Cougar Sighting

by John Sickels on Mar 6, 2007 12:22 PM EST in News Comment 56 comments

We just saw a cougar in our neighbor's backyard.

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feature request

i'd like to see a smackdown between the cougar and tyler clippard.

by wily mo on Mar 6, 2007 12:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

not Clippard

The cougar only weighs 175 pounds, so I think a Lincecum vs. Cougar smackdown would be more interesting.

by FI on Mar 6, 2007 12:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

question for Wily

How did you respond to a post two minutes before John posted it? Cougar ESP?

I think that God in creating Man somewhat overestimated his ability. - Oscar Wilde

by Skellig on Mar 6, 2007 12:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

wow

thats an excellent question lol

Lincecum is the blood diamond.

by realityconquest on Mar 6, 2007 3:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Really?

Are you sure that's a cougar? I didn't think they ranged that far east in the U.S.

O.K., how would you rank Homer Bailey, Phil Hughes, and a cougar?

by FI on Mar 6, 2007 12:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

HAHAHAH

HAHAHAHAH!!!

Whos Phillip Hughes and Homer?

by ChrisRef19 on Mar 6, 2007 12:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

cougar

The animal control guy just stopped by and looked at the photo. He estimates the animal at 175 pounds, based on the size comparison with the utility trunk in the photo.

by John Sickels on Mar 6, 2007 12:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

cougar

We've been seeing them in our neighborhood, too, though our neighborhood is a long way from Kansas (Oregon).

by nwbb on Mar 6, 2007 12:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Could be...

A Kangaroo that is crouching down...

by ChrisRef19 on Mar 6, 2007 12:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

re

I wouldn't want to cross paths with that.

by rdf8585 on Mar 6, 2007 12:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

wow

i live in lawrence
i knew there had been many years of sightings but never any proof. whereabouts in lawrence do you livejohn?

by bkmhoxx on Mar 6, 2007 12:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

lawrence geography

We live kind of north and west--kind of the area of 6th and kasold.

JERI

by John Sickels on Mar 6, 2007 1:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

wow

that is unreal
did you guys take the photo?
has the LJW been out there yet?

by bkmhoxx on Mar 6, 2007 2:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

Yes, we took this photo, about 10:30 this morning. LJW doesn't know...the animal control people do. Please don't tell the LJW...we don't want to cause a panic.

by John Sickels on Mar 6, 2007 2:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

nope

i told a friend who lives up your way
but im not a media lover
so no worries there
i just think its amazing

can i ask what the animal control people said?

by bkmhoxx on Mar 6, 2007 2:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They said there have been sightings by others in various parts of the city, but not in this area and no sightings with photographs. The animal control guy seemed to think we were full of shit, or had seen a bobcat, until he saw the photo. He was a little bit shocked we think.

by John Sickels on Mar 6, 2007 3:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

interesting

i know people are to ignorant to realize these animals are very mobile (evidently they travel via following the rivers) and used to live in central and western kansas long ago but i figured animal control had seen them by now. i actually kinda figured they had darted several by now and removed them without ever informing the public. so it kind of surprised me that he would be so surprised.
did you get any other photos?
or was he moving fast?
sorry to be so nosy.
just very interested.

by bkmhoxx on Mar 6, 2007 3:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

cat

He was a lot closer to the house at first but moved quickly...we got just the one good photo.

by John Sickels on Mar 6, 2007 3:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

nice

well i must say
VERY GOOD JOB
people have been trying to get photos for a long time and everytime there is a sighting, they dont have a camera.
not to long ago a lady said she was stalked/followed by a cougar up by the river.
let us know if you ever see it again
thanks for the info!

by bkmhoxx on Mar 6, 2007 3:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cougar Sightings

I live up in North Dakota where there has always been cougars in the western 1/4 of the state. However, in the last 5 years they have been moving eastward quite quickly. Now, it is not out of the ordinary to watch them off my front porch in pretty highly populated (for North Dakota standards) areas.

by Terry Ryan Jr on Mar 6, 2007 12:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The Wiki entry...

is pretty interesting re: the comeback of the cougar and on its range. It has the greatest range of any North American mammal.

