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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / May 2004A Lion or Just Lyin'?
For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the city! Although officers and the Humane Society have been called out many times, no one has yet to find the lion. No one knows whether s/he is real, or if we're having a mass hallucination here, or if some folks are just having fun pulling some humans' legs. I'll tell you one thing, though: if I see a lion in my backyard, I'm going to RUN inside and bolt my doors! Ginger-lyn > For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), > of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Ginger-lyn Years ago, I was visiting my parents in northeast Ohio. As I was talking on the phone, I looked out the window and saw a bear casually ambling by, just a few feet beside the house. I called around, and no one would believe me. At that time, the general concensus was that there were "no bears in Ohio" anymore. Well, people believed me a few days later when the bear showed up on a golf course. Then animal protection got involved and tried to hunt the bear with a tranquilizer gun so they could return it to a more appropriate environment. Unfortunately, it was killed on the road before that could be accomplished. On a somewhat frightening note, we had a building were we stored wood for the fireplace, and we went in an out to gather wood throughout the winter. We later found signs that led us to believe the bear had spent the winter hibernating there. There were piles of *very large* feces right behind the wood piles that we had been collecting wood from! It was after that that I began to read the theory that bears had crossed from Pennsylvania to Ohio when the Ohio River froze that winter (a particularly long and cold winter that year). Personally, I suspect that there always were a few remaining bears in Ohio. In the case of the lion you described, if it does exist (which certainly could be true), I would suspect it escaped or was released from a private individual's care or even a private "zoo." MaryL (take out the litter to reply) Photos of Duffy and Holly: >'o'< http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly) http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in") >> For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >> of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >suspect it escaped or was released from a private individual's care or even >a private "zoo." I'd expect a bear before a lion. A bear would just have to take a long walk. The lion would have to fly or escape from a zoo. Theresa alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/ Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply disgraceful. (Aldous Huxley) >For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Ginger-lyn In recent weeks there have been wildcat/bobcat/cougar/mountain lion (I forget which) sightings reported in one of the Chicago suburban counties. Whichever creature it is, it's not one that's supposed to be in this part of the US. Searches have been conducted, but they haven't found it/them as of yet. Maybe some other denizen of greater Chicagoland can remember what kind of animal it's supposed to be? I'm thinking it was sighted in Lake or McHenry counties. Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha http://www.jhedge.com >>For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >>of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >in this part of the US. Searches have been conducted, but they haven't >found it/them as of yet. The sighting in Columbus was supposedly an African lion. a bit more of an eyebrow-raiser than an animal that naturally occurs in the US. Theresa alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/ Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply disgraceful. (Aldous Huxley) > For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), > of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Ginger-lyn Well depends, if lion means African or Asian lion, seems most unlikely. If lion means Mountain Lion, aka, cougar, catamount, wildcat, bobcat etc. I wouldn't be surprised. There are more of them than ever in the wild and they are starting to get pushy in trying to take back their former habitat. Jo > > For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), > > of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Jo I didn't think of that distinction when I read Ginger-lyn's message. I immediately jumped to the conclusion (possibly erroneous) that she was referring to an African lion. There are bobcats in Ohio, and (as you said) wildlife often makes its way into more urban settings. MaryL >>> For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >>> of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > MaryL This reminds me of a traffic report I heard while driving to work not long ago "... there is a peacock in the middle of [X] road. The police are on the scene trying to get it to move but for now it seems to be fanning out its tail and refusing to budge :) Take an alternate route." Peacocks are not native to west Tennessee and the road in question was nowhere near the Zoo so where it came from is anyones guess. I never did hear a follow-up report. Jill > >>> For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), > >>> of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Jill I've gotten interested in Ginger-lyn's message, so I just did a quick google search. Here are a couple of reports: http://www.nbc4columbus.com/news/3267897/detail.html http://www.nbc4columbus.com/news/3279854/detail.html MaryL >>>>> For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >>>>> of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > > MaryL That makes it very possible then. A mountain lion who hopped a flat bed truck or train. got stuck there, in Laramie, WY or Colorado would easily end up in Columbus with Interstate 70 right there. It would take about a day. Or it could have been released by someone. Be a long walk though. I wouldn't be surprised if mountain lions eventually worked their way east like the coyote did but it is going to take awhile. They are really expanding their population out west as they adapted to human population. > This reminds me of a traffic report I heard while driving to work not long > ago "... there is a peacock in the middle of [X] road. The police are on [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > nowhere near the Zoo so where it came from is anyones guess. I never did > hear a follow-up report. LOL! And Peacocks fan out their tail to impress a prospective mate. Those police may not have realised what the peacock was saying to them. Peacocks don't seem to be very bright. My sis tells me about a peacock at the zoo where she works. He goes up to telephone poles and fans out his tail, or to the paddock railing, and sometimes to zoo visitors. :oD  SignatureMarina, Frank and Nikki Email marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/frankiennikki > I didn't think of that distinction when I read Ginger-lyn's message. I > immediately jumped to the conclusion (possibly erroneous) that she was > referring to an African lion. There are bobcats in Ohio, and (as you said) > wildlife often makes its way into more urban settings. Bobcats are different from mountain lions. They're much smaller - bigger than domestic cats, but definitely not mountain lions. The mountain lion (cougar, puma, etc) weighs from 80 - 100 pounds, or more. Bobcats are considerably smaller, maybe 30-35 pounds? Mountain lion: http://cathouse-fcc.org/gifs-jpegs/sandy2.jpg Bobcat: http://cathouse-fcc.org/images/moses03.jpg You probably don't want to encounter either in your back yard, but given a choice, I'd take the bobcat! Joyce > > I didn't think of that distinction when I read Ginger-lyn's message. I > > immediately jumped to the conclusion (possibly erroneous) that she was [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Joyce Yes, you're right about that. We saw a bobcat on the Shenandoah Drive years ago, and it looked somewhat like an overgrown and rather shaggy house cat -- definitely wild and with a rather "tufted" look to the ears, but a lot less intimidating than a cougar would be. Thanks for the links. Those are excellent photos. MaryL > Yes, you're right about that. We saw a bobcat on the Shenandoah Drive years > ago, and it looked somewhat like an overgrown and rather shaggy house cat -- > definitely wild and with a rather "tufted" look to the ears, but a lot less > intimidating than a cougar would be. > Thanks for the links. Those are excellent photos. It's a great site all around - and a great place to visit! The Feline Conservation Center (FCC) in southern California: http://cathouse-fcc.org/ I was there a few years ago. Yoj or Dave, have you ever visited? Joyce >> For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >> of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >> >> Ginger-lyn Wow. Now *that's* something for the town to talk about. I wonder where he came from? Do you think it belongs to someone and got loose from them? If your animal control is like ours, I bet they're pretty nervous. Ours wouldn't have much experience with anything like that. I hope they don't kill it. Sherry >Wow. Now *that's* something for the town to talk about. I wonder where he came >from? Do you think it belongs to someone and got loose from them? If your >animal control is like ours, I bet they're pretty nervous. Ours wouldn't have >much experience with anything like that. I hope they don't kill it. > >Sherry It sure has got everyone talking. Guesses are a runaway/abandoned wild pet of some sort. No one is sure it's a lion; could be a cougar, and I've heard wolves mentioned, too (how can you not tell the difference between a wolf and a lion???). If they ever find whatever it is, the plan I have heard is to tranquilize it, not kill it. Ginger-lyn who has enough "wild" beasties to contend with inside ;-) >For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Ginger-lyn I've heard the same. A friend of mine lives in Columbia. She suspects a hoax. Theresa alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/ Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply disgraceful. (Aldous Huxley) >> For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >> of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Theresa Gahanna - I have a cousin who lives there. Never hear from that guy... maybe he was eaten by a lion. Jill Once in a long while, in the far western suburbs near the 'glades, residents sight a Florida panther (never in their yard or near houses) from afar in wooded areas....they evidently sometimes wander out of their habitat deep in the 'glades, but never for long. : >> For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), : >> of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] : : Jill >For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >one thing, though: if I see a lion in my backyard, I'm going to RUN >inside and bolt my doors! If the lion does exist, you would think that they would have found some very big footprints by now. Just in case, I would suggest walking, not running; you don't want to act like prey, at least not until you are out of sight of the predator. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > walking, not running; you don't want to act like prey, at least not > until you are out of sight of the predator. There are around 30,000 mountain lions living in 12 western states. Probably 50,000-60,000 in North America. I am sure there is at least one within ten miles of me now and I live in Las Vegas. I would bet there is one within 10 miles of the Bellagio or the Tropicana. Attacks are rare to non-existent. Its like swimming in the ocean. There are always sharks out there near by. No one worries about them because they aren't really dangerous. Your chance of being attacked is less than 1% of being hit by lightning. I wouldn't worry about it other than not to leave a pet out overnight. If there is one there, its preferred food is deer. It is probably chowing down on all the corn feed deer who haven't been exposed to a real predator in generations and is thinking life is good. >If the lion does exist, you would think that they would have found >some very big footprints by now. Just in case, I would suggest [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >=9eKj >-----END PGP SIGNATURE----- They did find some prints at a golf course yesterday, but experts didn't think they were lion prints, but weren't sure what they were. And, yeah, you got a point! Sauntering slowly while purring gently under my breath might be the best way to get inside and safe! ;-) Ginger-lyn > For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), > of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > one thing, though: if I see a