SEAN WHILE THE DEBATE ABOUT
WHETHER A WILD MOUNTAIN LION HAS
EXISTED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE IN
MODERN TIMES CONTINUES, ONE NEW
ENGLAND STATE GOT A PRETTY CLEAR
ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.
JUNE 2011, A LARGE ANIMAL
EMERGED FROM THE WOODS AND ONTO
A HIGHWAY IN MILFORD,
CONNECTICUT.
IN A FLASH, IT WAS HIT BY A CAR
AND KILLED.
THE SHOCKING TWIST -- THAT
ANIMAL WAS A MOUNTAIN LION.
BUT WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
USING DNA TESTS AND VISUAL
REPORTS, IT TURNS OUT THIS MALE
MOUNTAIN LION WALKED THERE ALL
THE WAY FROM SOUTH DAKOTA.
WHILE EASTERN MOUNTAIN LIONS MAY
BE GONE, WESTERN MOUNTAIN LIONS
THRIVE IN LARGE NUMBERS IN THE
MIDWEST.
PATRICK: THE CLOSET POPULATION
KNOW OF OCCURS -- I WANT TO SAY
DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA.
EXPERTS SAY FEMALES STAY CLOSE
TO THEIR BIRTHPLACE, BUT MALE
MOUNTAIN LIONS WILL TRAVEL GREAT
DISTANCES TO FIND FOOD AND TO
MATE.
IN THIS CASE, THE LARGE CAT
WALKED 1800 MILES, LEAVING ONE
BIG TRUTH --
PATRICK: A MALE MOUNTAIN LION
FROM THE MIDWESTERN PART OF THE
UNITED STATES CAN MIGRATE TO
MAKE IT TO THE NORTHEAST,
INCLUDING NEW HAMPSHIRE.
HAVE BEEN, CAN BE, OR MAY COME
TO NEW HAMPSHIRE.
SEAN: COULD WE BE SEEING
WANDERING MALE MOUNTAIN LIONS IN
NEW HAMPSHIRE?
POSSIBLY.
BUT SOME GO A STEP FURTHER --
THEY BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL
POPULATION FROM THE 1800S NEVER
LEFT.
>> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE
SKEPTICS OUT THERE?
>> GET OUT THERE AND LOOK.
THEY'RE OUT THERE.
SEAN: MARLOWE RESIDENT LINDA
MCCRACKEN SAYS SHE'S SEEN WILD
MOUNTAIN LIONS AND NOW
INVESTIGATES REPORTED SIGHTINGS.
LINDA: THAT'S HOW I GOT INTO
ABOUT 80% OF MY FRIENDS HAVE
SEEN MOUNTAIN LIONS.
SEAN: LINDA BELIEVES THESE CATS
ARE NOT LONE MALES SIMPLY HEADED
IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, LIKE THE
CONNECTICUT CASE, BUT
DESCENDANTS OF THE ORIGINAL
EASTERN MOUNTAIN LIONS THAT HAVE
BEEN BREEDING FAMILIES IN THE
WOODS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
LINDA: I KNOW THERE ARE FAMILIES
BECAUSE I'VE HAD PEOPLE SEE MORE
THAN ONE TOGETHER, INCLUDING
SMALL KITTENS.
SEAN: OVER THE YEARS, SHE SAYS
THE NUMBER OF REPORTS IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE HAS INCREASED.
LINDA: IT USED TO BE A FEW
SIGHTINGS PER DECADE
AROUND THE YEAR 2000, I WAS
GETTING HUNDREDS OF SIGHTING
SEAN: TO PROVE THEIR EXISTENCE,
LINDA HAS SPENT YEARS SEEKING
HARD EVIDENCE, DOCUMENTING ANY
SIGHTING SHE CAN FIND.
LINDA: THIS IS A SKID MARK IN
THE MUD.
AND A QUARTER THERE, SO YOU CAN
SEE THE SIZE OF IT.
SEAN: SHE'S PHOTOGRAPHED PAW
TRACKS AND COLLECTED ANIMAL SCAT
SHE BELIEVES CAME FROM MOUNTAIN
LIONS.
