Mountain Lion in Acton, MA

[pk]

> The Chief writes:
>................................................. ............................
>..........................
>
>Yesterday I was approached by a citizen who I know to be an upstanding and
>trustworthy individual. He told me that early in the morning he was on
>Henley Road in Acton and saw a large mountain lion. Henley Road is off Rt.
>2A in the area of the Village of Nagog Woods. I know that there have been
>similar reports over the past few years in the Westford area.
>
>I am sending this message for several reasons:
>
>* To alert people who live or walk in the area so they may protect their
>children, pets or themselves.
>* To request that Dore' send it to the ANN distribution list for
>whatever area he thinks appropriate.
>* In the hope that Julien will include it in the Beacon for further
>resident notification.
>
>The resident who made the report will also get a copy of this message and I
>will leave it up to him as to whether he wishes to identify himself and/or
>provide further information.
>
>
>Frank J. Widmayer III
>Chief of Police
>Acton Police Department
>P.O. Box 2212
>Acton, MA 01720
>(978) 263-2911

[AA]

This is obviously some kind of mistake, my take on what happened is that PK's abnormally large cat (Patrick) roamed a little further than his normal range and scared someone pretty bad..... Just kidding. Actually this is kind of interesting. I hope someone puts out a wildlife camera and gets some pictures of this bad boy.

[ArmOnFire]

Whoa!
That's crazy, and to think, I was going to ride at lunch today

[hammerhead]

It is kind of interesting that these reports of Mtn Lion sightings come up in New England every once in a while. I suppose those of us who ride before dawn or after dusk should be aware of the potential for these animals to be out there, but on the other hand, what - other than not riding, can you do to protect yourself from a 200lb cat? If one of these nearly perfect predators gets a line on you, you are done.
I prefer to assume two things about mtn lions in our woods. 1. that he just ate a deer and has a full and happy tummy and 2. that he thinks deer are much tastier than a 185lb human with a really bright eye puffing up a hill on 25 lbs of aluminum.

[ArmOnFire]

I just let some co-workers who venture in this area know:

here is one response ( a little politically infused though)

No surprise! My parents lived in Westford up to last year and several neighbors had seen it around the Flushing Pond area - 1 mile from their house. That's what happens when you decimate their natural habitat, they start wondering around looking for food and a new home....

[BigMac]

Hey Hammer, I guess we will have to start carrying a handgun on our early morning Amish rides-HaHa
Actually this is rather scary, you cant run and you shurly cant stand still and hope they leave you alone, but hey think about this how much pounding does your bike usually take?, whats a little more.....

[hammerhead]

Mac, this is one reason I never ride at Toby alone. I am quite sure I saw one of these critters about an hour before dawn near the water fall on Falls Rd in Sunderland a couple years ago. As you know that is only about a mile and a half from where we start the Toby rides. No amount of assurances that, 'these haven't been in this part of NE for 100 years', can make me ignore what I thought I saw.

[hogboy]

Acton has some thick woods a cat can sneak around easy

[bike187]

some people should go out a winter day after some light snow and see if they can verify with some tracks. probably a large group with air horns and tranquilizer guns just in case

[pk]

Acton has some thick woods a cat can sneak around easy


Hey Hogboy. Long time -- hope all is good in ME!

Yes still a lot of woods in Acton, but with lots of backyards making wildlife cooridors few and narrow.

My house abuts one of the corridors and I've seens some decent animalage. In my backyard I've had: turkeys, foxes, coyotes, oppossum, deer, (never a moose), vultures, and even a BLACK BEAR! The bear hung out for about 45 minutes lounging and standing on its hind legs to scratch some trees.

My dog wanted to go play with it, but I decided it might get ugly.

pk

[Jisch]

some people should go out a winter day after some light snow and see if they can verify with some tracks. probably a large group with air horns and tranquilizer guns just in case


Whether the big cats roam anywhere in NE has been a point of contention for some time. The scientists say "no way". If I remember correctly there has been only one DNA test on scat that proved it was from a mountain lion. The main thing the scientists point to is the lack of space a cat like that requires. While there certainly are plenty of deer around (the mountain lion's main food) it takes a lot of space to get to the quantities necessary to maintain a population of cats. Personally I believe they are here and have been for a long time. I also saw a study on a radio collared cat's movement out in CA. During the night the cat regularly came down out of the hills, crossed two highways and prowled a somewhat suburban area, yet no one had ever reported a cat sighting in the area. They are pretty stealthy.

