Jim Stabile from the Daily Record writes:
Are mountain lions next as statewide menaces?
With bears not unusual around NJ, Morris County may checking in with something new - a mountain lion.
Don't start packing to move out of state because they were here before we were, this animal also known as a cougar or puma, could be a big long-tailed mountain lion that got away from somebody, like a Jackson Township Bengal tiger.
Mountain lions once lived throughout U.S. forests before settlers spooked them away, still live in the Everglades and the Northwest, and have been edging Eastward, according to roadkills and sightings as near as Michigan, where the Department of Natural Resourses disagrees with what people see when it comes to mountain lions.
So what was one doing on Pleasant Hill Road Thursday morning near the Mount Olive Chester Township border?
Danny Vnencak of Landing said his fiancee (who I haven't spoken to yet), suggested it might have been a coyote - they're all over - but she described it as being tan, having a long tail and moving like a cat. Bobcats are smaller and have very short tails.
Danny said she told him she had slowed down after an oncoming car flashed it's lights, then the cat came out of the woods edge and ran across the road. Anyone else seen one of the big cats? The Division which reported it has been receiving reports of big cat sightings in the area has no hard evidence, but said it could be an escaped mountain lion, which are legally sold in states where they are easily available as pets. Not in our state. A pet mountain lion was removed from a Hawthorne basement in 1999.
I would have put a link to the rest of his artical but as usual that anti-hunting paper didn't make it available on-line.....
Full Version: NJ mountain lion??
My wife came home tonight and swears she saw a mountain lion cross route 515 between route 23 and Vernon. She is big into cats so I have to believe her when she says she saw one.
Dunno, haven't seen one yet...but someone hit a Coyote near Jackson, NJ yesterday. Cops called out and all to verify it wasn't someone's dog! Guess they can't hide the coyote spread southward anymore! 
Seeing more and more each year.
Seeing more and more each year.
I came across this site via googling NJ Mountain Lion. I would like to relay a cougar sighting that I had on 4/26/06.
Travelling home this evening at 3:15 am, I am 95%+ certain that a young cougar (light brown cat weighing approx. 40 to 50 pounds, with a fat but not bushy, long straight tail which stayed nearly straight when he was running) ran across the front of my jeep, instead of making the left turn to go home, I made a right and chased the animal for approximately 3/4 of a city block, when he again crossed the front of my jeep and dissapeared onto someones property. I do not drink and see 20/20, I was in my jeep and at one point almost exactly alongside the animal, not more than 20 feet away.
This took place at the intersection of Palisade Avenue and Beech Street and along (running on the grass) the East side of Beech Street in Englewood, NJ.
ps: It was not a coyote or deer which I see all the time.
Travelling home this evening at 3:15 am, I am 95%+ certain that a young cougar (light brown cat weighing approx. 40 to 50 pounds, with a fat but not bushy, long straight tail which stayed nearly straight when he was running) ran across the front of my jeep, instead of making the left turn to go home, I made a right and chased the animal for approximately 3/4 of a city block, when he again crossed the front of my jeep and dissapeared onto someones property. I do not drink and see 20/20, I was in my jeep and at one point almost exactly alongside the animal, not more than 20 feet away.
This took place at the intersection of Palisade Avenue and Beech Street and along (running on the grass) the East side of Beech Street in Englewood, NJ.
ps: It was not a coyote or deer which I see all the time.
The article is on page two local of the Asbury Park Press.
PAW PRINT FOUND
Authorities investigate mountain lion sighting
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/2/06
BY JAMES A. QUIRK
AND A. SCOTT FERGUSON
STAFF WRITERS
The state Division of Fish and Wildlife is investigating the paw print and droppings of what one Colts Neck resident believes was a passing mountain lion.
If the analysis proves positive, it would be the first proof that the big cat has been found within New Jersey's borders in recent memory, state Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Darlene Yuhas said.
The unconfirmed spotting was first reported Monday morning by a Colts Neck resident, who reported seeing a mountain lion or a large cat around Dutch Lane near the Marlboro border, Lt. Steven Mennona, the commander of Marlboro's patrol division, said.
Police from the two departments searched the area, and several officers found a large paw print in Marlboro. Later, conservation officers from the state Division of Fish and Wildlife confirmed the paw print did come from a large cat, but it was not clear if the print belonged to a mountain lion, Mennona said.
Yuhas said Fish and Wildlife workers photographed "a large paw print" and "also recovered some animal scat, both of which they will analyze. . . . We'll take a look at what we gather and take it from there."
