you do see a black bear, please report it to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks at 601-432-2400. Some would say the world is a better place without animals such as lions, bears and wolves. Unlike the Land of Oz, there was never any need to worry about tigers in Mississippi. Opossum: Grey WASHINGTON Del Loy has lived on his property bordering the Natchez Trace for seven years, but on Saturday Loy said he saw something he has never seen on his property before a black cougar. Lions and bears were not the only animals that caused some concern to early European settlers. Panthers are a federally protected endangered species. Notice that the clumps of grass on the right side of the big cougar picture below and the grass clumps shown in the center of the bear photo below match up. "This is not a panther or cougar or mountain lion. I assume you are scouring the internet looking for tangible proof that cougars are present in the eastern half of North America. What I saw was cat-like and it was black as night. The opossum and bear range only overlaps in a few places. Bear: Light Green "We look at distinguishing characteristics to identify. "Biologists look at it differently," Flynt said. The goal of wildlife conservationists is to find the balance so there will always be a place for both. Discrimination in university employment, programs, or activities based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, or any other status protected by applicable law is prohibited. As in the case with cougars, bears slowly disappeared as their natural habitat was turned into farmland and towns. Either way, everyone agrees that if you do encounter this large cat, do not approach it or try to capture it. It was a woman, Loy said, and she sent back a message saying, Well, they look like cat prints to her. What kind of wild cats live in Mississippi? Red wolves used to roam the forests of the Southeast. Loy said he had not seen anything since he took those picture that he believed to be a large cat until Saturday. I rushed the dog back inside and returned to the porch to watch the area in case it lingered.
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