We have a cougar(s?) in the 'hood.

[trof]

OK, I haven't seen it (them?) myself.
But I have reports from what I believe are very believable and knowledgeable neighbors that one or more is here amongst us.

I called Alabama Fish & Game and they poo-pooed it.
"There hasn't been a 'verified' sighting of a cougar in Alabama since the mid 60s. And no other 'sign'. No 'scat' (turds), no mauled deer or feral pig carcasses (main prey), no cougar roadkill, no prints, no nothing."

Cougars are called, depending on location in U.S., mountain lions, catamounts, Florida panthers. All same-same.

They're not considered a threat to homo sapiens.
But they will sure dine on your doggies and kittehs.
And small children?
Now what?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. We've got 'em around here, too.

Verified sightings out in the 'burbs. But they've never caught one, and nobody's pets or children have been eaten. They keep pretty much to themselves.

[TZ]

2. hmm

We have them in Western Maryland although they are REALLY rare. I would say, just keep an eye on pets. We also have bears that like to wander around here in suburbia..One day at work we were all told not to go out to lunch cause a black bear was wandering the parking lot of the hospital accross the street from us...habitat destruction is making wildlife interact with people more..Oh yeah..my state also has now one of the largest populations of Coyotes in the East..go figure....

[BeachBaby]

3. We had numerous reports of one here, too.

The reports were from drivers, gas station attendants, and postal workers.

The one constant in all their stories was that the cougar was seen strolling around a daycare center. Yikes.

The daycare center was near a stretch of woods, so the powers-that-be went out and looked for prints; found some, took pictures, but never found the cat.

This happened over a year ago, and as far as I know, they never found it.

[LeftyMom]

4. They're pretty scared of humans.

We have a lot of them in parts of CA, and attacks are exceedingly rare (if anything, having them around is a plus for human safety, because they're just deer killing machines, so healthy numbers keep the deer out of the roads.)

But here's the drill if you happen to see one or if you're in an area that might be mountain lion territory:

1. Be big, or fake it. Full sized humans are too big to be easy prey. Little kids should be told to hold their arms up over their heads, hold a packpack up if they've got one with them, etc, if they see one. The last human fatality in California was with a cyclist who was bent over for a prolonged period to mend a flat. If you can, avoid crouched postures in known mountain lion habitat, especially if you are alone.

2. Make noise. Prey does not make a lot of noise.

3. Don't run. Prey runs. Either stand still and wait for the mountain lion to run off or back away slowly.

Really, it's quite possible to live safely in mountain lion territory, as long as you realize that they're pretty simple creatures, and all you have to do is send them clear signals that you're not food. But don't worry, you'll probably never see one, as they're very shy.

[Ellen Forradalom]

14. Don't run

I wonder how that dovetails with trail running as a hobby. I might need to find a companion.

[siligut]

22. OT. Can you find someone to run with?

Too many stories about women running alone. I know you are tough, but you also look small. It isn’t cougars I am worried about.

[MonkeyFunk]

5. sexually voracious older women?

Don't worry - they're more afraid of you than you are of them.

[pink-o]

7. That definition isn't quite accurate

A cougar is an older woman who preys on younger men--mostly because the guys our age can't keep up with us.

Not that I would have any FIRSTHAND knowledge about it or anything
!:blush:

[YDogg]

11. Stifler's Mom approves of this thread

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/smut-revenue-growth-slows-but-theres-always-the-stiflers-mom-effect/

[Stuart G]

6. One was reported in northern suburbs of Chicago

I heard it on the radio today, and two weeks ago. The last one caught in this area was in the 1800s. They are extremely resourceful and intelligent. I wonder where they are coming from..Often a large coyote will be mistaken for a cougar, but that from a distance. Who knows what people are seeing. Two reports may be real.

[trof]

15. They killed it this morning.

Just on the news.

[jpak]

26. Typical

:mad:

[JoDog]

31. They had little choice

The cougar had gotten into a residential area, full of families with children. The CPD does not keep on hand the kind of equipment to traquilize such an animal and safely keep it down. I wouldn't be surprised if animal control didn't have it either. The cougar apparently started charging the officers before someone from animal control or one of the zoos could get there with the right equipment. While it is unfortunate that the animal died, I think the CPD made the right call to protect themselves and the people in the area.

[Lil Missy]

8. If you'd use milk in your grits this would deter them and wouldn't happen.

:eyes:



:hi:

[trof]

16. Sacrilege. I'd rather have the cat.

[Ptah]

9. From our Sunday paper: Recent sightings in Foothills, elsewhere remind us: Be alert

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/234163.php

Tucson Region
COULD THIS BE YOUR NEW NEIGHBOR?
Recent sightings in Foothills, elsewhere remind us: Be alert





By Enric Volante
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.13.2008

Last Sunday at dusk, Bill McManus thought the dog padding toward him on the Ventana Canyon Trail
in the Catalina Foothills looked like a golden retriever. Then he realized it was a mountain lion.

Halting 40 feet away, the lion would not yield the popular trail. The 41-year-old hiker yelled and banged
his walking stick on rocks, but the big cat did nothing more than lie down beside the trail and watch him.

"It acted more like a dog or somebody's pet than a wild animal," McManus recalled. "That's what concerned
me the most — that it wasn't afraid of people. It acted more interested in me than scared."