lion in my backyard, I'm going to RUN > inside and bolt my doors! A few weeks back there were reports of sightings of "lion" in Denmark, then someone managed to get a pic of a large red/ginger tabby cat in the area ... :: lewe ------------------------------------------------------------- lewemi at yahoo dot se || cat pics: photos.yahoo.com/lewemi >> For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >> of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >A few weeks back there were reports of sightings of "lion" in Denmark, then >someone managed to get a pic of a large red/ginger tabby cat in the area ... Yeah, in the current Ohio case, somebody pointed out that someone previously reported a lion that turned out to be a Great Dane. Theresa My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/ > Yeah, in the current Ohio case, somebody pointed out that someone > previously reported a lion that turned out to be a Great Dane. And let's not forget a few months ago in the next town over from me (Redlands, CA), residents were reporting seeing a mountain lion prowling the neighborhood. After a few weeks of reports, one resident called in a sighting. Redlands Police called County Animal Control, who told the responding officers to wait for animal control to arrive on-scene. The police officers didn't wait, rolled by themselves. Got to the area where the sighting occured, saw a big cat, and killed it. When Animal Control arrived they said "congratulations, you just killed someone's kitty cat". It was a Maine Coon cat. I was proud of my self-control - I didn't go to the Redland PD and chew the officers a new one. But reports suggest that the chief of police did. A local farm boy (NE Oklahoma) tried to shoot my collie, claiming it was a deer. The "deer" was standing broadside to us in the middle of a road less than 50 yds. away. > Yeah, in the current Ohio case, somebody pointed out that someone > previously reported a lion that turned out to be a Great Dane. >A local farm boy (NE Oklahoma) tried to shoot my collie, claiming it was >a deer. The "deer" was standing broadside to us in the middle of a road >less than 50 yds. away. Oh, good Lord. Why am I not surprised. Last time I drove through NE Oklahoma, going to Ft. Gibson, many residents had orange vests on their deer statuary. Sherry >>A local farm boy (NE Oklahoma) tried to shoot my collie, claiming >>it was a deer. The "deer" was standing broadside to us in the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Sherry Here in Tennessee, some of the statues have been wearing red velvet sarongs lately (see http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/strange/042004_ap_sn_statue.html). A customer at a garden supply store in Hartsville, TN, complained that the nude concrete lawn statues were a little too revealing, so the store owners wrapped cloth around the statues, sarong-and-halter-top style. To everyone's surprise, once this aired on the national news, the statues suddenly started selling much faster than they had before. One man from out-of-state paid $150 for a statue, then had to pay over $300 to have it shipped to his home. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria > > For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), > > of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > A few weeks back there were reports of sightings of "lion" in Denmark, then > someone managed to get a pic of a large red/ginger tabby cat in the area ... stumbled on the picture of the Danish lion ... The cat was caught on film after rumours of lion, cougar, lynx etc sightings ... it had been described as being larger than a German Shepherd and was sighted close to a safari park with wild animals ... park staff later tracked it and found among other things that it had been standing under a twig that was 45 centimetres from the ground ... http://www.bt.dk/nyheder/artikel:aid=267858/ the headline is "The predator was - a house cat" :: lewe ------------------------------------------------------------- lewemi at yahoo dot se || cat pics: photos.yahoo.com/lewemi OTOH, Kelowna had a busy Mother's day, with an actual cougar wandering through a local camping ground and getting everybody all excited. Apparently some of the adults tried to follow it, but it lost them (good thing, too) And there were numerous sightings of a golden coated black bear in one subdivision. Kelowna isn't exactly out in the bush, but reported lion sightings here are usually genuine. Two years ago, a lady saw a pair of lynx hunting together ... in her back yard. She grabbed her own cat and went indoors, obviously (lynx aren't as big as cougars, but a hunting pair is plenty scary). That's only a few blocks from where I live. KLC >>>For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), >>>of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >>>one thing, though: if I see a lion in my backyard, I'm going to RUN >>>inside and bolt my doors! >OTOH, >Kelowna had a busy Mother's day, with an actual cougar wandering through >a local camping ground and getting everybody all excited. >Apparently some of the adults tried to follow it, but it lost them (good >thing, too) LOL Perhaps it would have been better if they'd got up with it - people who do things like that really shouldn't contribute to the gene pool. OK OK, that's a little harsh, especially since the couger would have probably been tracked down and killed as "problem/dangerous" >And there were numerous sightings of a golden coated black bear in one >subdivision. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >KLC Sounds like a great place to live. I'd like to go hunting there - armed with a camera equipped with a zoom lens and shooting from a VERY safe distance. Never been interested in the other type of hunting - never even been. I admit I did carry a sidearm while roaming around in Alaska, though. SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html > For about a week now, we've had stories in my area (Columbus, Ohio), > of numerous sightings of a lion wandering around the edges of the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > one thing, though: if I see a lion in my backyard, I'm going to RUN > inside and bolt my doors! ??? Are you sure they don't mean a *cougar*, otherwise known as a mountain lion? Not that I (like you) would be very happy to see one in my back yard... SignatureThe One-and-only Holy Moses? |
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