The big cat was captured after roaming free for two days. The big cats once roamed the entire Southeast but were decimated by hunting. The Mauldin Police Department tried to capture the cat using a metal cage baited with a slab of beef donated by a local grocery store but quit after trying for several days. While some South Carolinians are reportedly spotting mountain lions, others are claiming to see something much more menacing: a black panther. Their fur is short and rather uniform reddish to light brown in color. SCDNR has yet to receive a report of drivers hitting a mountain lion, said Butfiloski. Cougars, also known as mountain lions, were once common here and they have left a legacy of place names throughout the state— indeed, the entire Southeast. “I was just sitting here, and all of a sudden I looked and there it was on my front porch. I know they are a very reclusive animal but Florida and these other states do not seem to have such a saturation of Mountain Lions that they would even feel pressured to expand into North Carolina. “Mountain lions are sneaky animals,” he said. Well-known naturalist Dennis Chastain of Pickens says there’s no doubt that there are cougars (pumas/mountain lions) in the woods and wild places of South Carolina. Butfiloski, however, believes black panther sightings are likely black coyotes, bears, bobcats, and other wild animals. “Many biologists, myself included, would be excited about the thought of finding a population of wild cougars in South Carolina.”. A responder adds, 'The DNR swears up and down there are no mountain lions left in SC. If you are able, please support Community Journals today. “But I think many people are mistaking coyotes, bobcats, and other animals for mountain lions.”. Although gone from the eastern US (except Florida), the cougar is doing well throughout much of the western US, and is a game animal in many locations. However, they weren’t able to provide evidence of the encounter. The eastern cougar, however, was declared extinct in 2011. It had the exact cadence and shrillness of a female’s call when she’s looking for a mate,” he said. Some actually believe mountain lion sightings in South Carolina can be attributed to the Florida panther, the only surviving subspecies of eastern cougar. “People who report these sightings come from all walks of life, and are usually sincere and honest. “We’ll probably see younger males pop up here and there in the remote areas of the mountains. “I was shocked when I first saw the prints, because they were so big,” said Claes. (National Park Service) For the year that researchers tracked the young male mountain lion P-78, the cat relentlessly prowled the … But I’m not sure we’ll ever see an established breeding population.”. They are active hunters and may cover as much as 20 miles in a night. “Mountain lions typically keep their distance from humans,” he said. Some actually believe mountain lion sightings in South Carolina can be attributed to the Florida panther, the only surviving subspecies of eastern cougar. The last three eastern cougars were killed in 1930 in Tennessee, New Brunswick in 1932, and Maine in 1938. In 2009, Jenkins responded to a call after several residents at Jasmine Cove apartment complex reported seeing a “large cat” in the surrounding woods. According to Perry, western mountain lions have established breeding populations in South Dakota, Nebraska, and North Dakota in the last 25 years. There have also been sightings in Georgia, as well as North and South Carolina, and small populations are returning to states such as Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas. Proceedings of the 11th Mountain Lion Workshop Integrating Scientific Findings into Management Hunter Conference Center, Southern Utah University Cedar City, Utah May 12‐15, 2014. However, their colouration is the most interesting feature to discuss, apart from the carnivorous habits and the horrifying roars. Luckily, the big cats probably won’t pose a serious threat to public safety when they do appear in South Carolina, according to Butfiloski. PO Box 1896 | Sacramento, California | 95812 916-442-2666 | info@mountainlion.org But then his neighbor’s dogs started barking. Mountain lions stretch and reach up high to scratch trees, and they also scratch logs—leaving deep claw marks. “I know what I heard that afternoon,” he said. The People and Places That Helped Shape Greenville, Presented by TD Bank & Synnex Corporation. This occurred about two years ago. In 2007, Katie Araujo, a Paris Mountain resident, said she came face to face with a large black cat while sitting on her front porch. What was once called the Eastern Cougar and roamed areas throughout the southeastern United States was declared extinct in 2011 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. But I’m not sure we’ll ever see an established breeding population.”, Wings of the City exhibition by world-renowned Mexican artist Jorge Marín comes to Falls Park, Greenville Theatre names Max Quinlan as producing artistic director, The Blood Connection sees historically low blood donor turnout, extends collection hours, Finalists for Greenville County Schools Teacher of the Year announced, Three suspects arrested in 2015 Greenville cold case, Generations Group at 30: Working to end the cycle of sexual violence in boys, Photos: Just Say Something 33rd Annual Red Ribbon Classic Golf Tournament, Greenville parents and students call for better ways to address mental health, Kimberly Simms and Wit’s End Poetry take verse from the page to the stage, Clemson Corner: Clemson, Nephron innovating robotics in pharmaceuticals, Letter to the editor: After a year of pandemic, Upstate’s seniors continue to adapt. "North Carolina Department of Transportation crews picked up debris off … “I think many people just get excited when trail cameras or videos reveal an animal in the woods.”