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Home , Big cat, Cougar, Eastern cougar, Florida panther, Puma (genus)

Photo © Bill Byrne

Mountain in Distinguishing Fiction from the Facts by Tom French The fact that individual Mountain Lions have occurred in the state from time to time in recent is supported by tangible evidence, including DNA. But despite many reported sightings every , the reports are either not supported by any evidence, or the evidence proves the report to be a case of misidentification. The lack of evidence conflicts with the widely held public perception that the Bay State is home to a resident population of the big . So, why do so many people believe they have seen a Mountain ?

14 The Mountain Lion ( concolor) the Eastern was published in the – also called puma, cougar, catamount, Federal Register. That of the panther, painter, and a few other creative Mountain Lion is clearly gone, and likely monikers – once ranged throughout has been since well before the middle of most of the North American continent. the 20th Century. Its range still extends most of the length of North and , but, with But is there any solid evidence that the exception of a severely endangered other subspecies of the Mountain Lion and genetically corrupted subspecies in occur in Massachusetts today? Certainly (the ), this is no there is some. In 1997, John McCarter, longer believed to exist in viable popula- a professional tracker and tracking in- tions anywhere in the east structor, was hiking inside the Quabbin of the . Populations in Reservation in New Salem when he came many western states are thriving and ex- across a mound of dirt he immediately panding their ranges, however, and some recognized as cat sign, presumably the individuals are making their way East. work of a local . Scat buried in the The best current North American range mound was nearly an inch in diameter and map can be viewed at www.cougarnet. appeared too large for a Bobcat, however, org/sites/original/bigpicture.html. and when he found another mound con- taining scat that was nearly a foot long, he When the Pilgrims arrived, the Moun- started to get excited. Searching the area tain Lion was the most wide-ranging meticulously, he soon found the covered of in the western remnants (entrails) of a covered hemisphere. It was found from what is in a typical “cat cache”. The cache was now Atlantic Canada west to southern nearly 8 feet long (gigantic for a Bobcat , and south to Argentina and . cache) and was in close proximity to It was known by different names in differ- the remains of a beaver’s jaws. (For a ent regions (particularly among Native detailed account of this discovery see American tribes, many of whom revered The Quest for the by it, while others believed that sighting or Robert Tougias, 2011.) DNA from the scat even hearing it was an evil omen) but it samples confirmed they were produced was all the same . In the early days by a Mountain Lion. We do not know of European settlement, any animal that the origin of the individual that left the competed with the colonists for , scat, but given the DNA proof, it seems damaged crops, or was considered a likely that other undetected or poorly threat to or to the settlers documented individual Mountain Lions themselves, was killed. Several colonial have visited our state. states offered bounties for “catamounts” in the eighteenth century as a means to To date, the only other confirmed encourage settlers to do their civic duty, evidence of a wild Mountain Lion in and the practice followed settlement as Massachusetts was found on March 4, it marched across the country. 