Topic: Cougars in Ontario, why the coverup?

[Jaeger]

Nah - we used knives to do it nice and clean.

Jaeger

[blur911]

This article states that the MNR has confirmed the existence of cougars in Ontario.
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/826635--confirmed-big-cats-prowl-in-ontario

Yes, they confirmed they are here last year, then today on the news said there has been no confirmation of cougars in the area??   

The other rumour around here is that MNR re-introduced fishers into the area years ago to reduce the porcupine population, then the fishers ran amuck and MNR re-introduced cougars to take care of the fisher problem.

[rrocket]

This article states that the MNR has confirmed the existence of cougars in Ontario.
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/826635--confirmed-big-cats-prowl-in-ontario

Yes, they confirmed they are here last year, then today on the news said there has been no confirmation of cougars in the area??   

The other rumour around here is that MNR re-introduced fishers into the area years ago to reduce the porcupine population, then the fishers ran amuck and MNR re-introduced cougars to take care of the fisher problem.

Hmmm....I see mink around here..but never a fisher.

[Railton]

This article states that the MNR has confirmed the existence of cougars in Ontario.
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/826635--confirmed-big-cats-prowl-in-ontario

Yes, they confirmed they are here last year, then today on the news said there has been no confirmation of cougars in the area??   

The other rumour around here is that MNR re-introduced fishers into the area years ago to reduce the porcupine population, then the fishers ran amuck and MNR re-introduced cougars to take care of the fisher problem.

Hmmm....I see mink around here..but never a fisher.

They're nocturnal and you would have to travel to Ottawa/Gatineau to see one. However, did see one in Gatineau park in the daytime while cycling down Blacks hill. It was about a meter long from nose to tip of the tail. Weird gait to it , like a weasel...a big weasel.
Railton

[rrocket]

I saw a wolverine in Wisconsin, which is supposed to be ridiculously rare...

[blur911]

This article states that the MNR has confirmed the existence of cougars in Ontario.
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/826635--confirmed-big-cats-prowl-in-ontario

Yes, they confirmed they are here last year, then today on the news said there has been no confirmation of cougars in the area??   

The other rumour around here is that MNR re-introduced fishers into the area years ago to reduce the porcupine population, then the fishers ran amuck and MNR re-introduced cougars to take care of the fisher problem.

Hmmm....I see mink around here..but never a fisher.

They're nocturnal and you would have to travel to Ottawa/Gatineau to see one. However, did see one in Gatineau park in the daytime while cycling down Blacks hill. It was about a meter long from nose to tip of the tail. Weird gait to it , like a weasel...a big weasel.
Railton

I've seen a dead fisher on a suburban street in Kingston.  They are all over the place here.  Apparently some semi-rural neighbourhoods now have a shortage of outdoor cats.

[quadzilla]

great sig material right there....

I've always wanted to see a cougar in the wilderness (safe encounter of course) as they are beautiful creatures. I've found tracks before but that is as close as I've been.

hahaha

 

Good one Quad

For once I was actually being serious but after re-reading it, it does sound pretty funny. I've found tracks in Grand Canyon and another small canyon in Utah. Kept looking up for one but no luck (which is good sometimes).

Last time n Red Rock Canyon (Nevada) we did see a ring tale cat. That was pretty cool.

[rrocket]

^^Did you say "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" and pet it??   

[mrthompson]

I've also hunted coyotes.  Since hunting isn't as popular as it once was, the coyote population out my way has exploded.  And they have decimated the re-introduced wild turkey population.  The ring necked pheasants are almost gone too, and now the deer hunters are starting to complain.  And even worse, they've started to eat people's family pets right out of their backyards.  Many small dogs and cats have been taken.  On a few occasions I've been coyote hunting just outside of my usual area, I swear I have seen wolf tracks.  Absolutely huge and deep compared to coyote tracks.  But I never bothered to report the tracks since the MNR would call me crazy....

A few friends and family members have seen what could only be wolves as they were too large to be coyotes.  The large coyote population in Southern Ontario seems to have reduced the number of rabbits/hares.