There were no other sightings Monday, although police from both communities continued to search the area.
"We have never had anything like this before," said Mennona, referring to an actual mountain lion sighting.
Police did sprinkle a white powder around the area where the paw print was found. If the animal returns to the area, experts will then have a better print to determine what kind of animal was there and how large it is.
While it has one of the largest ranges of any big cat, the mountain lion (Puma concolor), also known as the cougar or puma, is rarely found in the northeast. The majority of the 30,000 mountain lions believed to live in the United States are found west of the Mississippi River. The sole remaining subspecies of mountain lion still living east of the Mississippi is the critically endangered Florida panther.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's fact sheet on the Eastern cougar reads: "Once in a great while a real cougar is sighted. Based on our experiences, it is safe to assume that these animals have been intentionally or unintentionally released by people. Contrary to some people's beliefs, they are not part of a native, self sustaining population."
Colts Neck schools keep students inside after mystery cat report
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/2/06
BY BOB JORDAN
COLTS NECK — Reports that state wildlife authorities are investigating whether a mountain lion or large cat passed through the area led the township school district to keep its students inside during physical education classes and recesses Tuesday.
District K-8 Superintendent Richard Fitzpatrick said there was also "increased supervision'' at the bus arrival and departure areas at the Conover Road elementary and primary schools. The district also has a middle school on Cedar Drive.
Fitzpatrick said in a notice to parents that he contacted the Police Department after receiving numerous calls about the reports that a suspicious "cat-like'' animal was sighted near the border with Marlboro.
Police Detective Sgt. Joseph Whitehead said an animal of that type has not been seen by officers.
State Division of Fish and Wildlife officials said they are investigating the paw print and droppings of what one township resident believes was a passing mountain lion.
If the analysis proves positive, it would be the first proof that the big cat has been found within New Jersey's borders in recent memory.
The unconfirmed spotting was first reported Monday morning by a resident, who reported seeing a mountain lion or a large cat off Holland Road near the Marlboro border.
Police from the Colts Neck and Marlboro police departments searched the area Monday, and several officers found a large paw print in Marlboro.
Clues to mystery animal sought
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/2/06
BY JOSEPH SAPIA
The state Division of Fish and Wildlife continues to investigate a report and evidence of a mystery animal along the Colts Neck-Marlboro boundary.
Colts Neck Police took a report from the Holland Lane area, along the Marlboro boundary, about 8:40 a.m. Monday, Police Chief Kevin Sauter said on Tuesday morning.
There has been speculation the animal is a mountain lion, not considered a current native resident. But local and state authorities said nothing has been confirmed.
""It was a large animal sighting,'' added Darlene Yuhas, a Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman. ""We photographed a large paw print, gathered scat and we'll analyze (them). We just don't know what sort of animal was sighted in Colts Neck.''
It was unclear how long an analysis would take.
Along with the paw print, there were ""claw marks on the trees,'' Sauter said.
""Something was out there,'' Sauter said.
Mountain lion in Montgomery? Local sightings unconfirmed
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 04/27/06
BY PAMELA SROKA
GANNETT NEW JERSEY
MONTGOMERY — Township health officials said Wednesday that a mountain lion in the "land of the cougars" may not be uncommon, but no solid evidence has been found of the animal.
A homeowner reported to police spotting the animal on Harvard Circle at about 8 p.m. Monday. The resident described the animal as tan and 60 to 80 pounds.
Police found no evidence of the mountain lion at the scene but contacted the township's health officer, conservation officers of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, and neighboring municipalities.
"We are the land of the cougars," Mayor Louise Wilson said jokingly, noting the school district's mascot.
Wilson said residents became concerned last summer when they saw an animal larger than a house cat with a "very long tail." Division of Fish and Wildlife crews used tracking devices in the township but found nothing.
ON THE WEB: Visit our Web site, app.com, and click on this story in the State section for links to information about mountain lions.
PAW PRINT FOUND
Authorities investigate mountain lion sighting
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/2/06
BY JAMES A. QUIRK
AND A. SCOTT FERGUSON
STAFF WRITERS
The state Division of Fish and Wildlife is investigating the paw print and droppings of what one Colts Neck resident believes was a passing mountain lion.
If the analysis proves positive, it would be the first proof that the big cat has been found within New Jersey's borders in recent memory, state Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Darlene Yuhas said.
