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Mountain Lion Myth

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WTAP News
Posted: 7:49 PM Feb 28, 2008
Last Updated: 7:49 PM Feb 28, 2008
Reporter: Courtney Rochon
Email Address: courtney.rochon@wtap.com

26 comments

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For the past few days, pictures have been circulating the web about a giant mountain lion that was reportedly killed in Calhoun County.

As it turns out, it's just a rumor.

The rumor was that someone hit the cat with their car.

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources says this is not true and the pictures were actually taken in Arizona.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: amber Location: lynhburg on Oct 17, 2008 at 08:03 AM
I WANT MORE PICTURE OF THE MOUTIAN LIONS

Posted by: chuck price Location: friendly wv on Aug 8, 2008 at 07:21 AM
I have seen a Mountian Lion here in friendly accross the road in the edge of a medow it was about 150 yards from us i ask my wife to come look and she said it was a deer but a deer does not sit.so i got my deer rifle out with a 12 power scope and looked sure enough it was a mountain lion.they are here in west virgina people around here say we are crazy they say it was a house cat .at 150 yards you would have to strain your eyes to see a house cat .this was no house cat

Posted by: DJ Location: Wadsworth, OH on Aug 5, 2008 at 06:37 PM
Reported on TV, mountain lion bit man in Medina County, Aug. 4. We saw one in our back yard a year ago. Thought bobcat, but it had the white around the mouth and a long tail. Very large. Medina County animal warden said something similar was reported in Hinckley, Ohio. They're back.

Posted by: Joe Location: Calhoun County on Jun 10, 2008 at 05:20 AM
I think the people that live here and go out in the woods know the truth regardless of what the fish and game people say. It may surprise some folks to know there are other hidden creatures here that people see frequently but rarely report for fear of ridicule, such as the forest giant creatures known as Bigfoot by most. I know people who have seen them personally, and they aren't crazy people!.

Posted by: Billie Location: Pike County Ky on May 27, 2008 at 04:04 PM
Hey I'm from Pike Co KY. I know my wildlife and grew up hunting and fishing. I have seen multiple large cats. A mother and her 4 kittens, a large tawny male and a large black one. Call them what you will but they were no bobcats! They are in this area and they are breeding. For the person that said their not, in Floyd County, KY in 1997 a man in hit a 9 lb female kitten and seen what was assumed to be mamma and sibling. This is the link if you wish to see it yourself http://www.easterncougar.org/pages/beyondsightings.htm. Just think about it F&G said their were no cyotes in our areas at first untill they became a problem. Why not Cougars too?

Posted by: steve Location: Carlisle, Pa on May 8, 2008 at 12:48 AM
Myself and 3 others saw very clearly a mountain lion on sunday 5/4/08 in the Smoke Hole Canyon, WV. It was about 4.5-5.0 feet long with long tail. dark face, paws, tip of tail. Puma Field Guide (pg. 102) says this is evident of an older cat. We were sithin 50 of cat, it was down by the river and walked slowly up into a cliff band. No kidding.

Posted by: Tracy Location: Mercer County on Apr 2, 2008 at 09:48 PM
I have seen a Mountian Lion here in Mercer County about 10 years ago. It was especially dry that summer and it must have come down out of the mountians for water. When I saw the Mountian Lion it was drinking from a creek. My mother grew up about 10 miles from were I saw the mountian lion, and she told me that they would hear them cry all the time. I don't know if this story is true, but I am sure there are mountian lions in West Virginia

Posted by: carl Location: wv on Mar 17, 2008 at 08:50 PM
i've seen mountain lions several times in barbour county. i took videos of 2 of them in 2004. one is black. there was at least one "kitten" also

Posted by: Don Location: Bridgeport on Mar 15, 2008 at 04:27 AM
Here is the source of the Prescott Arizona story: http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=51766

Posted by: dan Location: lincoln county WV on Mar 12, 2008 at 10:15 PM
Back in 1974 me and a friend saw a very large black cat in the big ugly state park area at the time I didn't see any importance. we tried to put some hounds after it they would go into the under brush then run for the truck. We just let it go at that.

Posted by: fjsdkllja Location: milton on Mar 12, 2008 at 09:30 PM
There are several moutain lions in westvirgina if you dont believe it go to the moutains!

Posted by: Hayley Location: West Virginia on Mar 11, 2008 at 07:53 PM
I Don't Think That The Piture Is Real

Posted by: Jack Location: pa on Mar 6, 2008 at 09:51 AM
I doubt if the story is true. If the fish and game people shot it, how did the guy in the picture get posession of it. Also, there is nothing in the picture to prove where they are or the date. All the antlers in the background seems like a hunting location. Could be anywhere. lots of big cat stories in Pa & WV but never any pictures of foot prints or road kills. kind of like big foot. A 60LB bobcat looks pretty big when running. they leap 15' or more between steps. Black bears come in all sizes and weights and are also very fast.