2011, when Steve Ward, a DCR forester, discovered and photographed a track The last Massachusetts Mountain trail in the snow crossing a frozen cove Lion was killed around 1858. The last near the southwestern end of Quabbin documented individuals in the entire Reservoir. The tracks were fresh and Northeast were killed in , the photos, which were of excellent Canada, in 1932, and in 1938. quality, were examined in great detail When the federal by professional tracking experts from Act came along, the Eastern Cougar Massachusetts, , , and (Puma concolor cougar), the subspecies Wyoming. These experienced trackers of Mountain Lion that originally occurred unanimously confirmed that the tracks in the Northeast, was among the first were made by a Mountain Lion. While listed. However, in 2011, the these confirmed tracks, along with the U.S. and Wildlife Service (USFWS) DNA associated with the beaver carcass concluded that the Eastern Cougar was in 1997, validate the fact that individual already extinct even before it had been Mountain Lions have visited our state listed as Endangered in 1978, and on June in recent years, the evidence does not 17, 2015, a proposed rule to formally delist support the widely held public percep- 15 Photo © Bill Byrne Taken at Buttonwood Park in New Bedford, this photo captures the powerful musculature backing the Mountain Lion’s huge front paws. Those paws are armed with long, sharp, retractable claws that are used to grab and hold prey that is typically dispatched with a bite to the back of the neck or throat. Note long tail, short muzzle, and relatively small size of the head in comparison to the body: all characteristics to look for during a sighting. 16 Photo © Steve Ward DCR Foresters Steve Ward and Randy Stone (pictured) went to considerable effort to photograph and protect a track trail Ward discovered in the snow at Quabbin on March 4, 2011. Thanks to the quality of the documentation, tracking experts were able to confirm the tracks were made by a Mountain Lion, making this one of only two cases where evidence of one of the big cats in the wild in Massachusetts has been confirmed. It is very possible that the individual that made these tracks was the same one struck and killed by an SUV in about three months later. tion that there is a resident population asp?Q=483778). The DNA profile of this of these cats in Massachusetts. animal showed that he had come from a population in the of South Da- The young adult, male Mountain Lion kota and dispersed through Minnesota, struck and killed by a SUV on the Wilbur , probably through the Upper Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut, Peninsula of to , and early on the morning of June 11, 2012, back south through to Con- provided absolutely irrefutable proof necticut; a journey of about 1,800 miles that a wild Mountain Lion, at least that took about one and a half years. occasionally, can make its way to New England. With the aid of modern DNA Over a period of a year and a half, analysis technology and the availability this one wild Mountain Lion left DNA of a camera in every cell phone, the story evidence in at least four states from of this animal has been pieced together in hair and scat, as well as identifiable a way that would not have been possible tracks, trail camera photos, photos just a few years ago. Ten days before its from sightings, and finally, a body. It death, this cat was photographed about is also very possible he was the one 35 miles away in Greenwich, Connecti- that left the tracks at Quabbin three cut. The photo was poor, but DNA from months before his demise. If a single a scat sample later confirmed this was animal could scatter that much reported, the same animal killed on the parkway. verifiable evidence, imagine how much DNA analysis also matched this animal would be available for discovery if a with scat, hair, and a blood sample population actually existed in New from one location in Minnesota, three England! in Wisconsin, and one in Lake George, NY (see www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view. Continued, page 20 17 Mountain Lion Tracks Photo © Paul Rezendes Tracks are among the most common forms of verifiable evidence of Mountain Lion sightings, so it helps to have some idea of what to look for. Both the front (left) and rear paws of this animal are typically wider than long. Most examples are more than 3 inches long and 3 1/4 inches wide, and both parameters may exceed 4 inches on larger specimens. The arrangement and size of the toe pads are quite asymmetrical, particularly on the front feet, and the heel pad, with three rear lobes, appears very large in relation to the size of the toe pads. These fea- tures are obvious in the Mountain Lion tracks below, in mud (FL) and sand (CA).

