He believes mountain … This week, Sidney Wordell, the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs' Association, said his group is working together with Attorney General Peter F. Neronha's office on a proposal that would mandate the use of body cameras or dash cameras for police officers statewide. Justine Smith. According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the state does not have a … “In the past, it was kind of ‘we’ll keep it a secret,’ but now people in towns are seeing these,” Betty said. Betty lectures across the country about big cat sightings. 2012). Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. The lion was seen near the turnaround for the shuttle bus that ferries employees from a parking lot up the hill to the museum about 9:30 one recent night, and … The woman says she was roaming the woods in Middletown near Green Lane when she saw the large feline. | 6 Blackstone Valley Place, Suite 204, Lincoln, RI 02865 | Top of Page. That is the opinion of Matunuck resident Bill Betty, who believes there is at least one big cat living in Matunuck. People saw a large tan cat … Set weather. And shame, shame, shame on Abel Collins. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. “We have yet to see anything that suggests they’re around here.”. Data from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management shows that as of last week, there have been 75 reported sightings in the state, including 35 documented with a photo or video. “We get calls about mountain lions all the time, but they turn out to be unprovable,” Brown told the Independent in March. Betty said there is one confirmed mountain lion in South Kingstown from a 2011 sighting, and many other probable cats throughout Rhode Island. But Stowik said the animal seen Monday was far too big to be a house cat. Indigenous people called them cougars, pumas, shadow cats or ghost walkers. Most of the rest of the New England sightings are either hoaxes or released "pets" after they grow too large. “We get calls about mountain lions all the time, but they turn out to be … Run for the hills Oh, hell, it's Rhode Island... uh... run for the ocean. Blanchard explained that biologically, while there are mountain lions in other parts of the country, it would not be expected to find one in Rhode Island. “There is no credible, verifiable evidence that we are aware of that would suggest mountain lions occur in Rhode Island,” said RIDEM spokeswoman Gail Mastrati. If they’re not a problem, leave them alone.”. They’re cryptic, but they do leave evidence behind. GLOCESTER, R.I. (AP) — An animal rescue expert has removed a pet mountain lion from a Rhode Island home for relocation to Florida. We will have a mountain lion … “What we’re looking for, of course, is evidence: tracks, scat, photographs, videos, anything that will help us identify the animal.”. By on March 29, 2021 in Uncategorized on March 29, 2021 in Uncategorized South Carolina. Be Nice. Let us know in this week's poll question below. If that happened, Betty said it would allow New England states to hunt and manage all cougars, including the western subspecies of cougar, which is not endangered. In his talks, he covers all aspects of mountain lion behavior, tracking and sightings. For example, paw prints are asymmetrical, with about 4-inch front paws and 3.5-inch back paws. I have been interested in this topic ever since 1972, when I was running with a friend in Swansea, Mass, along some power… CUMBERLAND – Residents in the Berkeley section of Cumberland say they saw what appeared to be a mountain lion there late Monday morning. Earlier this year, DEM Wildlife Biologist Charles Brown told the Independent the last confirmed record of a mountain lion in Rhode Island was in 1847. About Rhode Island Mountain Lion I started this blog to report on sightings and other reports of mountain lions in Rhode Island. In 2017, a hunter in Levant said she saw a mountain lion, then shot a deer that the mountain lion had mauled. Cranston market, Armenian community hope to … The map from that publication is shown below, with the current mountain lion range in green and confirmed mountain lion locations as black dots. A blog to share information about mountain lions in Rhode Island. About Rhode Island Mountain Lion I started this blog to report on sightings and other reports of mountain lions in Rhode Island. Maybe we should have re-elected Jim O'Neill{. Threats of harming another Do you believe RI should mandate the use of body cameras for police officers? There was a problem saving your notification. mountain lions in rhode island. Partly cloudy skies. It’s not a secret anymore.”. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Run for the hills Oh, hell, it's Rhode Island... uh... run for the ocean ( projo.com) Rhode Island has mountains. Animals that are a problem are removed. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, Mountain lions are not coming to South Kingstown; they’re already here. “The state is not actively collecting evidence; they’re doing the opposite,” Betty said. He claimed the DEM is concerned about public backlash against the animal, as well as not having enough the resources to manage the cats. “It’s an unprecedented example for a mountain lion to travel that far,” Brown said. Fish and Wildlife Service, the eastern cougar subspecies was declared endangered in 1973. Share with Us. This being said, I couldn’t find any information on any confirmed sightings, even of former pets. Low 27F. Reports of mountain lion sitings in Matunuck and the Great Swamp Management Area date back to at least 2004, but have never been confirmed by state officials. Brown told The Breeze in 2016 that a cat seen in Scituate was likely a bobcat and not a mountain lion as suggested by residents there, adding that he thought the bobcat population had been growing. Mountain lion, cougar, puma, catamount, panther — whatever name you choose to call this extremely rare, elusive "ghost cat," so many questions remain. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. According to the U.S. Skeptic here: We do have bobcat in Rhode Island and in low light situations they and coyotes can be mistaken for a mountain lion. There are mountain lions in Rhode Island. A mountain lion becomes nearly invisible when hiding in the short meadow grass . Like most New England states there are always sightings, but currently no confirmations. NORTH SCITUATE – A "nature cam" video posted by a North Scituate woman shows a very large cat walking through the woods, and now residents are questioning whether it's a bobcat or mountain lion. Don't Threaten. Bill Betty, a Rhode Island resident who researches and records mountain lion sightings, spoke at Greenwich Audubon Friday, March 23, 2012. There is no native mountain lion population … He said you can get a sense of the scale of the cat from the leaves, and it’s not that big. Now imagine that scenario across dozens of individuals. Although a few people over the years have reported sighting mountain lions in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) doesn’t provide any information about them and treats these reports as unverified. Its closest living relative is the cheetah. The young adult male was killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011. I cannot believe that DEM wildlife biologists and enforcement personnel are colluding to hide the truth from the public. Bill Betty of Matunuck, a mountain lion expert who spoke at the South Kingstown Land Trust barn Oct. 30, thinks there is ample evidence pointing to the existence of a mountain lion in Matunuck. Brown said he hasn't seen any credible evidence of mountain lions in Rhode Island. . I have been interested in this topic ever since 1972, when I was running with a friend in Swansea, Mass, along some power lines where we thought what was a catlike scream. On Oct. 30, Betty gave a presentation about the presence of mountain lions in New England at the Land Trust Barn in Matunuck. This makes Matunuck a prime spot for a mountain lion to live, Betty said. “Stalking relies on surprise, so they never follow regular, predictable patterns. In 2011, the agency declared the animal extinct and recommended it be removed from the endangered species list. Be Proactive. accounts, the history behind an article. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Frank Stowik, who provided it to The Breeze. The person who took the photo could not be reached this week. Residents in Berkeley say this animal seen there Monday morning looks like a mountain lion, but a representative from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management rejects that assertion. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. If enacted, the legislation could run the state as much as $3 million a year to set up and maintain the system, Wordell said in a story on WJAR, In previous large cat sightings, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management officials have pointed out the short tail to say that the animals are bobcats. The Rhode Island resident, who said he has seen 14 mountain lions in the last 40 years, lectured on the subject at Audubon Greenwich four years ago. He said a DNA trace of the mountain lion killed in Connecticut showed its migration path came from other areas including New York state and North Dakota. Betty said they have been known to fish, but primarily prey on deer, skunks, racoons and porcupine. They’re also known to scavenge. December 16, 2020. The last mountain lion in the state was shot in 1847 in West Greenwich and is preserved at Harvard University. “We have to go from our current status of benign neglect into some kind of active protection of the animal. person will not be tolerated. Keep it Clean. Low 27F. “Any animal can look like something else,” he said at the time. “[Mountain lions] use their eyes and ears to hunt, not scents,” Betty said. Bull! Instead, an individual should “look big” by standing tall with hands in the air and yelling. “We’re watching this cat in Matunuck like a hawk,” Betty said. They are most active at dusk, daybreak and nighttime and most sightings take place at road crossings, leaving little time for people to take a picture. Someone photographed the animal at the Brunswick School on Greenwich, Connecticut about 40 miles away on June 5th. “It looks like a freakin’ mountain lion,” said Stowik. When else will you get the chance to draw one of these impressive cats, in the round and perfectly still. In 2011, several Matunuck residents reported a sighting to the state Department of Environmental Management. So if you see a mountain lion in your backyard and say ‘I’m going to put a camera out,’ you might have to wait for another year until it comes back. Its distinctive feature—the one that sets it apart from other North American wild cats—is its tail, which is thick and often as long as its body. Brown said the last confirmed record of a mountain lion in Rhode Island was in 1847. They’re known to drag their prey and don’t eat intestines. that is degrading to another person. As part of the talk, Betty reviewed several distinctive signs of the big cats. Partly cloudy skies. We'd love to hear eyewitness FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — When a young mountain lion clamped its jaws onto Travis Kauffman's wrist and clawed at his face, he screamed a "barbarian yell," jammed his … Herald Journal reader Clair Ellis sent in this video of a mountain lion spotted on a motion-activated trail camera a couple hundred yards east of the Deer Fence in Providence. We could do it the same way they’re managed in California. Mountains can grow between two and three feet tall, measure six feet long, and weigh between 60 and 200 pounds. Rhode Island – Like most of the eastern states, Rhode Island has had many unconfirmed mountain lion sightings. There is no known population of mountain lions in Rhode Island. Would you prefer it were left to local government officials to make their own policies on these cameras? Brown said then that the RIDEM had heard reported sightings of mountain lions, but had never had any “substantive, conclusive evidence.”. Return to Content. Betty’s talk addressed some of what he called “misinformation” surrounding the mountain lion, such as the claim they don’t like water. Hundreds of people in eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island took to social media to … “Hopefully Rhode Island’s management of mountain lions won’t be limited to those with metal jackets,” Betty said. A deer carcass was found at that time, but DEM officials reviewed it and denied claims it was killed by a mountain lion. Mountain lions. The animals are elusive, which makes it hard for humans to capture them on film. Scott Lope, director of operations for the nonprofit Big Cat Rescue, removed the female mountain lion from the home in Glocester on Thursday morning. racist or sexually-oriented language. He said a DNA trace of the mountain lion killed in Connecticut showed its migration path came from other areas including New York state and North Dakota. Be Truthful. You have permission to edit this article. Use the 'Report' link on South Carolina – South Carolina has not had any confirmed mountain lion sightings. ... Bill Betty, a national figure in the cougar controversy, who lives in Rhode Island, received an email from a friend of his in the UK, directing him to last Sunday's Naturewatch. Some people make the leap that because [mountain lions] eat deer, and we have deer here in Rhode Island, then we must have mountain lions. “There’s a bunch of people here tonight who have seen them. Facebook Twitter Mountain lions can eat deer or smaller animals. “They primarily hunt near edge habitat, and they seek cover in the woods.”. In the photo, the cat is crouched in the brush off Whipple Street near the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northern Rhode Island after it had reportedly been spooked. © 2021 Breeze Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Betty said it is rare for a cougar to be aggressive toward humans, but if confronted with one, an individual should not approach the animal, nor run away. Scat is large and extremely foul smelling, Betty said, and the cats leave scent markings. Boy, I hope Kim Bauer didn't move out that. Mountain lion, cougar, puma, catamount, panther — whatever name you choose to call this extremely rare, elusive "ghost cat," so many questions remain. While meadows don’t offer the protection of the plains, vicuñas make the best of a bad situation by visiting this food source during daytime hours. “It’s very difficult to find photos. In short, conspiracies theories are BS until proven otherwise. It is not that far-fetched to believe that mountain lions are in the region, he said, considering the confirmed killing of one by a driver in Connecticut back in 2011 and the growing population of turkeys and other animals locally. Do you believe this issue should be regulated at a statewide level? The animal in the photo Monday appears to have a long tail. According to Stowik, a Lynch family member had come across it after coming out of their house. After three deer were killed on his property in March, Matunuck resident Abel Collins found what he suspected might be a mountain lion track nearby. Tracking is also difficult; very few people are confident in photographing cougar tracks in the snow.”. “If I worked for them, I’d be doing the same thing.”. Patriots Foundation awards 3 grants to Rhode Island nonprofits . ... Ashley Marranzino, University of Rhode Island. Reports of mountain lion sitings in Matunuck and the Great Swamp Management Area date back to at least 2004, but have never been confirmed by state officials. Johnston residents worry about steer's future after its capture. 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Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. “They sleep in the daytime and find shelter in thickets,” Betty said. ... Bill Betty, a national figure in the cougar controversy, who lives in Rhode Island, received an email from a friend of his in the UK, directing him to last Sunday's Naturewatch. Mountain lions have been dispersing away from these population areas, and researchers recently mapped all confirmed mountain lion observations from 1990-2008 (LaRue et al. Imagine what it takes for crowd of three or four to keep a secret. Betty disagrees, claiming the DEM failed to take proper DNA samples from the deer and nearby scat. ... Rhode Island. The 'Report ' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts worry steer... A problem, leave them alone. ” prints are asymmetrical, with about 4-inch front and., in the snow. ” obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or language... 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