SIDNEY
Is it a mountain lion?
By JOEL ELLIOTT
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel Friday, June 29, 2007

SIDNEY -- A state biologist is investigating a claim that someone here sighted a mountain lion in the area.

An anonymous resident sent a photo of a mountain lion to Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and experts there have yet to determine its validity, according to department spokesman Mark Latti.

"The photo is inconclusive, just because of the perspective, and it only shows part of the cat," he said.

Latti said it would be easier to determine the type of cat if the back end were visible in the photo, as long tails are a distinctive feature of mountain lions.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife receives similar sporadic calls from residents across the state, but biologists have not found evidence that they consider to be conclusive about the cats' presence, Latti said.

"There is not a wild population of mountain lions or cougars in the state," he said.

"However, there's a very real possibility that someone could have brought it in from another state and released it. Or it could be an escaped domestic one."

Latti said that if there were a wild population of mountain lions in the state, there would be more sightings or hard evidence, such as road kill.

"While it is a possibility, we just don't have enough evidence to substantiate it," he said.

Joel Elliott -- 861-9252

jelliott@centralmaine.com

Bookmark and share this story: digg del.icio.us Reddit


Reader comments

Sort by: Oldest first | Newest First

PS PS of Portland, ME
Jul 6, 2007 10:51 AM
Looks like it went through a photoshop tweak. report abuse
Rachel of Portland, ME
Jul 3, 2007 2:31 PM
It looks like a mountain lion to me. Here's the picture:

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/06/29/mountain_lion_in_mai.html
report abuse
22Buxton of Buxton, ME
Jul 3, 2007 5:56 AM
If you show the picture, maybe we could make up our own minds.report abuse
Tara of Portland, ME
Jun 30, 2007 11:23 AM
Looks like a mountain lion to me.
Even though I lived in prime mountain lion territory for years in Colorado, it is only in Maine that I have ever seen one in the wild. In the winter of 2001, I was driving south between Jackman and Caratunk at night and saw eyes reflected up on my left. There was no one else on the road, so I was able to slow to a crawl. On the hill above me was the very distinctive face and body of a mountain lion. And, yes, I did see the long, fluffy tail curled around its body. Like so many others have been, I was told that there are no breeding populations here and that it must have been a released or escaped pet.
About three and half years ago, I saw another possible sign of a mountain lion. I was hiking down the Bridle path of Mount Kineo with my eighteen month old son and saw the largest cat print I have ever seen. Cat prints are much rounder than canine ones and the claws, being retractable, are not visible. I kept telling myself that it was only a bobcat or lynx track, scooped my toddler up in my arms and walked quickly but not running down the hill while singing at the top of my lungs. When I lived in Colorado, I would often walk singing and carrying a large stick when I was alone in mountain lion habitat. The television news out there recommended such things. I don't know how efficacious that is, but it helps to feel like you are doing something to avoid being prey. When I told the operator of the boat shuttle back to Rockwood, he reacted as if I told him I had seen aliens land on the mountain.
I don't know if there is a breeding population in the state nor how many of these big cats it takes to make up one, but I do know that I saw one, signs of a possible second and that the photo in question does appear to show another. I also am intrigued at the prospect that this large predator may have staged a comeback in a place where humans have been determined to eliminate them and keep them away. report abuse

Show all 12 comments

You must be a registered user of MaineToday.com to post a comment. Register or log in.