18 Photo © Paul Rezendes Photo © Eric York Photo © Steve Ward Photo © Bill Byrne Among wildlife species, the tracks of Bobcat and are the two most commonly reported as Mountain Lion. While a Bobcat track displays the same round, clawless, felid shape, it will always be smaller than a Mountain Lion track (top left) that is typically at least 3 inches wide. Coyote tracks (top right), like those of other canids (including domestic ), tend to be elliptical in shape, almost always display symmetrical toes and claw marks (the felid’s claws are normally retracted, as shown below), and typically display a pyramid, rather than the curved ridge of a felid, between the toes and the heel pad. For a detailed look at Mountain Lion track and sign, see the book Tracking and the Art of Seeing by Paul Rezendes. Photo © Bill Byrne 19 Continued from page 17 generally not happy to have the validity of their report questioned by a doubtful Another young Mountain Lion killed biologist. Seeing the real thing is always in in 2008 had also come from possible, but a sighting of a genuine Moun- , and had dispersed over tain Lion in New England is so rare that 1,000 miles. Typical dispersal distances it is the wildlife equivalent of winning a of young males are about 100-300 miles. jackpot in the MegaMillions lottery. If the While young Mountain Lions, dispersing observer claims to have seen a Mountain east from expanding western popula- Lion more than once, it is nearly certain tions, are being reliably documented in they have not. Minnesota, Wisconsin, , , , and , very, very few This is why tangible evidence is so make it as far as New England. important. Only with something tangible like a photo, a set of tracks, hair, or drop- pings, can biologists make conclusions Misidentification based on the facts available. This is The majority of people in Massachu- why most sightings are dismissed. Since setts who report having seen a Mountain nearly everyone now carries a cell phone Lion are absolutely certain that they with a camera, and the use of high quality have, but in truth, what they saw was trail cameras has skyrocketed, more and probably not a Mountain Lion. Since more reports are being accompanied by nearly everyone who takes the time to a photo. Especially over the past two or report a mountain lion sighting is being three years there have been increasing completely honest and is very confident numbers of photos of identified that they know what they saw, they are as Mountain Lions. In Massachusetts, Photo courtesy Connecticut Bureau of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division This young adult, male Mountain Lion was struck and killed by a SUV in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2012. It provided absolutely irrefutable proof that a wild Mountain Lion, at least occasionally, can make its way to New England. This one cat left DNA and/or photographic evidence of its presence in at least four states during its 1,800-mile journey. If Massachusetts was supporting an actual population of these predators, evidence of their presence would be readily available. 20 DFW Archive Photos Due to its tawny coloration and the quality of the photo, this animal, photographed in a backyard, was reported as a plausible Mountain Lion sighting in Auburn, MA. However, when the image was enlarged, right, the short tail, neck ruff, and other body features clearly show it to be a Bobcat. Bobcats have been significantly increas- been of house cats that were backlit so ing in numbers and spreading eastward they were just silhouettes with nothing (see Massachusetts Wildlife No. 4, 2014). in the photo to use as a point of reference for size. The observer will sometimes Twenty years ago, many observers re- insist the animal was a very specific ported seeing black panthers, sometimes weight or size, such as “150 pounds” or even noting a little white on the animal’s “larger than a German Sheppard”. With- chest. These sightings coincided with the out something in the picture for scale, growing abundance and range expansion even a 10 pound house cat can look to of the , which is also commonly be 100 pounds. The more difficult cases called “fisher cat” or “black cat”. Inter- are the ones in which a very poor photo estingly, as Bobcats have become more is submitted. If the observer did not eas- common, the number of Mountain Lion ily recognize the animal they saw, their reports received by MassWildlife has belief is that it must be something rare, continued to outnumber reports of rather than any of the more common and Bobcats. Even though most observers more likely that are found in are usually adamant that they know the Massachusetts. In reality, the simplest difference between a Mountain Lion and and most likely explanation is usually a Bobcat, the photos they provide prove the right one. to be photos of bobcats. When tangible evidence has been The Fallibility of available, most often from a photo of the animal or its tracks, sightings reported as Eye-Witness Accounts Mountain Lions in Massachusetts have So, how do we so often misinterpret actually turned out to be a variety of what we observe with our own eyes? As other species, most commonly Bobcat, we all look at the world around us, what but also domestic cat, Coyote, domestic we see is a collaboration of our eyes send- , Fisher, and even River . Some of ing data to our brains, and our brains pro- the most difficult photos to review have viding us with an instant interpretation. 