. “We’ll probably see younger males pop up here and there in the remote areas of the mountains. Real answer: Hate to burst your bubble, but it apparently was not a mountain lion. Young cougars are marked with dark spots. “There are countless game and trail cameras out in the woods of South Carolina at any given time, and nobody has photographed a large cat, yet these animals do show up on game cameras in states that have cougars,” said Butfiloski, who believes the trail camera footage from Lady’s Island shows a house cat. South Carolina’s collection of exotic pets includes mountain lions, tigers, and other big cat species, according to Butfiloski. It was big and muscular. Male mountain lions, also known as toms, occasionally travel long distances and sometimes appear from South Carolina to New England, according to Perry. Puma. “I do not believe that South Carolina has a free-ranging wild cougar population,” said Butfiloski. Many … But some residents, including Koehler, are already taking precautions. And verified mountain lion photos and road kill carcasses are slowly but surely appearing in various states, including Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources receives at least 100 calls a year about mountain lions, according to SCDNR biologist Jay Butfiloski. A 2011 article from The Post and Courier revealed a string of unconfirmed mountain lion sightings in the Lowcountry. Few large animals have generated more lore throughout North Carolina than the cougar. “We have had a couple of cougars escape from captivity over the past 30 years or so, but they don’t elude leaving evidence behind.”. In South Carolina it is thought that the cougars occurring here were of both the eastern race (Felis concolor cougar) and the Florida race (Felis concolor coryi). 14 Young Harris Thursday afternoon. The eastern cougar or eastern puma (Puma concolor couguar) is the extirpated population of cougars that lived in northeastern North America, which some authorities have considered to be a subspecies. The largest cat native to the eastern US, adults can exceed 8 ft in total length (including their tail) and 200 lbs. The cougar (also known as mountain lion, panther, painter, catamount, puma, and other names) was once one of the most widely distributed mammals in the Western Hemisphere. It was hunted to extinction last century, but throughout the Blue Ridge, there are claims from locals that the cat has returned. The Pacers are 0-1 on the year while the Mountain Lions stand at 3-1-1. A wild mountain lion hasn’t been verified in South Carolina in about 100 years, said Perry, who’s studied mountain lions for more than a decade. In 2003, eight residents from a Mauldin subdivision called police saying they’d seen a large black cat prowling around the woods behind their homes. They have short ears and large round heads. More recently, a Piedmont resident captured a trail camera photo of what many believed to be a black panther. “Except for a very small population in Florida, there are no known groups in the Southeast, or east of the Mississippi in all truthfulness.”. Sports ... also known as a mountain lion -- near the incorporated community of Nebo in western North Carolina. “We’ve received calls about mountain lions for years,” said Butfiloski. A young female mountain lion is the latest to join the National Park Service's study of the big cats' survival in and around the Santa Monica Mountains. I have seen one adult mountain lion. Catamount. There are Mountain lions in North Carolina. Koehler called several neighbors, but they couldn’t explain the barking. The story cites lack of hard evidence for the existence of mountain […] “I’ve received reports from every single county,” he added. Including the tail, it was long enough to almost cover one lane of the road. Now there are less than 100 panthers surviving in the swamps of South Florida. The cougar is a big cat known by many names including panther, mountain lion, puma and up to 80 more, but these are all the same species, Puma concolor. The city of Simpsonville has also received calls about mountain lions over the years, according to Colleen Jenkins, an animal code enforcement officer for the city. Furman biology professor and cougar expert Travis Perry says it’s possible for mountain lions to travel great distances, but it’s not very likely they’ve traveled to our state. But the variety of names also demonstrates the cougar's original distribution across the North American continent and from southern Canada to the tip of South America. Painter. In 2007, Terrance Fletcher, a technician with the U.S. Forest Service, claimed he was chased into the Chattooga River by a 7-foot-long panther with “jet black” fur. “I listened to bobcats, coyotes, and all kinds of other animals. “SCDNR said the prints were from a dog, but I’m not sure I really agree with them.”. – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's soccer team saw the pitch for the first time this season and lost a 4-0 contest to No. “But for one to make it from the Southwest deserts to the mid-Atlantic mountains, Piedmont, or coastal areas is unlikely. Eastern Cougar - Felis concolor cougar. They were once major factors in the ecosystems of our South Carolina forests and coastal swamps where adults killed deer and other large prey items (wild hogs, raccoons, woodland buffalo, etc). At first, Koehler was concerned that it might be a woman or hiker in need of help. The last recorded escape occurred in 2003 when a 200-pound pet mountain lion named “Rage” broke free from his cage in Laurens County. Physical Description: Mountain lions are beautiful animals with tawny-colored coats (ranging from brown to reddish or grayish) and no markings. Greenville County, which requires residents to obtain a permit and undergo inspections, has issued 17 permits for exotic animals, including two tigers, since 2012, according to spokesman Bob Mihalic. History of Large Cats in South Carolina First, for clarity, the panther has many names, including puma, cougar and mountain lion–all of these names refer to the same animal in North America. Koehler, for one, remains convinced at least one mountain lion inhabits these parts. By the 1960s, mountain lions dwindled in the western states but managed to survive into the 21st century. And earlier this year, South Carolina passed a new law, effective next year, that makes it illegal to own a “large wild cat, non-native bear or great ape.”. Jaguars and leopards, on the other hand, have a gene that occurs in six percent of the population that causes black cats. A true backcountry experience is offered at 24 backpacking campsites at seven locations. However, it’s unclear how many there are because no one tracks it. Fish and Wildlife Service says that most sightings turn out to be b… The eastern cougars were unofficially deemed extinct by a U.S. China GDP grows at slowest pace in more than four decades in 2020 A Duncan, South Carolina, woman recently encountered a mountain lion while … Leopards, however, live in Africa and Asia. I reserve a special kind of F that for this revelation. “I guess a Florida panther could possibly roam into South Carolina, but I’m not sure they would make it that far without getting hit by a car,” said Butfiloski. South Carolinians are likely seeing something, even if it’s not a mountain lion. Today the only known reproducing population of cougars in the eastern US occurs in south Florida in the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp. Greenville and Pickens Counties are among the several counties where sightings have been reported in South Carolina. Fortunately, a mountain lion hasn’t escaped captivity for more than a decade in South Carolina, according to Butfiloski. At the time of European settlement it occupied a wide range of habitats from Canada well into parts of South America, and was found throughout the continental United States. Small, domestic cats do an abridged version, scratching on posts, horizontal surfaces, furniture, trees and other objects. Robert Downing, a former Clemson-based biologist for the U.S. It is estimated that cougars make a kill of a large prey item (deer, etc) about once each week. In one of the state’s most rugged areas, South Mountains State Park features elevations to 3,000 feet, an 80-foot waterfall, mountain streams and more than 40 miles of trails for hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers. Adults are largely nocturnal, solitary and territorial. South Carolina Wildlife Federation, 455 St. Andrews Road, Suite B1, Columbia, SC 29210, United States. One of the biggest misconceptions about North Carolina wildlife is the existence of cougars, or black panthers, in our state. Nikolay Kapustin, deputy zoo administrator and veterinarian at the Greenville Zoo, said the prints, which measure 2.5 inches long, are likely coyote tracks. Contributed by John Garton, SCWF Board Member Emeritus. There are approximately 20 recognized geographic races of the cougar throughout its range. Cougars were eliminated from our state, as they were throughout much of the eastern US, for a combination of reasons including: a) loss of much of the forest and deer herd during the heavy agricultural activity of the late 1800's and b) the cougar's habit of substituting livestock for wild prey items (in the latter cases, stock owners typically took direct and terminal action against the cougars). Input your search keywords and press Enter. There are mountain lions in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but wildlife officials still call them extinct and haven’t done much to support their populations. … When I stood up, it ran,” she told Fox News. Today there are no wild reproducing populations of cougars in South Carolina. A history of mistaken identity and conspiracies. Corrections. Andrew Moore of the Greenville Journal pens a story about alleged mountain lion sightings in South Carolina. “South Carolina can probably expect to see one in the next decade given the rate at which these lions are showing up east and north of their established ranges,” said Perry. Many counties, including Spartanburg and Anderson, ban exotic pets. But people could also be mistaking black panthers for pet mountain lions escaped from captivity, according to Perry. I was about two miles south of Abbeville on hwy. “The dogs barked for several minutes, so I thought they had maybe treed some sort of animal,” he said. “I can tell you they weren’t from your everyday dog or house cat.”