The unconfirmed spotting was first reported Monday morning by a Colts Neck resident, who reported seeing a mountain lion or a large cat around Dutch Lane near the Marlboro border, Lt. Steven Mennona, the commander of Marlboro's patrol division, said.
Police from the two departments searched the area, and several officers found a large paw print in Marlboro. Later, conservation officers from the state Division of Fish and Wildlife confirmed the paw print did come from a large cat, but it was not clear if the print belonged to a mountain lion, Mennona said.
Yuhas said Fish and Wildlife workers photographed "a large paw print" and "also recovered some animal scat, both of which they will analyze. . . . We'll take a look at what we gather and take it from there."
There were no other sightings Monday, although police from both communities continued to search the area.
"We have never had anything like this before," said Mennona, referring to an actual mountain lion sighting.
Police did sprinkle a white powder around the area where the paw print was found. If the animal returns to the area, experts will then have a better print to determine what kind of animal was there and how large it is.
While it has one of the largest ranges of any big cat, the mountain lion (Puma concolor), also known as the cougar or puma, is rarely found in the northeast. The majority of the 30,000 mountain lions believed to live in the United States are found west of the Mississippi River. The sole remaining subspecies of mountain lion still living east of the Mississippi is the critically endangered Florida panther.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's fact sheet on the Eastern cougar reads: "Once in a great while a real cougar is sighted. Based on our experiences, it is safe to assume that these animals have been intentionally or unintentionally released by people. Contrary to some people's beliefs, they are not part of a native, self sustaining population."
Colts Neck schools keep students inside after mystery cat report
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/2/06
BY BOB JORDAN
COLTS NECK — Reports that state wildlife authorities are investigating whether a mountain lion or large cat passed through the area led the township school district to keep its students inside during physical education classes and recesses Tuesday.
District K-8 Superintendent Richard Fitzpatrick said there was also "increased supervision'' at the bus arrival and departure areas at the Conover Road elementary and primary schools. The district also has a middle school on Cedar Drive.
Fitzpatrick said in a notice to parents that he contacted the Police Department after receiving numerous calls about the reports that a suspicious "cat-like'' animal was sighted near the border with Marlboro.
Police Detective Sgt. Joseph Whitehead said an animal of that type has not been seen by officers.
State Division of Fish and Wildlife officials said they are investigating the paw print and droppings of what one township resident believes was a passing mountain lion.
If the analysis proves positive, it would be the first proof that the big cat has been found within New Jersey's borders in recent memory.
The unconfirmed spotting was first reported Monday morning by a resident, who reported seeing a mountain lion or a large cat off Holland Road near the Marlboro border.
Police from the Colts Neck and Marlboro police departments searched the area Monday, and several officers found a large paw print in Marlboro.
Clues to mystery animal sought
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 05/2/06
BY JOSEPH SAPIA
The state Division of Fish and Wildlife continues to investigate a report and evidence of a mystery animal along the Colts Neck-Marlboro boundary.
Colts Neck Police took a report from the Holland Lane area, along the Marlboro boundary, about 8:40 a.m. Monday, Police Chief Kevin Sauter said on Tuesday morning.
There has been speculation the animal is a mountain lion, not considered a current native resident. But local and state authorities said nothing has been confirmed.
""It was a large animal sighting,'' added Darlene Yuhas, a Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman. ""We photographed a large paw print, gathered scat and we'll analyze (them). We just don't know what sort of animal was sighted in Colts Neck.''
It was unclear how long an analysis would take.
Along with the paw print, there were ""claw marks on the trees,'' Sauter said.
""Something was out there,'' Sauter said.
Mountain lion in Montgomery? Local sightings unconfirmed
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 04/27/06
BY PAMELA SROKA
GANNETT NEW JERSEY
MONTGOMERY — Township health officials said Wednesday that a mountain lion in the "land of the cougars" may not be uncommon, but no solid evidence has been found of the animal.
A homeowner reported to police spotting the animal on Harvard Circle at about 8 p.m. Monday. The resident described the animal as tan and 60 to 80 pounds.
Police found no evidence of the mountain lion at the scene but contacted the township's health officer, conservation officers of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, and neighboring municipalities.
"We are the land of the cougars," Mayor Louise Wilson said jokingly, noting the school district's mascot.
Wilson said residents became concerned last summer when they saw an animal larger than a house cat with a "very long tail." Division of Fish and Wildlife crews used tracking devices in the township but found nothing.
ON THE WEB: Visit our Web site, app.com, and click on this story in the State section for links to information about mountain lions.