Posted by: Ron Location: marietta on Mar 5, 2008 at 09:30 PM
Yes, there are cats in this area. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen one with my own eyes. About 2 years ago I was on my way to work around 5 a.m. going south on I-77. Just south of the Route 50 exit, I saw a large tan animal coming across the northbound lanes (now I know exactly what "loping" means. It crossed my lane about 50 yards in front of me and continued up the next bank just above the old Holiday Inn. As I got closer to it there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that it was a big cat (roughly 100 lbs) I've seen them in zoos and yes, they are in this area.

Posted by: Angie Location: Parkersburg on Mar 5, 2008 at 03:54 PM
The comment from Jake.."not a shred of evidence exist that they reproduce" What the heck are u talking about??Everything reproduces..what planet are u from??

Posted by: Gene Location: Odato on Mar 4, 2008 at 05:19 PM
This cougar was taken by a hunter in Prescott AZ in January. note the mule deer antlers in the back room of the taxidermy shop.

Posted by: J Location: Kanawha County on Mar 4, 2008 at 01:19 PM
I know that they are here. One early morning about 5 yrs. ago, I let my 3 German Shepards out and they went flying up behind the barn. By the time I got up there they were yelping their way back. I saw a big (really big) tan cat w/ black marking drinking from our pond. I had heard stories, but thought that it was just bs from a bunch of drunken turkey hunters. Now I know for sure, because I saw "it" myself!

Posted by: Steven Location: Hedgesville WV on Mar 4, 2008 at 12:41 PM
I dont care what the DNR says about big black cats in berkley county and the sorrounding counties, my wife and I was traveling on Rt,7 in glengary wva, and as we rounded a curve this huge black cat jumped from a hill top to the other side of the road, my wife asks what was that big black cat, I smiled and told her it was a black painther, which I havent seen since I was a boy growing up in campbells creek wva, that cat must have been at least a 95 pounder or bigger,it ran through a field and out of sight really fast, folks dont let know one tell you that the cats dosent exist, because they do,when you hear a sound like a baby crying in the woods belive me it will make your heart throbe quickley, the sound is a black painther,my branfatehr and I used to sit up late at night just to hear them cry out,and in Kanawha county wva, their are a lot of these black cats that most folks have never seen before,go to putney wva and set up tent,you can gurantee you will hear one crying, (guranteed)

Posted by: bob Location: st marys on Mar 4, 2008 at 10:33 AM
there has been several dogs killed by a large cat and we have seen them on our place in st marys my brother saw a black panther two years ago my neighbors dog was killed by a large cat so i think it is real. another neighbor had his dog attached by a large cat also. i think its a cover up but thats my opinion.

Posted by: Christie Location: marietta on Mar 3, 2008 at 11:35 AM
If anyone got that E mail please take a close look, I have it and there is a bucket in the background that has a local cleaning services name on it. Not a national service. Interesting: Wow did they drag that lion here from Arizona?

Posted by: Jake Location: Beckley on Mar 2, 2008 at 03:14 PM
Where's the evidence? No doubt exotic cats are out there, released from captivity. But not a shred of evidence exists that they reproduce.

Posted by: Heather Location: Preston County on Mar 2, 2008 at 10:00 AM
I too, saw one with my own eyes. I KNOW what I saw! It crossed the road in front of me on Indian Rocks Road in Reedsville WV (Preston County). It was the size of my 100 lb dog and was obviously a CAT. So, I'm with the last commenter...they are around here, no matter what DNR has to say.

Posted by: charles Location: davisville on Mar 1, 2008 at 02:23 PM
i have also seen mountain lions around elenboro and black panthers on stillwell road in wood county ,and on oxbow road and cabinrun road in ritchie county.

Posted by: wvhunter Location: parkersburg on Feb 29, 2008 at 08:27 AM
this may have not been true..but i personally saw one at charles fork lake in spencer a few years back..i saw it with my own eyes so they are around here.. there have also been sightings in lubeck and walker..dnr can say all they want but they are around here....

Posted by: Billy Location: Vienna on Feb 28, 2008 at 10:15 PM
Has this been checked out on www.snopes.com before being circulated? Why not?

Posted by: Chris Location: West Hamlin,WV on Feb 28, 2008 at 09:45 PM
People think there are no mountain lions or panthers in West Virginia. I know for a fact there is. There a female that has a least one cub a year(sometimes two) above my father's property in Nicholas County.