. “It’s happening all across the state.”. Mountain lions and panthers, both are very interesting carnivores of the Family: Felidae. Some people even claim SCDNR is covering up the presence of mountain lions. COLUMBIA, SC. “The animal started running … so I decided to run and get away and jump in the river to get across to the other side,” Fletcher told The State. The U.S. Our team is committed to telling great stories and deepening our connection with the community we serve. And last year, Ben Tanner, a Lady’s Island resident, captured video footage of what appears to be a large cat stalking a deer. Community Journals’ editorial independence is safeguarded by our readers. The distribution and other characteristics are also important to distinguish them separately. 28 when it ran across the road in front of me. In fact, the wildlife agency has yet to receive a single piece of credible evidence even supporting the existence of mountain lions in South Carolina. But SCNDR later concluded the animal was probably a black coyote. The big cats once roamed the entire Southeast but were decimated by hunting. “There may be a hint of nail indentations, which cats wouldn’t have,” he said. They typically target a sick deer or other individual animal not in prime condition. Cougars are considered extinct in North Carolina, ... South Carolina. Several years later, the story of a federal forester’s escape from the clutches of a black panther in Oconee County made headlines. Wild mountain lions' presence within South Carolina disputed South Carolina - Testimony from more than 20 people Monday afternoon straddled both sides of the "burning question" of whether or not wild mountain lions inhabit South Carolina or whether they're most likely a few former illegal "pets." They believe what they saw,” said Butfiloski. Bobcats are manageable, but cougars? Still 3 … In fact, the bobcat is the only native wild cat found in South Carolina today. Subscribe for the Greenville Journal's free weekly digest of community stories. Even thought they're on the endangered species list. “Most people in the eastern U.S. haven’t ever seen a wild mountain lion or jaguar or leopard,” said Butfiloski. Butfiloski said SCDNR would likely be eligible for federal money to study mountain lions and protect and manage lands for the presence of them if they actually appeared. The cougar (also known as mountain lion, panther, painter, catamount, puma, and other names) was once one of the most widely distributed mammals in the Western Hemisphere. “I’m telling neighbors to be more aware of their surroundings when they’re walking their dogs around here.”. The primary food source for a mountain lion would be deer and there is no doubt we have lots of them but so does Georgia and South Carolina. In 2015, Michelle LaRue, a research ecologist and speaker at the University of Minnesota and executive director of the Cougar Network, cast doubt on black panther sightings in a blog post, saying “there is no compelling evidence that a single wild ‘black panther’ has ever existed in the United States.”. LaRue, for instance, said people are probably seeing a house cat or black lab. But the population decreased in the 1900s as wild lands were cleared for agriculture and game hunting increased. “I actually drove out to the apartment and noticed some large tracks in the mud,” said Jenkins, who didn’t take photos of the tracks or file an official report. Many wildlife authorities and experts, however, remain skeptical of mountain lion sightings across the Southeast. “The younger, weaker male lions will travel to get away to other areas and establish their own territory. Jaguars, which are primarily found in South America, have established a small population in Mexico and occasionally cross over into Arizona or New Mexico, according to Perry. The many names given the nation's largest cat convey the mystery surrounding this solitary hunter. One popular conspiracy theory claims SCDNR has released a breeding population of western mountain lions to prevent the state’s surging white-tailed deer population from causing too much agricultural damage. The approximately one-year-old puma, dubbed P-96, was captured on Feb. 12 in the Simi Hills and was outfitted with a GPS radio collar to help researchers track her movements. In 2007, a contract security officer called the university’s police department after he spotted what he thought looked like a mountain lion near the Calhoun Mansion. 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