Nice try guys !!!
We only have a couple deer here in NJ ( no need for a deer season ) No bears can be found in NJ ( no need for a bear season ) . Now you want me to think we have big kitty vats running around with yotes ??
I talked to Stu and he tells me all his facts are DEAD on .
We only have a couple deer here in NJ ( no need for a deer season ) No bears can be found in NJ ( no need for a bear season ) . Now you want me to think we have big kitty vats running around with yotes ??
I talked to Stu and he tells me all his facts are DEAD on .
QUOTE (Double Lunger @ Jun 5 2006, 11:53 AM) 
Nice try guys !!!
I talked to Stu and he tells me all his facts are DEAD on .
I talked to Stu and he tells me all his facts are DEAD on .
Yeah and he still on a water only fast this week!!!
And I believe it when he says that wasn't him at the McDonalds Drive thru ordering 4 Big Macs and a 20 piece McNuggets!!! You don't get that fat eating salad my friend!!!!
VERNON — After several sleepless nights, Christine Fitzgerald was still shook up Tuesday over the large cat she says she saw standing in the back yard of her Tallahatchie Drive home last week.
At about 1 a.m. Thursday, Fitzgerald heard the shrill cry of a kitten coming from outside. She grabbed a flashlight and rushed to see what was happening. As the light revealed the identity of the animal, what originally looked like a deer turned out to be something else entirely.
"There was no mistaking it for the neighbor's golden retriever," Fitzgerald said Tuesday. "I just said, 'Oh my God! Mountain lion!'"
Such reported sightings have been made to municipal and state officials over the last few months but mountain lions are still considered extinct in New Jersey and their presence in recent years has never been confirmed by animal experts.
"It seems like the volume of calls for this animal started last year," said Vernon Animal Control Officer Tom Maellaro, adding that the township has received between four and six mountain lion reports since the fall.
While the state Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife also receives about half a dozen calls each year about mountain lions, research studies have not proven the existence of such animals in New Jersey, making Fitzgerald's possible sighting quite rare, said Larry Herrighty, chief of the bureau of wildlife management.
"It would be fairly unusual, since we've never had documented cases of mountain lions in New Jersey," Herrighty said. "Except for in Florida, there's no free-ranging population of mountain lions on the East Coast." Nearby populations of mountain lions were eliminated more than 200 years ago by Colonial hunters looking to protect their livestock.
In response to residents' calls, including several made from Gibbstown in Gloucester County last week, the Division of Fish and Wildlife has sent teams looking for tracks and claw marks, Herrighty said. The only evidence found has been linked to dogs and coyotes, he said.
Finding a mountain lion can be very difficult, Herrighty said, because of the amount of ground the animal covers. Over the course of a year, mountain lions travel across 100 square miles and operate individually, not as part of a group of animals, he said.
Herrighty offered at least two potential scenarios for the mountain lion sightings.
When coyotes suffering from a parasite lose their fur, residents might mistake them for mountain lions, Herrighty said. If mountain lions are being seen in the area, he said, they have most likely escaped from someone's private collection.
Mountain lion populations do not exist in nearby states, reducing the likelihood of migration into New Jersey, but it is still possible to purchase the animals as part of the legal pet trade in other parts of the country, Herrighty said. Lion attacks against people are rare, he said, and mountain lions typically stay away from populated areas.
The only confirmed presence of mountain lions in the New Jersey area has been found in the Adirondack region of upstate New York and the northern sections of Delaware, according to a report on the Web site of the Cougar Network, a nonprofit research organization.
Lynn Sadler, president and CEO of the California-based Mountain Lion Foundation, said mountain lions are known inhabitants of about 14 states, mostly in Florida and the western part of the country.
"They're just awesome animals," Sadler said. "They're extremely graceful and beautiful."
Yet, mountain lions are still carnivores and can be threatening, Sadler said. Their main prey is deer, but she believes they are capable of harming people. Sadler said people should keep their pets indoors and try to avoid making direct contact with mountain lions.
"A small cat would be pretty easy pickings," she said. "It's not good for people and mountain lions when they mix."
After the late-night confrontation in her back yard, Fitzgerald said she saw what she believes the animal can do to small kittens. The mountain lion-looking creature stared at Fitzgerald and her husband, panting from the side of its mouth, before laying down against a tree, she said.
The couple retreated into their house, but the following morning, Fitzgerald found a dead stray cat and its two small kittens in her back yard.
