BIGDAN Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 How unlucky can you get? Connecticut mountain lion 'crossed US' before death The lion, shown here being examined by a scientist, was between two and five years old A mountain lion killed on a road in the US state of Connecticut had walked halfway across the US before it died in June, scientists have said. DNA tests showed the cat was native to the Black Hills of South Dakota, 1,800 miles (2,896km) away, scientists said. And its DNA matched that of an animal collected by chance in 2009 and 2010 in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The evidence suggests the cat had made the longest-ever recorded journey of a land mammal, scientists say. The mountain lion, also known as a cougar or a puma, is a type of big cat native to the Americas. The species once ranged widely, from British Columbia in Canada to Argentina and Chile, and from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, but its habitat in North America is now mostly limited to the western US and Canada, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, a government agency dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife and habitats. Epic journey When it was struck by a car and killed in June in Milford, Connecticut, about 50 miles north-east of New York City, the young, lean, 140lb (64kg) male became the first mountain lion seen in that state in more than a century, said Daniel Esty, commissioner of the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. "The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of nature and the tenacity and adaptability of this species," Mr Esty said The continental crossing from South Dakota to Connecticut put the cat on a path south around Lake Michigan, passed Chicago, the old industrial "rust belt" cities of Ohio and western Pennsylvania and north of New York City. According to scientists with the US Department of Agriculture, DNA taken from the mountain lion showed its genetic structure matched a population of cats native to the sparsely populated Black Hills region of South Dakota. The DNA also matched samples taken from hair and blood in Minnesota, directly east of South Dakota, and Wisconsin, which neighbours that state to the east, in late 2009 to early 2010. On 5 June, the lion was seen at a school in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was struck and killed on 11 June about 01:00 local time. In addition, scientists said the cat was neither declawed nor neutered, suggesting it was not an escaped or released captive. http://www.bbc.co.uk...canada-14303496 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Interesting story, BIG DAN. Leave it to those horrible Connecticut drivers to take that cat out after such a long journey. You gotta wonder what made him travel that far, in that direction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGDAN Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Interesting story, BIG DAN. Leave it to those horrible Connecticut drivers to take that cat out after such a long journey. You gotta wonder what made him travel that far, in that direction? "PUSSY", i know i would. Regards, Danny PS, And i didnt mean what your dirty minds thought, tut tut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 (edited) Are you saying the lion was trying to eat some pussy, err cat?!? Now I understand the reason for the journey! Edited July 27, 2011 by Walter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGDAN Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Are you saying the lion was trying to eat some pussy, err cat?!? Now I understand the reason for the journey! Hi Walter, I said "Pussy" because thats what we call a Cat, and he is just a big cat really, but i also think he might have go a whiff of some female pheromones and just took off, or maybe he was running away from a demanding mate, and we all want to do that sometimes dont we? Regards, Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGDAN Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Or the cat might have somehow gotten a ride to Connecticut, but then that wouldn't make the story sound as interesting, right? Yeah i can imaging someone giving a lift to some cat clawing a lift. Kind Regards, Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrum Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Hell of a walk just to get knocked off by a car. I was hunting wild pig in California one year and saw a mountain lion just across a dry creek. He couldn't see me because his head was blocked by a tree. He was busy eating something and later we went back and found he had killed and was eating a bobcat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermedalist Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 How unlucky can you get? Connecticut mountain lion 'crossed US' before death The lion, shown here being examined by a scientist, was between two and five years old A mountain lion killed on a road in the US state of Connecticut had walked halfway across the US before it died in June, scientists have said. DNA tests showed the cat was native to the Black Hills of South Dakota, 1,800 miles (2,896km) away, scientists said. And its DNA matched that of an animal collected by chance in 2009 and 2010 in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The evidence suggests the cat had made the longest-ever recorded journey of a land mammal, scientists say. The mountain lion, also known as a cougar or a puma, is a type of big cat native to the Americas. The species once ranged widely, from British Columbia in Canada to Argentina and Chile, and from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, but its habitat in North America is now mostly limited to the western US and Canada, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, a government agency dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife and habitats. Epic journey When it was struck by a car and killed in June in Milford, Connecticut, about 50 miles north-east of New York City, the young, lean, 140lb (64kg) male became the first mountain lion seen in that state in more than a century, said Daniel Esty, commissioner of the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. "The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of nature and the tenacity and adaptability of this species," Mr Esty said The continental crossing from South Dakota to Connecticut put the cat on a path south around Lake Michigan, passed Chicago, the old industrial "rust belt" cities of Ohio and western Pennsylvania and north of New York City. According to scientists with the US Department of Agriculture, DNA taken from the mountain lion showed its genetic structure matched a population of cats native to the sparsely populated Black Hills region of South Dakota. The DNA also matched samples taken from hair and blood in Minnesota, directly east of South Dakota, and Wisconsin, which neighbours that state to the east, in late 2009 to early 2010. On 5 June, the lion was seen at a school in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was struck and killed on 11 June about 01:00 local time. In addition, scientists said the cat was neither declawed nor neutered, suggesting it was not an escaped or released captive. http://www.bbc.co.uk...canada-14303496 I am sure there are many more stray Lions and Bear that we do not know about. Black Bear are making their way throughout NY state from the Adirondacks, where there has not been an authorized sighting of a mountain lion in over fifty years. I just hate to see animals get killed like this. My mother has alot of woods behind her house. Deer often walk up to her window at night. But my sister's son saw something that you usually do not see. A bobcat. So there is one around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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