Eastern Catamount Declared Extinct

In March of 2011, the Eastern Catamount was declared officially extinct by the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

In 2011, Vermont forests and wildlife have rebounded from massive deforestation which was a result of economic activity in the 1800’s that included the cutting/burning of trees for potash and sheep grazing. There have been many reports of mountain lions in the Green Mountains spanning the years since 1881 when forested tracts started to return and the last officially recognized Eastern Panther the “Barnard Monster” was shot and killed.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Stories of Lions 2009

P. Katz on the porch of Powers Market tells us about the animal he saw crossing the road in Shaftsbury, Vermont
He looked just like the bronze of the mountain lion in Old Bennington, just a classic mountain lion.

OK I saw the mountain lion in the summer of 2009. We were driving on the White Creek road. My wife and I before we got to Cold Spring road. About thirty feet in front of us a mountain lion crossed the road, we stopped the car. He crossed the road slowly. We had a very good look at him. I said to my wife "Do you see what I see?" she said "I can't believe what I am seeing." He was close enough there was no mistaking what it was. We were thrilled, one of the most exciting things that happened to me that summer, it is thrilling to see one of those things.

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