"The kittens were just shredded. The one did not have a head," she said. "I couldn't even pick up (the other kitten) to bury him. All his limbs were hanging by this little thread."
The incident marked the first time Fitzgerald saw what she believes is a mountain lion during the last year and a half that she has lived on Tallahatchie Drive. She did not sleep for four or five days afterward, she said, and she remains frightened for her safety.
Even though a bear approached her property on Saturday, mountain lions are the animals that frighten her. "I'll take the bear any day," Fitzgerald said.
At about 1 a.m. Thursday, Fitzgerald heard the shrill cry of a kitten coming from outside. She grabbed a flashlight and rushed to see what was happening. As the light revealed the identity of the animal, what originally looked like a deer turned out to be something else entirely.
"There was no mistaking it for the neighbor's golden retriever," Fitzgerald said Tuesday. "I just said, 'Oh my God! Mountain lion!'"
Such reported sightings have been made to municipal and state officials over the last few months but mountain lions are still considered extinct in New Jersey and their presence in recent years has never been confirmed by animal experts.
"It seems like the volume of calls for this animal started last year," said Vernon Animal Control Officer Tom Maellaro, adding that the township has received between four and six mountain lion reports since the fall.
While the state Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife also receives about half a dozen calls each year about mountain lions, research studies have not proven the existence of such animals in New Jersey, making Fitzgerald's possible sighting quite rare, said Larry Herrighty, chief of the bureau of wildlife management.
"It would be fairly unusual, since we've never had documented cases of mountain lions in New Jersey," Herrighty said. "Except for in Florida, there's no free-ranging population of mountain lions on the East Coast." Nearby populations of mountain lions were eliminated more than 200 years ago by Colonial hunters looking to protect their livestock.
In response to residents' calls, including several made from Gibbstown in Gloucester County last week, the Division of Fish and Wildlife has sent teams looking for tracks and claw marks, Herrighty said. The only evidence found has been linked to dogs and coyotes, he said.
Finding a mountain lion can be very difficult, Herrighty said, because of the amount of ground the animal covers. Over the course of a year, mountain lions travel across 100 square miles and operate individually, not as part of a group of animals, he said.
Herrighty offered at least two potential scenarios for the mountain lion sightings.
When coyotes suffering from a parasite lose their fur, residents might mistake them for mountain lions, Herrighty said. If mountain lions are being seen in the area, he said, they have most likely escaped from someone's private collection.
Mountain lion populations do not exist in nearby states, reducing the likelihood of migration into New Jersey, but it is still possible to purchase the animals as part of the legal pet trade in other parts of the country, Herrighty said. Lion attacks against people are rare, he said, and mountain lions typically stay away from populated areas.
The only confirmed presence of mountain lions in the New Jersey area has been found in the Adirondack region of upstate New York and the northern sections of Delaware, according to a report on the Web site of the Cougar Network, a nonprofit research organization.
Lynn Sadler, president and CEO of the California-based Mountain Lion Foundation, said mountain lions are known inhabitants of about 14 states, mostly in Florida and the western part of the country.
"They're just awesome animals," Sadler said. "They're extremely graceful and beautiful."
Yet, mountain lions are still carnivores and can be threatening, Sadler said. Their main prey is deer, but she believes they are capable of harming people. Sadler said people should keep their pets indoors and try to avoid making direct contact with mountain lions.
"A small cat would be pretty easy pickings," she said. "It's not good for people and mountain lions when they mix."
After the late-night confrontation in her back yard, Fitzgerald said she saw what she believes the animal can do to small kittens. The mountain lion-looking creature stared at Fitzgerald and her husband, panting from the side of its mouth, before laying down against a tree, she said.
The couple retreated into their house, but the following morning, Fitzgerald found a dead stray cat and its two small kittens in her back yard.
"The kittens were just shredded. The one did not have a head," she said. "I couldn't even pick up (the other kitten) to bury him. All his limbs were hanging by this little thread."
The incident marked the first time Fitzgerald saw what she believes is a mountain lion during the last year and a half that she has lived on Tallahatchie Drive. She did not sleep for four or five days afterward, she said, and she remains frightened for her safety.
Even though a bear approached her property on Saturday, mountain lions are the animals that frighten her. "I'll take the bear any day," Fitzgerald said.
I live right below Picatiny arsenal and am seeing fewer and fewer deer & turkey. The rumor around town (Oak Ridge) is the top of the ridge has quite a few big cats runnin around. I've never seen one though.
never mind.
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