How about crystal ball for the cougar? I forsee a short career for him, of course unless he's a south paw.

by Brock20 on Mar 6, 2007 2:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

wikipedia

If a cat is attacking one of your group, throw rocks at it repeatedly, especially large (fist-sized or bigger) rocks. Mountain lions have no instinctive reaction to rocks being thrown at it, because none of their natural prey throws rocks, and the cat becomes bewildered by it. If 2 or 3 people throw rocks at a cougar it will usually retreat in fear and confusion, regardless of whether the rocks actually did any harm to it.[citation needed]

i love wikipedia.

by wily mo on Mar 6, 2007 2:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

actually, come to think of it

this would probably give clippard a big edge in the smackdown.

by wily mo on Mar 6, 2007 2:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

smackdown

... especially the part about how the rocks don't actually need to do any damage, since clippard wouldn't be throwing them that hard.

by wily mo on Mar 6, 2007 2:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

that was

a cheap shot lol

Lincecum is the blood diamond.

by realityconquest on Mar 6, 2007 3:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

[citation needed]

Means "I made this up".

I love (how the vast majority of things on) Wikipedia (have no source and are likely complete crap)

by Galt on Mar 6, 2007 2:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

wikiality

by Yakker on Mar 6, 2007 3:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The New Yorker this week

has a great snippet on how some 24-yr-old college dropout named Essjay has posed a Professor Emeritus (or maybe just a tenured prof) of religion as part of his Administrator priveleges for proofing/editing/arbitrating Wikipedia content. Most disturbing part is some Top Banana from Wiki being quoted as saying that he doesn't see a problem with the deception.

(note to self - don't ever trust Wikipedia).

by siddfynch on Mar 6, 2007 8:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

My favorite part...

"because none of their natural prey throws rocks"

by Boxkutter on Mar 7, 2007 10:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Send the cougar this way

Ever since our dog (Otis) died, we have had a herd of about 20 deer that are ravishing our plants.

We could use a cougar in our woods here in Virginia!

The foxes are not doing anything out there!

Maybe it's time to get a new dog!

"... I'd wish both of those wretched, horrible, corrupt, sniveling, craptastic parties would shut the hell up already." - Basil; www.federalball.com

by kmcsql on Mar 6, 2007 1:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Jackal

Is it a jackal? Jackal, jackal it looks like a jackal, is it a jackal?

by Galt on Mar 6, 2007 1:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

haha

family guy funny

by AucklandGM on Mar 6, 2007 1:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

what color is your neighbor's house?

if it's a little pink house, that might explain why he's chosen to lurk there...

by zimm on Mar 6, 2007 2:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I

would name him Apples.

1941 .406

by FrozenTed9 on Mar 6, 2007 2:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Any other fans of

"How I Met Your Mother"?

Before the photo loaded I wondered if Jane Seymour had wandered into John's neighbor's backyard.

I don't get enjoyment out of reading baseball books. I'd rather watch a sci-fi movie on TV. -Joe Morgan, Emmy winning BASEBALL analyst

by gatling on Mar 6, 2007 3:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Nice Catch John

Very few people have taken pictures of the Cougar. Elusive creatures.

There are stories here and there about them around here in the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. No official sightings and I haven't seen pictures. But I know friends that have seen them.

The states don't want to have any proof because then they would have to protect the animal.

by VtTigers on Mar 6, 2007 5:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Wow.

I'd be scared shitless if I had kids. They've been known to snag kids - so please be careful. Yard fenced in? I'd also suggest getting some deterant for the perimeter of your yard. I know you can buy wolf piss at the hardware store, but if you have wolves in the area, that may defeat the purpose.

I ate a Grand Slam @ Denny's yesterday... pooped out a 2 run double today.

by slurve on Mar 6, 2007 7:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

It just so happens....

that one of my fellow grad students (way back when) studied "public reaction to cougars" in the state of Montana, as part of his "Human Dimension in Wildife" doctorate (I kid you not - there's a degree for everything!).

Anyway, one thing that was pretty clear from his years of study is that the cougars pose a pretty minimal threat to people. He had a canned presentation in which he listed all the things more dangerous than a cougar...letting your kid open a can of soup....letting your kid run around alone at the mall for an hour...I exagerrate a little, but the point was that they are really ubiquitous, and the percentage of negative interactions is really, really low.

His presentation always got a big laugh when he pointed out that people felt safer on the Interstate than in front of a cougar - and in a state with no speed limit (the Interstate is more dangerous than a cougar encounter).

