IDEA // REINTRODUCING THE NITTANY LION

Should our native mountain lion roar again in Penn’s Woods?

by Lauren Earline Leonard

EXCERPT //

The mountain lion (aka, panther, catamount, puma, cougar) was declared extinct east of the Mississippi in the 1930s, and, though not impossible, it’s unlikely to spot one in Pennsylvania. (Mountain lion sightings reported to the Game Commission have been confirmed to be bobcats, coyotes, and… raccoons.) 

The most direct migratory path to Pennsylvania begins in Nebraska, extends across the Great Plains and through (or around) densely populated areas and superhighways; a taxing and dangerous 1,000-mile journey for a solitary creature with a distaste for humans. Even if a mountain lion made it to Penn’s Woods, it would no longer find the large swaths of uninhabited land (males require 350 square miles of territory) or breeding partners needed to thrive. (In 2011, a mountain lion traveled from South Dakota to Connecticut where it was killed crossing a highway.)

The Game Commission offers events and education year-round virtually and in person. Volunteers can help survey osprey, heron, crane, and marsh birds, participate in the Appalachian Bat Count, and download plans to construct homes for birds, bees, and squirrels. Rural philanthropic folks can even bequeath their land. //

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