Fears that a hungry lion or an angry chimpanzee could escape captivity in South Carolina are driving a plan to prohibit state residents from keeping the exotic animals as pets. Cougars, also known as mountain lions, were once common here and they have left a legacy of place names throughout the state indeed, the entire Southeast. At the time of European settlement it occupied a wide range of habitats from Canada well into parts of South America, and was found throughout the continental United States. The federal government of Canada has taken no position on the subspecies' existence, continued or otherwise, and terms the evidence "inconclusive." McKenzie said she has always liked big cats but never thought she would run into a mountain lion in the wild. Even thought theyre on the endangered species list. Cougars, also known as mountain lions, were once common here and they have left a legacy of place names throughout the state indeed, the entire Southeast. There are mountain lions in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but wildlife officials still call them extinct and havent done much to support their populations. Small, domestic cats do an abridged version, scratching on posts, horizontal surfaces, furniture, trees and other objects. She said the animal didn't move so she made her gestures bigger and at one point even charged a few steps forward toward the animal. In South Carolina it is thought that the cougars occurring here were of both the eastern race (Felis concolor cougar) and the Florida race (Felis concolor coryi). Contributed by John Garton, SCWF Board Member Emeritus. There are no known cougar populations in South Carolina and according to the DNR, a wild cougar has not been documented in South Carolina in many decades. Although gone from the eastern US (except Florida), the cougar is doing well throughout much of the western US, and is a game animal in many locations. I didn't want to shoot it. I mean, it was the most beautiful creature I have ever seen up close like that.". Physical Description: Mountain lions are beautiful animals with tawny-colored coats (ranging from brown to reddish or grayish) and no markings. They crossed into South America shortly after the land bridge between North and South America was joined 3 million years ago, and there is genetic evidence that the Pleistocene extinction event that wiped out the mammoths also wiped most mountain lions in North America and South American mountain lions recolonized the entire North America continent about 10,000 years ago This is a list of known or suspected fatal cougar attacks that occurred in North America by decade in chronological order.The cougar is also commonly known as mountain lion, puma, mountain cat, catamount, or panther.The sub-population in Florida is known as the Florida panther.. A total of 125 attacks, 27 of which are fatal, have been documented in North America in the past 100 years. Watch the full video below or here. Few large animals have generated more lore throughout North Carolina than the cougar. That's why I tried so hard to scare it away. There are approximately 20 recognized geographic races of the cougar throughout its range. When you see the name "panther" "painter", "catamount" and other cougar synonyms attached to creeks, mountain peaks, gaps, and other features of our topography, it is a testament to the fact that this large predator was not only once here in South Carolina and the eastern US, but that its presence impressed people enough to name a place after it. COLUMBIA, SC. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Freight train hauling fertilizer derails in Iowa, residents evacuated, Tax the rich? This content is imported from YouTube. CHECK OUT WYFF:Get the latest Greenville news and weather. I was afraid he was going to pounce on me. "It was close enough I could see its eyes were blue-green and it was just staring at me," McKenzie said. Furman biology professor and cougar expert Travis Perry says its possible for mountain lions to travel great distances, but its not very likely theyve traveled to our state. Go," she says as she growls. However, an individual animal is occasionally observed, or killed, as a result of someone releasing a "pet" cougar that got to be too much for them to handle. They were once major factors in the ecosystems of our South Carolina forests and coastal swamps where adults killed deer and other large prey items (wild hogs, raccoons, woodland buffalo, etc). They have short ears and large round heads. Today there are no wild reproducing populations of cougars in South Carolina. For live, local, late-breaking Greenville, SC, news coverage, WYFF is the place to be. Their ears have black marks on the back, and their chests are white. Well-known naturalist Dennis Chastain of Pickens says theres no doubt that there are cougars (pumas/mountain lions) in the woods and wild places of South Carolina. Many McKenzie said from the moment she first saw the mountain lion she started quietly praying and asking God for protection. Despite the widely-held belief in the scientific community that eastern mountain lions have been long gone and any cats seen roaming the region these days must have made the long trek from midwestern states like South Dakota, some Appalachian residents remain convinced