That being said, John, don't sacrifice a goat, climb inside it, and leave it in the yard overnight.

by siddfynch on Mar 6, 2007 8:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, but

is that the whole story? Was it a study based on percentages or was it trying to compare # of occurences to other accidents? For instance, if I say riding a bike is safer than walking by pointing the total numbers of people killed doing each, it's a little misleading. It's misleading because there were a lot more people walking than biking. The number of times a kid opens up a can of soup or runs around the mall is going to be FAR greater than number of encounters with a cougar.

Would you be willing to let your kids go out and play tonight after seeing that, or would you scoff it off and say there's a better chance of them being hit by lightining even though the sky is clear...

I ate a Grand Slam @ Denny's yesterday... pooped out a 2 run double today.

by slurve on Mar 6, 2007 9:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

From what I have read

I wouldn't let my kids out at night after seeing that. However Cougar's typically would not attack a child unless they were starving or could not find their natural diet.

by VtTigers on Mar 6, 2007 9:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

all the risk factors are standardized for exposure rate. It's a pretty serious science program. Good points, though. The lack of such standardization is a major problem in media reporting of various stories.

by siddfynch on Mar 6, 2007 9:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This is a good point.

They have a wide range of territory. Its unlikely that John will ever see this thing in his backyard again.

by VtTigers on Mar 6, 2007 9:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Didn't see your last question, Slurve

about letting the kids play at night.

Yeah, I guess I would let 'em go out night, as long as they were educated about how to reduce the risks.

Brown bears ("grizzly" bears) are a fact of life in my neighborhood...and people just use caution when letting their kids go out at night. No need for a lockdown, just exercise of caution.

Her's the title of that mtn lion study I referenced: "Integration of environmental, biological, and human dimensions for management of mountain lions (Puma Concolor) in Montana".

You can find the full report at:

http://www.fw.msu.edu/people/riley/PHD-DISS%20Complete.pdf

by siddfynch on Mar 6, 2007 9:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

cougars...

...are actually most prone to attack a human when they are jogging. It happened a few times in CA: a cougar, like your pet cat, will sometimes get excited by moving objects with bright colors, and pounce on them. But, in this case the cat weighs 200 lbs, so it's no fun to play with.

(And even that is extremely rare, more people are killed by lightning than mountain lions)

The House That Dewey Built http://www.deweyshouse.com

by SmokeyJoeWood on Mar 7, 2007 10:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

No one should ever mind...

when Californians gets mauled. For crying out loud, they vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger to be their governor. I still can't believe we got two state governors from the movie "Predator".

by Boxkutter on Mar 7, 2007 10:49 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Real Question?

Is...can you drive a car with a live cougar inside?

by Dfarth on Mar 6, 2007 7:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I can't believe...

that it took reading this far down the page to get to a Ricky Bobby joke. I thought I had the readership of this site pegged pretty well until right now...

by Fundamentals on Mar 6, 2007 10:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

It took me a while to get to the thread...and I apologize for that. Better late than never...

Shake and Bake baby!

by Dfarth on Mar 7, 2007 10:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Like the Gyroball

Now that we know the cougar actually exists....

Has Boras' people talked to the cougars handlers, and what is his MLB ETA?

"Strikeouts are good...groundballs are better. Home runs are okay...but walks SUCK!" Mike Caldwell

by Torncuff on Mar 6, 2007 9:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The cougar

is not talking to the media. Clearly he is following Boras instructions well.

Theres' a lot of hype here, though - the cougar is really a 2-tool player. Think Willy Wilson, but with better speed.

by siddfynch on Mar 6, 2007 9:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Cougar

is headed back to Kane County.

I ate a Grand Slam @ Denny's yesterday... pooped out a 2 run double today.

by slurve on Mar 6, 2007 10:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Probably was out looking for Kim Bauer

by pjr55ct on Mar 6, 2007 11:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I say Lincecum can take the cougar.

He hits it with one of those rocks talked about earlier.(i know it was made up) 98mph Fastball to the ribs. 97mph Fastball to the ribs when he charges Lincecum, for strike 2. Then he drops a hammer curve, the Cougar still charging, ducks thinking its another fastball and gets plucked on the freaking head with the curve, knocked out for strike three.

by Maxima231 on Mar 7, 2007 9:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs