Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Local lion; unknown provenance

If the subject were Barry's birthplace or did that UFO really, really land atop the Washington Monument, I could check in with Snopes. Not so when the email subject is so very local; I can't imagine how the intertubes' resident truth seekers would ever get involved in such a parochial email subject as a mountain lion appearing on someone's doorstoop in Prescott.

In any event, I was among many receiving an email with these excellent pictures. It explained, this big cat's picture was taken a few weeks back right outside of a home in Prescott, Arizona. Our two labs had been barking and doing all sorts of unusual things so we had just opened the door and let them inside. Now we know why they were going crazy. We were about to call someone when the animal disappeared. It took about 24 hrs. for our dogs to get relaxed.

Hoping to get 1) permission to use the photos and 2) possible info about the neighborhood where the cat visited, I did a follow-up email to my source. Turns out I am at the end of a long line of forwards, with no way of knowing the truth.

All I can say is that sightings of pumas happen regularly hereabouts and that the house and surround look as though they might well be in Prescott. And, hey, it's a cool set of pictures!

24 comments:

OmegaMom said...

Whoa! How very cool! It would be interesting to find out where it actually was, talk to the folks it happened to...

Here is one mountain lion email listed on Snopes: Patio mountain lion/SD or Iowa

The others are mountain lions killed in AZ, Kansas, mule attacking mountain lion, etc.

Catalyst said...

Julie. Might want to check with the Prescott Lions Club. :^>

Great photos, where-ever they came from. He (or she) is a beautiful creature and seems very much at ease.

Barney, The Old Fat Man said...

This lion really has gotten around the country in the last three years or at least the pictures have. It is in a different state about every five months.

Steve said...

Regardless of where it appeared, those are some pretty good photos. Glad all I have to deal with are squirrels.

Judy said...

Very cool indeed! A big cat where it shouldn't be is always an interesting subject.

JeanW said...

Neat photos. Last year the near west side of Chicago had a cougar scare which turned out to be a young 2 yr old male originally from eastern Montana according to his tag. Ended up dead when the police cornered it in a dead end alley. From all the signs on him he'd been traveling for about 4 months. Brookfield Zoo said he was the right age to have been kicked out of mom's area and forced to find his own with females and no other males around. Not to easy to find in these days.

Granny J said...

dotter -- apparently I was wrong about Snopes & local lion activity! Thanks for the look-up & link.

cat-A -- I'd say that it was one well fed feline!

ofm -- really? Have you seen these pictures before? I wouldn't be surprised, tho the surround really does look like Prescott scenery...

steve -- squirrels are easy...

jarart -- interesting -- and somewhat scary.

jeanw -- too bad the wanderer was killed -- he deserved better!

Friendsofamos said...

My roommate and I are planning on getting chickens for our coop in the backyard and were having a conversation about it with our neighbor. Specifically with what wildlife we might expect to make attempts on our birds. He went on to assure us we didn't need to worry about the mountain lion anymore since it had been hit by a car last July. Before that it had been living in the rocks behind Acker Park...

Changes in the wind said...

So if you ran into him do you say kitty, kitty.....Can't imagine this cat looking in my window.....

Granny J said...

amos -- right on the edge of more-or-less wilderness, I'd worry about my chickens, too. Primarily the coyotes.

changes -- I suppose one could say, "hi, handsome!"

Sandy said...

Lovely creature... hate hearing that any of them get killed by overly-hyped officers who may not have skills to deal...
If you have him or her looking in YOUR window, that would be very interesting as I recall you saying you are now on the second floor!
Thanks for sharing this interesting set of photos...

Kathleen said...

Very cool pictures - ah - as long as it isn't my porch! roflol! We have had 'cats' out here a few times - gets a little spooky to get up and find cat tracks.

Changes in the wind said...

Hope you don't mind but I have posted these pictures on my blog as well....they are just too amazing.....

Granny J said...

sandy -- actually, I could see something like that beautiful cat through the hallway windows as I walk to the dining room. Just not very likely!

frame -- I'm rather surprised at cougars showing up out in the flats of Paulden. It doesn't strike me as country where it would be easy to hide -- though I guess there is a fair amount of domesticated prey out there.

changes -- be my guest! I've no idea where the pix originated. but they certainly are cool.

Lucy said...

Isn't he beautiful! It always amazes me just what big wildlife you have in the US.

Kathleen said...

GJ - There are actually cougar in the hills north of Paulden. They usually stay up there unless there is no 'hunting' for them. Then they come looking for lunch...

Granny J said...

lucy -- I suspect we still have big animals here because this continent has never had the population pressure of the Eurasian continent. We actually have not just one but three big cats (cougar, ocelot, jaguar) tho the latter two are seldom found north of the Mexico border.

frame -- right! I should have thought of those mesas & canyons; excellent lion turf.

Gerald (SK14) said...

Fascinating story!

Avus said...

Well, it sure beats the hedgehog which lived under my garden shed last year.

Granny J said...

hyde -- fascinating, but wish I could verify it!

avus -- but hedgehogs are such cute little guys & not likely to kill oneself!

Desert Cat said...

We had a cougar cruise through here a couple weeks ago. I didn't see it, but my neighbor did. He took a shot at it but missed (dang him for trying). I searched for and found his tracks on my parcel.

Cougars are far more common down here than I am truly comfortable with. I hear sighting reports all the time up and down the valley. He oughtn't be able to get into the chicken coop at night, but I worry about him jumping the fence and making off with one of my domestic cats. I probably shouldn't worry since rabbits and hares are so abundant down here, and if he's really hungry there are calves to be had.

Granny J said...

dc -- too bad you've got someone with a hair trigger finger in you neck of the woods! On the other hand, I hope that you livestock stays nice & safe out there in the countryside!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, cool pics, regardless...

Fez said...

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184268

Pics were posted up there in February by a guy who claims they were taken in Wyoming by his aunt's friend.

 
Photo Blog Blog Top Sites Blog Directory for Prescott, AZ

Local Blogs - Blog Top Sites