Two summers ago my father and I saw a marten (smaller than a fisher?) swimming from a small island to shore on Crowe Lake.  At first we thought, "What a strange looking muskrat."  However it was more slender than a muskrat and reddish brown.  When it scampered up on shore and disappeared into the underbrush, it was most obvious that it was not a muskrat.

[rrocket]

^^ Yea, the middle of their body sorta arcs when they move...

[blur911]

A few friends and family members have seen what could only be wolves as they were too large to be coyotes.  The large coyote population in Southern Ontario seems to have reduced the number of rabbits/hares.

From what I understand, south of Algonquin Park most "wolves" are hybrid coywolves.  Part coyote part wolf, size depends on the mix.  Smart like wolves and brazen like coyotes doesn't mix well.  Around here they have snatched puppies out of backyards while the owners were playing with them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coywolf

[Mike]

A few friends and family members have seen what could only be wolves as they were too large to be coyotes.  The large coyote population in Southern Ontario seems to have reduced the number of rabbits/hares.

From what I understand, south of Algonquin Park most "wolves" are hybrid coywolves.  Part coyote part wolf, size depends on the mix.  Smart like wolves and brazen like coyotes doesn't mix well.  Around here they have snatched puppies out of backyards while the owners were playing with them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coywolf

Coyotes are also mixing with dogs which isn't good either as they are less nervous/scared around humans

[Mike]

I just noticed these signs all over the place in Centennial Park in Etobicoke/Mississauga.  This in the middle of two cities with over 1 000 000 million people in them.

[safristi]

..I'm buyin' a fleet of Land-Rovers to start SAFARIS...to the GREAT BUNDU that is Now ONTARIO.................please sign the release FORM........................"I hereby am a wee nervous phussay and release Saf from all egg sucking sounds and pant messings I may endure"...........

[Trainman]

Wikipedia notes that cougars are reported to be in the eastern NA, with Quebec confirming:

"Currently, it ranges across most western American states, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and the Canadian Yukon Territory. There have been widely debated reports of possible recolonization of eastern North America.[44] DNA evidence has suggested its presence in eastern North America,[45] while a consolidated map of cougar sightings shows numerous reports, from the mid-western Great Plains through to Eastern Canada.[46] The Quebec wildlife services (known locally as MRNF) also considers Cougar to be present in the province as a threatened species after multiple DNA tests confirmed cougar hair in Lynx mating sites."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar  See the article for the references.

No idea why the Ontario ministry would be in denial.

Working in the woods, I have had a couple of close encounters with cougar's that I am aware of, and probably more that I was not.  Our family has a cougar skin rug, complete with head (and teeth    ).  They are just a fact of life here in BC.

[quadzilla]

I just noticed these signs all over the place in Centennial Park in Etobicoke/Mississauga.  This in the middle of two cities with over 1 000 000 million people in them.

I live in the Beaches area and we also have the odd fox roaming around. Riding my bike home one night I saw one trying to cross the road with what looked like somebody's cat in its mouth.

[Mike]

I just noticed these signs all over the place in Centennial Park in Etobicoke/Mississauga.  This in the middle of two cities with over 1 000 000 million people in them.

I live in the Beaches area and we also have the odd fox roaming around. Riding my bike home one night I saw one trying to cross the road with what looked like somebody's cat in its mouth.

Yeah, my old town of Markham had Foxes everywhere.  I used to see them crossing the 407 east of Hwy 48 at night.  There were even sightings in this small wooded area I had to walk through to get to elementary school as a kid.  The knee jerk reaction to this was......cut down the entire forest.....

[safristi]

,,Scarier than being savaged by a Fox,Coyote....was a ride back from a ski trip in a buddy's Dads Merc COUGAR.......damn thing was swaying all over the snow covered road on that windy ride...ALL SPHINCTERS were on RED ALERT........

   we took my MGB next ski trip and relaxed.............. ............saw a nice family of foxes in London on an October golf day....frolicking on the bank of the Thames river on the 15th Hole........cute animals,smart animals,foxy animals....Coyotes not so much but inquisitive...yeah to their feral cat culling... ............

[tenpenny]

 Re: Cougars in Ontario, why the coverup?

I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Belinda Stronach.

[safristi]

    MAGNA CUM LAUDE...................