Pumas may be in your neighborhood !!!

See a big cat? Puma network wants to know

August 16th, 2008 · No Comments

By ALLISON WOOD Staff Writer

Those in Sharon Township and others who claim to have seen a large cat that could possibly be a puma are encouraged to report all sightings to the Eastern Puma Research Network, an organization dedicated to confirming sightings and educating the public about the elusive animals.

Because they are nocturnal and shy of humans, sightings of pumas, also known as mountain lions, cougars or panthers, are hard to confirm.

“The only way to find out is to investigate each sighting,” director John Lutz said in an interview Wednesday.

He runs the organization from his home near Maysville, W.Va., located in the Potomac Highlands and a place where there have been many confirmed puma sightings.

The organization’s Web site, www.easternpumaresearch.com/index.htm, has pictures of a mountain lion’s paw prints along with more information, such as how to behave if finding one and how to attempt photographing it.

“They won’t just attack without provocation,” Lutz said, because pumas are nocturnal and shy of humans.

While there is a sizable population of pumas in northern Michigan, there are fewer reported sightings in Ohio, he said.

Most of the sightings in Ohio usually were in state forests and parks in the southeastern part of the state, but the organization has received reports of sightings in Medina County, Lutz said.

In March, someone reported seeing a large cat slip into the woods near Chippewa Lake and also thought it was responsible for eating a goat.

White-tail deer are the favorite prey of pumas, but they will attack injured or aged farm animals, according to the organization Web site.

In April, someone reported seeing 4-inch-wide paw prints, the average size of a puma’s, in an area between Brunswick and Medina, Lutz said.

A puma’s paws have four toes and are oval-shaped, making them different from a dog’s, which are more elongated. They also do not like to get their paws dirty, so they tend not to walk anywhere they would leave a paw print, such as in a muddy area, he said.

Lutz said he did not receive reports of recent sightings by Sharon Township residents or the Medina Line Road resident who said he was attacked and scratched by one last week.

Every day, Lutz said he receives calls and e-mails about sightings all over the country, including a report of a rumored puma attack in Missouri on Wednesday.

To confirm sightings, the organization placed 75 cameras in nine states to see if they could get one, but haven’t been able to capture an image so far, he said.

In December, Lutz also was interviewed about his work in an episode of “MonsterQuest,” a program on The History Channel about monster hunts.

To report a sighting, e-mail epuma@hardynet.com

Wood may be reached at 330-721-4050 or allisonwood@ohio.net.