21 Unfortunately, the old cliché that “the hopes of learning about some detail that worst witness is an eye witness” is fairly the witness did not think was important, accurate. If the information provided by so was left out of the original story. our eyes is incomplete, unfamiliar, out of context, or lacks a point of reference The very act of questioning can change for size or shape, our brains instantly the story. In one experiment, research fill in the blanks or create a plausible subjects were asked about a car accident interpretation based on our individual that took place in a video they had just experiences, expectations, and beliefs. seen. When the cars were said to have This interpretation by our brains is our “smashed” into each other and the sub- reality. In familiar day-to-day activities, jects were questioned, they reported with this system serves us very well. Unfor- certainty that they had seen broken glass tunately, our brains are easily tricked. at the scene, when no glass had actually been present. Stories are generally told The creativity of our brains allows us for a purpose, and we tailor the story to look up at the clouds and envision the somewhat for different listeners. If the ever-changing shapes of all manner of story is about a fish we were proud to animals and other familiar objects. This catch and the point of the story is that actually is an example of how our brains the fish was fairly big, we err by reporting can take what we see in the cloud, which the upper limit of our own estimate, and in detail has absolutely no resemblance as we continue to emphasize this same to an animal, and by ignoring the details, point, the size of the fish increases with smooth out the lines and imagine the the telling until it is significantly exag- shape of something familiar. In this case gerated; thus the cliché of a “fish story”. we are aware of what our brain is doing, and we call it imagination. Sometimes All of these editorial changes become looking at a track in the snow is a very part of our memory of the events, which similar process. We envision the track is our reality. People will defend the ac- of what we think most likely fits our curacy of their memories, and their hon- expectations, a Mountain Lion, and see esty, vigorously, but studies in criminal if we can make it plausibly fit. If so, our science have shown that the accuracy of expectations are fulfilled, even though, a person’s memory is not correlated to in reality, the track was made by a dog a witnesses’ confidence in its accuracy. or Coyote. An example of this occurred Witnesses may hold to a false memory in Winchester two winters ago when as strongly as they would to a true one. tracks in snow were misidentified as They are not being dishonest, because having been made by a Mountain Lion. the edited memory has become their This “discovery” was eagerly accepted by honest recollection of the events. This the public and media, but got little press phenomenon holds true for our memory when it was soon proven false. of the details of an event we witnessed under good conditions, as well as events In court, the judicial process depends in which our brains have incorrectly on the honesty of witnesses. It’s a crime interpreted a momentary observation. not to be honest when providing sworn testimony. However, psychologists have Blame the Skeptics long known that the observations and State fish and wildlife agency biologists memory of witnesses are often unreli- are often accused of being completely able. Memory is subject to distortion closed-minded about reports of Moun- and contamination from the very be- tain Lions, automatically rejecting all ginning by an unconscious process of such reports as impossible. In support of gap-filling, editing as the story is told, this belief, it is said that so many people and influences of suggestion, and it gen- could not be wrong about just this one erally deteriorates over time. When we species. There is no other animal in the recount a story about anything, no one Northeast for which there are so many really wants to hear absolutely every- eye-witness reports, and for which almost thing that was observed, so we recount none are confirmed. The assumption is a narrative that hits the high spots that that Mountain Lion reports are singled we feel are relevant. Investigators query out for rejection, and that reports of other the witness for more information in the 22 species are usually accepted by biologists identifications are quite understandable. as accurate. People are always hopeful A and a Cooper’s Hawk that what they have seen is something are very similar in many ways to all but unusual, rather than just common and the experienced watcher. mundane. Their