Glenn
Dunning is a member of New England Outdoor Writers Association
(NEOWA) and contributes monthly to Outdoors Magazine
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Outdoors Magazine, October ‘10 Issue, Traveling Outdoorsman col. Submitted by: Glenn Dunning |
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On one sunny afternoon this past July, Linda Reeves looked out the window of her rural Wallingford, Vermont home and saw a mountain lion sitting calmly in the shade of ferns and shrubs forming the edge of her backyard. Reports of lion sightings are not that uncommon in Northern New England but what was different about Linda’s experience is that she had the presence of mind to grab her camera and capture the big feline’s visit with, what many would believe is, hard photographic evidence of the existence of the fabled Vermont catamount. The media and general public have a romantic relationship with the concept that the big cats still roam the Green Mountains fueled by as many as 50 or more sightings reported annually to Vermont’s Fish & Wildlife department. You only have to Google on “catamount sightings in Vermont” to grasp the scope of media coverage this subject has received in the last 20 years. For their part the Fish & Wildlife department has been consistent in their response to lion sightings. According to published statements from biologists and wardens, the vast majority of cases can be dismissed as mistaken identity leaving just a few each year that offer vague credibility. These, are explained as most likely being cougars that had been kept in captivity as pets and had either escaped or were released by their owners. I have often thought, “Does anybody really believe that this explanation of escaped pets makes any sense at all?” Yet it’s there in nearly every news account of a sighting. Officials for the state do not see this possibility as ambiguous and in fact point to the lack of physical evidence that would support the existence of a viable population of eastern mountain lions in Vermont. After all, if we had mountain lions around wouldn’t you think that eventually one would be hit by a car, shot by mistake during deer season or caught on a trail camera? And, since cougars throughout their North American range are aggressive predators of deer, why do we not find evidence of lion kills in our deer yards? At mature weights up to 200 pounds, one would think a catamount could get mighty hungry during a typical Vermont winter. I interviewed Linda Reeves and what got edited out of other news reports is that she studied wildlife biology in college had worked for the US Forest Service in the western states and Alaska and, in her lifetime, had had 3 previous personal lion encounters; one in Idaho and two while hiking in California. She was entirely confident in her statement to me: “Glenn, I know what I saw and I have the picture.” I have always thought that the lack of hard evidence was a solid argument; it’s the pet lion thing I could never get my head around. In many states, including Vermont it is illegal to possess a wild animal in captivity. So if you have a pet lion you are breaking the law. Chad Barrett is the warden in charge of chasing down people who keep everything from snakes to alligators to wild cats in their apartments. He was also the first to offer some credibility on the freed pet theory. “I’m in enforcement”, he said, “If there is no evidence, I can’t believe we have a breeding population of lions in Vermont.” As for pet lions he said, “Who knows why people need to have these exotic pets but I see it all the time and nobody really knows the extent of it because for the most part it constitutes illegal activity.” In our conversation, Chad had suggested you could buy almost anything on-line so I went lion shopping. I was surprised that my searches did not yield listings for breeders of other vendors of exotic felines. It was while googling around the internet that I remembered being in a Midwestern deer camp a while back with a guy who sold exotic reptiles. Out of sheer luck, I was able to locate his phone number. “Of course, you’re not going to find postings for lion pets on the internet,” he said. “It’s illegal to possess or sell them in so many places that it’s not the kind of thing that is going to be advertised publicly.” While requesting anonymity, he went on to paint a picture that not only substantiates the plausibility of captive lions being intentionally freed but shed light on an entire industry run under the cover of seemingly legitimate pet dealers. “I deal in reptiles and carefully adhere to all state and federal guidelines and laws regarding my business but I also do shows up and down the eastern seaboard and I know what goes on. Big cats are big business.” He went on to explain that it is not unlike any illicit trade, where you make a few contacts that lead to a supplier somewhere willing to provide you with what you want for the money. “Nobody buys full grown cats, the market is for cubs and there are more being bred than can be sold.” He explained that what happens is somebody plops down $2000 or more for this adorable little mountain lion cub which they consequently take home to their New York City apartment or some other equally inappropriate environment. A year passes and now the lion dominates all aspects of its owner’s life. It is nearly full grown, demands constant food, exercise and maintenance and is becoming more physically aggressive than playful. What is the owner supposed to do? He can’t call anybody because he’s not supposed to have the animal in the first place. How many times does this scenario play-out? How many pet cubs are sold and how many owners learn at some point they’ve made a bad decision? My source felt that it probably happened enough to make the released pet theory legitimate. “I’ve heard that some people have them shot by someone willing to pay for a mountain lion mount but most overwhelmed lion owners would be compassionate toward their pet and seek a more humane solution; like return to the wild” Why not in Vermont with its limited population and rugged mountains? To support this theory I was able to find reference of a lion being shot in the Adirondacks in 1991 and another killed in Quebec around 1994 that were determined to be of Chilean genotype. Most wild cats and cross breeds that enter the exotic pet market come from South America. Does that mean that the North American eastern cougar or catamount is extinct? I’m not going there. What it does illustrate to me is that there is far more credibility to the freed pet mountain lion theory than I ever gave the authorities credit for. |
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