that the cats never actually left the area. in weight. McKenzie said she fully expected the mountain lion to run off because they are generally scared of people. Mountain lions once roamed the continent from west to east, but the spread of human communities have led to a massive reduction in the number of big cat populations in the east. Cougars are stealthy predators that can run up to 35 miles per hour. She said the animal was probably about 16 yards in front of her at this point. Wild mountain lions' presence within South Carolina disputed South Carolina - Testimony from more than 20 people Monday afternoon straddled both sides of the "burning question" of whether or not wild mountain lions inhabit South Carolina or whether they're most likely a few former illegal "pets." This Florida population, once down to about 50 animals, is now thought to be back in excess of 100 animals as a positive result of recovery plans. Greenville and Pickens Counties are among the several counties where sightings have been reported in South Carolina. Usually a shy cat, the cougar prefers to stalk its prey and is rarely ever a threat to people. Eastern Cougar - Felis concolor cougar. Well-known naturalist Dennis Chastain of Pickens says theres no doubt that there are cougars (pumas/mountain lions) in the woods and wild places of South Carolina. McKenzie reported what happened to the state wildlife officials and showed them the video. The story cites lack of hard evidence for the existence of mountain [] History of Large Cats in South Carolina First, for clarity, the panther has many names, including puma, cougar and mountain lionall of these names refer to the same animal in North America. Today the only known reproducing population of cougars in the eastern US occurs in south Florida in the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp. She said, at one point, the mountain lion put its ears back and flickered its tail at her. She said she took a picture of the animal and then started recording video. Where Mountain Lions Live. McKenzie said, at this point, the mountain lion began to run away but then turned and came toward her. The largest cat native to the eastern US, adults can exceed 8 ft in total length (including their tail) and 200 lbs. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. Mountain lions and panthers, both are very interesting carnivores of the Family: In South Carolina, as in much of the east, what largely remains of the cougar is its name, which is linked to many of our landscape features. It is estimated that cougars make a kill of a large prey item (deer, etc) about once each week. It was hunted to extinction last century, but throughout the Blue Ridge, there are "It was not scared. With 18 native South American names, 25 Native American names, and 40 English names, this big cat has a big list of sobriquets that all boil down to the same thing: mountain lion. They are active hunters and may cover as much as 20 miles in a night. Contributed by John Garton, SCWF Board Member Emeritus. McKenzie said people rarely see mountain lions, and if they do, the cats are seldom aggressive toward them. "No, no, no. Sports also known as a mountain lion -- near the incorporated community of Nebo in western North Carolina She said she threw it down to get her gun ready. Adults are largely nocturnal, solitary and territorial. The cougar is a big cat known by many names including panther, mountain lion, Young cougars are marked with dark spots. ", She described the encounter as "the craziest moment of her life.". Proceedings of the 11th Mountain Lion Workshop Integrating Scientific Findings into Management Hunter Conference Center, Southern Utah University Cedar City, Utah May 1215, 2014. While there is some doubt the cougar still exists south of the Canadian Maritime provinces, significant sightings occur in Tennessee and North and South Carolina. Their fur is short and rather uniform reddish to light brown in color. She said, at this point, the mountain lion had walked over some of the downed trees and was 8 yards away standing on a log staring her down. McKenzie continued to growl at the animal and say "go away" as it growls back at her. I know they are a very reclusive animal but Florida and these other states do not seem to have such a saturation of Mountain Lions that they would even feel pressured to expand into North Carolina. Eastern Cougar South Carolina Wildlife Federation. I suddenly became more scared than I have ever been in my life because I thought this mountain lion was about to be on top of me and possibly killing me.". DUNCAN, S.C. A Duncan, South Carolina, woman recently encountered a mountain lion while hunting and captured the intense standoff between her and the animal on camera. ", Once McKenzie found her phone in the snow, you see her on camera saying, "I had to shoot him. Cougars were eliminated from our state, as they were throughout much of the eastern US, for a combination of reasons including: a) loss of much of the forest and deer herd during the heavy agricultural activity of the late 1800's and b) the cougar's habit of substituting livestock for wild prey items (in the latter cases, stock owners typically took direct and terminal action against the cougars).
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