identifications are also influenced by the names of species that The evidence suggests that people who are given attention in the press and on report having seen a Mountain Lion are nature programs. even more adamant that they know what they saw. Reports of Mountain Lion sight- As a result of this phenomenon, most ings, even by people considered reliable dead hawks, but especially Cooper’s observers, can only be considered leads Hawks, reported to MassWildlife are unless they are accompanied by some reported as Peregrine Falcons. The vast form of tangible evidence. Observers majority of dead Bald Eagles reported range from average citizens with little from highways are actually Canada knowledge of nature, to sportsmen with a Geese. Many harmless milksnakes are lifelong history of tromping around in the reported as rattlesnakes, and when woods, to “credible observers,” including asked if a rattle was seen, many callers law enforcement officers, naturalists, emphatically say “yes”. When questioned and even professional field biologists. more carefully, the person will sometimes Everyone, despite their knowledge and insist that they not only saw the snake background, can mistake what they saw. vibrating its tail (which milk snakes do) but that they saw the actual structure of One of MassWildlife’s experienced bi- a rattle at the end of the tail. ologists, Bill Davis, had a quick view of an animal that crossed some distance People who report unusual sightings in front of his vehicle on a dirt road on to MassWildlife almost always provide the Prescott Peninsula at Quabbin. This the report along with a confident iden- 11,000 acre peninsula is off limits to the tification of the species they saw. If the public and is arguably the largest, albeit bird is picked up injured or dead, or was artificial, in Massachusetts. It photographed, we find that the caller was has been the site of numerous reports of sometimes right, so we take all such calls Mountain Lion sightings. Bill had gotten seriously. But often the reported identifi- a short, but not entirely fleeting, view cation is a mistake. Some of the mistaken of the animal in broad daylight, and his mind had “registered a short muzzle, light brown coat, and rope-like tail.” Was it a Mountain Lion? Stunned and puzzled by what he had just witnessed, he sped up to try to get a second look at the creature. He had patiently and skeptically listened to many similar sighting accounts himself during the course of his career. When he got to the spot where the animal had crossed, he stopped the truck, grabbed his bin- oculars, and hopped up on a stone wall to glass the very open forest. He saw a

Bill Davis, one of MassWildlife’s veteran field biologists (shown here with a chemically immobilized cow ), had a brief sighting of an animal on the Prescott Peninsula at Quabbin that would still puzzle him today had he not been able to follow up the sighting with © Jason © DeJackame a better view of the animal through

Photo binoculars. 23 Coyote looking back at him; a Coyote with scientific standard. A few groups, like a case of that had left the animal The Cougar Network (www.cougarnet. with an abnormally short-furred coat and org/), do have good standards of rigor tail that made the tail appear completely and are reliable sources of information. out of character for the species. Actual peer-reviewed scientific journals would welcome articles on the subject When the animal ran off, Bill went that are truly science-based, but there back to examine the area where it had is not yet much science to report on crossed the road and found its tracks. Mountain Lions in the East. It had crossed at an angle away from him; hence he hadn’t seen the entire One study, however, has yielded data extended muzzle, but only a portion of from eastern Canada. An article pub- it, so it had appeared shorter and round- lished in the Northeast Naturalist in 2013 ed. “My mind had made the assumption reported 22 confirmed DNA records that the animal crossed perpendicular of Mountain Lions in and New to the road,” he said. “Now that I had Brunswick, Canada, from 1992 through firsthand experience, I understood how 2009. Three of these samples were ob- easily circumstances could lead to the tained from killed specimens and 19 were misidentification of a common animal. acquired from hair collected from a series The tail was the most obvious field mark of baited scratching posts (some of these that registered, and it was totally out of are thought to be duplicate samples from context with anything I was familiar with.” the same individuals). One big surprise was that of the 16 samples in which the Bill had seen many before, mitochondrial DNA could be assessed to but as is true for everyone, his brain determine the animal’s geographic origin, had done its job of instantly analyzing six (37.5%) had DNA profiles from South and identifying what his eyes had briefly and . That is clear evi- seen. Since what they had observed did dence that those animals were of captive not add up to what his experienced brain origin, or the offspring of formerly