Just after dawn four days earlier, Elizabeth Small watched through a window as a mountain lion lay on her
Foothills patio near the north end of Swan Road. As she snapped pictures,
Small felt exhilaration at seeing the secretive, solitary animal.

[Quakerfriend]

10. Yikes! We had one in our neighborhood (Phila suburbs)

several years ago and the police denied it up and down.

It was seen sunning itself two doors down from our place. Unfortunately, no pics.

But, several weeks later pics were taken of a cougar seen down in Delaware. Mmmmmmmmm....

Stay safe, buddie.

[Archae]

12. There's one in my neighborhood too!

I've seen it!

Looks a lot like this:

http://icpusa.icpusa.net:227/cougar1.jpg

;-)

[pitohui]

13. i vote don't worry about it

i don't feel like scanning the various threads from people from california where they actually eat people, i live in louisiana and IF they still survive (i've never seen one, i've only heard the stories) then they are quite clearly no hazard to humanity

i would be very surprised if you have anything to worry about in alabama

if they were hurting people you'd know, if all they do is make that awful scream from time to time and then hide their heads in some swamp (which is the case in louisiana) it is not worth worrying about

get your camera and look around if you like but don't allow it to create anxiety

[datasuspect]

17. cougar shot in northside chicago neighborhood

Cops kill cougar on North Side
Neighborhood stunned as animal cornered, shot in back alley

A cougar ran loose in Chicago on Monday for the first time since the city's founding in the 19th Century. But by day's end, the animal lay dead in a back alley on the North Side, shot by police who said they feared it was turning to attack.

No one knew where the 150-pound cat came from, though on Saturday Wilmette police had received four reports of a cougar roaming that suburb, roughly 15 miles from the site of Monday's shooting.

Whatever its origin, the 5-foot-long cougar's unlikely journey ended in the Roscoe Village neighborhood, where residents reported sightings throughout the day to the Chicago Commission on Animal Care and Control. Resident Ben Greene said police cornered the cougar shortly before 6 p.m. in his side yard on the 3400 block of North Hoyne Avenue.

Greene said he heard a volley of gunfire as he was bathing his 10-month-old son. His wife, Kate, ran upstairs screaming with their 3-year-old son, and they all took cover in a back room.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-cougar-shot-webapr15,0,98147.story

[Ellen Forradalom]

18. Cougar in ROSCOE VILLAGE??

Holy @#$! And why did they have to shoot the cat? Didn't animal control and the zoos get involved?

[datasuspect]

19. chicago cops are awfully trigger happy

they usually restrict shooting to black males on the south and west sides though.

[RebelOne]

20. Why did they have to kill it?

They couldn't tranquilize the poor animal and relocate it?

[datasuspect]

21. the animal was in a heavily urbanized area of chicago

that is home to a very well-served demographic in terms of city services and police protection.

they possibly might not have been able to contain the animal for the length of time necessary for animal control to arrive on the scene.

or maybe they're just plain old trigger happy chicago cops.

[AngryAmish]

29. Because it is an f'n cougar

How many large animal tranquilizer guns are there in the city of Chicago? 2? 5? We are not used to large predators in these parts. Even at a zoo when a large predator is at large the MO is to shoot it dead -- because it is harder to shoot with the tranquilizer dart that it looks on TV.

The police were chasing the thing all day. There are a lot of children in the neighborhood -- which may be a reason not to shoot guns but also a reason to get rid of a cougar. The cat was about 1/3 of a mile from the Chicago River, which is the green belt it was probably was following.

A cougar would have a field day by the Des Plaines River and in the Forest Preserves. There is a plague of deer there that have no fear.

[PeaceNikki]

23. Wow, I wonder if that's the same one sighted in North Chicago?

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/866758,WA28_nccougar_s1.article

[JoDog]

30. A good chance it is

Wilimette is about 15 miles from where the cougar was shot. It is not impossible for a cat that size to range that far looking for food. It probably followed the river or the Metra train tracks into the area. I'm wondering if it's the same cat that was seen in Elkhorn, Wis., a few months ago.

The police didn't have much choice other than shoot. Before they could get animal control/zoo officials in there, they first needed to isolate the cat from the rest of the neighborhood to ensure the safety of the humans. While they managed to do that, the cougar started charging the officers. Most cops are decent people, but not wildlife experts. They don't have the type of tranquilizers on hand that would have been needed to do the job.

[siligut]

24. I am here to get away from the constant carnage.

This is not directed at you Trof. I just can't stand to open the whole thread now.

Now that somebody has put pictures of dead animals in this thread I will not be able to click on the view all option again.

[Ava]

25. no verified sighting since the 60's.. what???

i saw several when we used to live out in the boonies(and when i say boonies i mean real boonies) and i've seen some out near the lake.

[KG]

27. local cougars here hang out at 'New York, New York'

http://www.nynyniteclub.com/

[Inchworm]

28. No sex threads!

Cougars are hawt!

:hi:

[BreweryYardRat]

32. Ignore that "no verified sightings" BS.

Those fellas can roam for HUNDREDS of miles -- I've heard an anecdotal report from North Georgia, of all places.

In your case, it might be a Florida panther that headed north for a while.

[ronnykmarshall]

33. There's one in my hood too.

And this big cat likes to sit on it.

[Bucky]

34. In California, cougars are called "demimoores"