BUT SO FAR, THE STATE SAYS THERE
IS NO DEFINITIVE DNA TESTS O
OTHER PROOF, LIKE A PICTURE OR
VIDE
WHICH IS WHY SHE SET UP GA
CAMERAS DEEP IN THE WOODS,
HOPING TO CAPTURE THE MYTHICAL
COUGAR ON CAMERA.
WHAT SHE FOUND WAS INTERESTING.
LINDA'S CAMERAS DID CATCH LARGE
CATS MULTIPLE TIMES, CATS THAT
HAMPSHIRE.
THESE ARE BOBCATS.
WHICH BRINGS US TO A COMMON
POINT OF CONTENTION IN THIS
DEBATE --MISTAKEN IDENTITY.
PATRICK: USUALLY A HOAX A FRIEND
PLAYS ON A FRIEND.
SEAN: WHEN PATRICK TATE GETS A
REPORT ABOUT A MOUNTAIN LION,
HE'S LOOKING FOR VERIFIBABLE
PROOF -- THINGS LIKE SCAT OR
HAIR THAT CAN BE DNA-TESTED, CAT
TRACKS, OR PHOTOS.
BUT THEY ARE SOMETIMES EASILY
DEBUNKED.
TAKE A LOOK AT THESE PHOTOS,
FROM ACTUAL REPORTS FISH AND
GAME HAS RECIEVED.
IN SOME CASES, THE PICTURES ARE
GRAINY HOUSE CATS, SIMPLY SHOT
FROM A FUNNY PERPSECTIVE.
IN OTHERS, THE PHOTO SHOWS A
REAL MOUNTAIN LION, BUT A QUICK
INTERNET SEARCH SHOWS --
PATRICK: THEY ARE PICTURES
LIFTED FROM THE INTERNET AND
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
SEAN: BUT WHEN YOU SEE SOME OF
THESE PHOTOS, IT CAN REALLY LOOK
LIKE A MOUNTAIN MINOR FIRST.
THE TRAINED INVESTIGATORS LIKE
PATRICK SAY LOOK CLOSER.
PATRICK: THESE ARE PICTURES THAT
ARE ACTUALLY BOBCATS.
WE GET A HIGH NUMBER OF BOBCATS
REPORTED AS MOUNTAIN LIONS.
OFFICIAL STANCE FROM STATE FISH
AND GAME -- MOUNTAIN LIONS MAY
BE HERE, BUT SO FAR, THERE IS
MANY WE SPOKE WITH SAY MOUNTAIN
BOBCATS, ESPECIALLY ONE VERY
DISTINCT NATURE REPEATED --
EYEWITNESSES.
>> THE LONG TAIL THAT REACHED
UP A LITTLE BIT.
SEAN: YOU BE THE JUDGE -- COULD
YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE IS YOU
SAW A CLICK -- A QUICK GLIMPSE?
CONVINCED, YES.
>> I DID SOME RESEARCH AND I
KNOW I DID NOT SEE A BOBCAT.
SEAN: ANOTHER TWIST IN THIS
DEBATE, THE FACT THAT FISH AND
GAME HAS NOT CONFIRMED ANY
SIGHTINGS HAS LED TO CONSPIRACY
THEORIES THAT THE STATE IS
COVERING IT UP, CONCERNED WILD
MOUNTAIN LIONS WOULD IMPACT
WILDLIFE FUNDING OR FUTURE
THINGS.
UNFOUNDED.
IT WOULD NOT CHANGE THE WAY
NEW HAMPSHIRE FISH AND GAME
OPERATES AS FAR AS WILDLIFE
MANAGEMENT.
COST THE PUBLIC ANY MONEY.
IT WOULD BE SIMPLY A CHANGE IN
HOW WILDLIFE IS MANAGED.
SEAN: EXPERTS ARGUE, IN A DAY
AND AGE WHEN GAME CAMERAS ARE
EVERYWHERE, CELL PHONE CAMERAS
ARE UBIQUITOUS, HOW IS IT
POSSIBLE WE HAVE NOT CAUGHT A
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOUNTAIN LION?
BELIEVERS SAY IT IS SIMPLY A
PEOPLE TO BE READY.
>> MY REASON FOR TRYING TO PROVE
THAT THEY AR HERE IS BECAUSE I
THINK PEOPLE NEED TO BE EDUCATED
WILDCAT.