captive believed a Coyote should look like, it had animals. Of the remaining 10 samples, the simply filled in the blanks to fit another authors concluded that they could not perceived alternative. determine if the animals were of North American origin, came from captivity, Vetting the Evidence dispersed from western populations, Media outlets, in an effort to attract or represented local individuals that public attention, routinely print mislead- were members of an original, remnant ing and exaggerated reports of wildlife, population. which, if taken as truth, would lead almost Regardless of their origins, if these any reader to believe that Mountain Lions animals reproduce in the wild they could are common all across New England, become another source of dispersing including in Massachusetts. Simple juveniles. To date, the evidence supports hearsay reports of sightings from the the rare occurrence of a few escaped or public, including misidentified photos, released captive Mountain Lions, and a are reported as fact, sometimes with very few legitimate, wild-born individuals claims that they have been “confirmed”. that at this time probably all represent I don’t remember a single case in which long-distance dispersing animals; most, any media outlet has ever published if not all, being males that began their a correction to an article reporting a wanderings as juveniles. Mountain Lion sighting when they were later informed that the purported animal Trying to determine the validity of in the photo was actually a Bobcat. Many Mountain Lion reports is further com- of the “eastern cougar” groups, much like plicated by fairly frequent, deliberate the Sasquatch and UFO organizations, are hoaxes. These hoaxes are most often not much more rigorous in their vetting of photos of real Mountain Lions, but they sighting reports, yet give the appearance were taken somewhere in the core of of being scientific. Many Mountain Lion Mountain Lion in the West, and reports have been “confirmed” by some were posted on the internet. These hoax- of these groups without meeting any es can be particularly convincing when 24 Photo hoaxes are fairly common and the people who submit them are often victims of the hoax themselves. The photo at left was sent to MassWildlife and was purportedly taken in Colrain, MA. It is actually a poorly doctored copy of a genuine (and much publicized) trailcam photo (below) taken in Michigan.

Mountain Lion was used as evidence to support an elaborate story of a carcass found in the Quabbin Reser- vation. As the story went, only the skull was collected when the carcass was found, but the following year a careful search of the area by another person yielded two additional bones from the supposed scattered carcass. These were an ulna and a foot bone. However, the ulna is clear- ly from a different and larger individual than the one the skull belonged to, and after supposedly being in the woods for a year and scattered by , the DFW Archives Photos bone was perfect, without a the person calling MassWildlife is also a single scratch. It has the distinct yellow- victim of the hoax. The typical scenario is ing of an old antique and the smooth, someone who’s relative or friend shares a shiny surface so typical of a bone from a photo of a Mountain Lion that they claim university classroom, polished by years to have seen in Massachusetts. The caller of handling by thousands of student realizes how important this documented fingers. Anyone who has found the shed record would be and feels a responsibility antlers of knows just how quickly to report it. So, the caller is completely mice, squirrels, and gnaw honest and sincere, and also a victim. on the surface of any bone or antler left Sometimes when the caller is shown the in the woods. Fortunately, these bones same photo in its original use, they are were given to the Museum of Comparative very embarrassed and angry with the Zoology at Harvard University and could person who drew them into the story. be closely examined. Some examples of photos used in hoax- Conspiracy Theories es of Massachusetts Mountain Lions can be seen in their original context at the While hoaxes present us with chal- MassWildlife website Mass.gov/DFW/ lenges, the conspiracy theories we hear Mt-Lions-hoax. In one example of a fairly regarding Mountain Lions would be sophisticated hoax, the genuine skull downright humorous if some people of what appears to have been a captive didn’t actually believe them. Like many 25 Photo © Bill Byrne The female Mountain Lion at Buttonwood Park Zoo exhibits the rear leg muscles that allow this cat to make leaps up to 40 feet length and 15 feet in height, a crucial ability for a predator that feeds primarily on deer. Females are commonly around 100 pounds; males may reach 150 pounds or more. Always keep in mind that these cats are BIG: Body length is typically 5-6 feet, not including the long tail, conspiracy theories or urban legends, most of our publicly-owned forests are most of them rely on the same basic healthy the way they are already being scripts and have been attributed to a managed. Unless a species is listed wide range of state and federal wildlife federally as endangered or threatened agencies in many states across the East. by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (which Mountain Lions dispersing from The most common ones claim that the western populations are not) our listing agencies have long been aware that there guidelines developed for the Massachu- is a well established, breeding population setts Endangered Species Act (MESA) of Mountain Lions distributed throughout recommend against listing species that New England, but if the agencies admitted are expanding their ranges into the state. the cats were here, it would destroy the That is why Moose and other species that existing deer management programs and have recently returned to Massachusetts current forestry practices, and/or the on their own were never listed. agency would immediately be forced to list the Mountain Lion as endangered, However, even without being listed, which would require recovery programs killing or harming any Mountain Lion that the agency could not afford, and/or the agency would be pressured by the public to eliminate these large cats as For information on how to report a quickly as possible. Mountain Lion sighting or evidence, The truth is that even if there was a as well as more information on the Mountain Lion population in New En- species, please go to the MassWild- gland, none of these assumptions would life Mountain Lion web page at Mass. be true. There is plenty of prey available gov/DFW/Mt-Lions. for Mountain Lions, including deer, and 26 that does show up in the state is already lished to create reporting standards and unlawful. In Massachusetts, all species then to review reports of rare and of wildlife are legally protected unless a birds seen at unusual locations or times. statute or regulation says otherwise. So, These reports include a written account if someone shoots a Pine , , and, more and more often, photos. Nutria, kangaroo, or anything else that our state laws did not contemplate and The MARC brings credibility to state don’t specifically allow to be killed, that bird records, and has been responsi- person has broken the law. ble for protecting the integrity of our bird literature from contamination by Another conspiracy theory even goes the many incorrect identifications that so far as to claim that the state secretly would otherwise confuse the record. released Mountain Lions at Quabbin to The Committee also reviews old records control deer before was allowed to purge misleading data, to the extent there. Whenever I hear this claim (and possible, from the literature. The Cougar fortunately it is rare) it is hard not to laugh Network, a nonprofit research organiza- out loud. Does anyone really believe that tion dedicated to studying cougar-habitat the staffs of multiple state agencies could relationships and the role of in actually keep a secret like this? We aren’t ecosystems (www.cougarnet.org/), has CIA operatives. We are wildlife scientists, set similar reporting standards for Moun- and as such, we have learned enough tain Lions, and for the same purpose – to about predator/prey relationships to ensure that only confirmed reports that know that Mountain Lions would not prey hold up to scientific authentication go on enough deer to accomplish the deer into the official record. MassWildlife has population reduction that was needed adapted The Cougar Network’s standards at Quabbin. to evaluate any reports we receive. Mountain Lions really are expanding Get the Evidence east, and in time they may once again Long ago, the birding community real- be as common as the public is being led ized that not all reports of bird sightings to believe they already are. However, are reliable. Among birders, there is a for now, real Mountain Lions in Massa- wide range of experience from the casual chusetts are very rare, so we are very “feeder watcher” to the obsessed “lister”, interested in examining any evidence of and the same set of complexities of skill their presence that becomes available, as level, fleetness of the view, mental gap well as learning of any sightings without filling, and the desire to see the unusual evidence that can be investigated and and unexpected are all in play. In Mas- perhaps validated. Fortunately, when sachusetts, the MARC (Massachusetts Mountain Lions are present, they are not Avian Records Committee) was estab- bashful about using well worn game trails, so keep monitoring your trail cameras and help us watch for the next moving through.

Dr. Tom French has served as MassWild- life’s Assistant Director responsible for the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program for the past 31 years. He has a broad interest in natural history, having authored articles on a wide range of top- ics, including raptors, ravens, sea birds, turtles, snakes, shrews, , beetles, slugs, and the conservation of rare species and their . This article grew out of three decades of fielding wildlife calls from © Bill Byrne the public and trying to interpret what the caller had seen. Photo 27