As far as bringing a weapon to protect yourself. I say that its probably only beneficial for your riding buddy. If a big cat stalks you, you won't know about it until its much too late to get a gun out. On the other hand if you're a slow rider and you're buddy is not, well then maybe you'll come around a corner and be able to scare away or kill the cat that's got him in its jaws.

In any event there are certainly more mountain bikers and lions in CA, and there have been only two recorded attacks. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it, deer are a food source, mountain bikers are not.

John

[iceman]

I wouldn't be suprised to find that they are here, just because we don't see them dosen't mean they arn't there.
IE: fisher cats.

I'm thinking that I might finnally find another use for that cayanne pepper in the cubbard. hehehe

[MTBME]

Remember this is what the experts tells us. If you see one, don't run or in this case turn your back and start pedaling out of there. (Hmm that might be tough) Your suppose to face the animal, raise your arms over your head to appear bigger than he is. (Maybe raising the bike over your head might be a bonus) So what happens next if the cat isn't intimidated? I think your suppose to back away real slowly hoping for the best. Another reason not to bike alone I guess.

[minkhiller]

Here in the NH town of Sutton multiple residents have reported seeing a mountain lion. The NH Fish & Games response was that there are no mountain lions in NH. One resident said he would shoot it to provide proof, the Fish & Game said it is illegal to shoot mountain lions in the state. If there are none why is it illegal to shoot them?

[Coolriding]

Rode at Great Brook today and am happy to report no mountain lions....

[pk]

More from Acton's Police Chief:


At 1:30 a.m. today residents of Mohawk Drive (Indian Village) reported
hearing a loud growling noise outside their home. Officers responding
heard the same growling noises and saw deer running scared through the
area. The Environmental Police were contacted and advised the officers
to stay out of the woods for the night hours and they will follow up
today. Officers at one point saw the animal and described it as a long
tan cat possibly 5 to 6 feet in length staying very low to the ground.

_Residents are advised to use caution in or near wooded areas_.

Frank J. Widmayer III
Chief of Police
Acton Police Department
P.O. Box 2212
Acton, MA 01720
(978) 263-2911
.................................................. .................................................. ......

[vinnycactus]

that's some scary ****. i was out walking my dog this weekend and heard something rustling in the woods. i called the dog back since he recently got hit by a porcupine. we kept walking and the animal kept following us. finally i decided to leash the dog and go see what it was. when i came up on it this is what i found:


























http://www.bustedspoke.com/PhotosP/phpKmHDX6

scared the crap out of me.

[T Grimble]

5 - 6 feet long, Tan colored?
Philip, That sounds a lot like your cat. You should keep him inside for a day or two and see if the complaints subside.

[pk]

Decent info here:

http://www.mountainlion.org/facts.asp

Some details:

Mountain lions are way more likely to be active at night or dusk or dawn
than during the light of day.

There main food source is likely to be deer, which there are plenty of
here, but they will eat other animals - they are resourceful and
flexible. Certainly domestic cats are at risk. Dogs are less of a risk
- in fact, dogs are often used to protect against attacks. But I
wouldn't want to be a dog actively chasing after a mountain lion -
leashes might be a good idea especially near dusk or dawn.

If you encounter a mountain lion, be tall - don't crouch. Make noise.
Don't turn your back. In other words, look & act like a predator, not
like prey. But the chances you will actually see one (as opposed to
hearing one) are small.

The urban strays usually are younger cougars pushed out of more
traditional habitat by older, larger cats. Most come to town in search
of food, and they tend to be small and skinny for their age.

The mountain lion typically lives and hunts alone -- each one has a large
territory of many square miles -- except for about 18 months of childhood
(typically one or two surviving children per mother mountain lion).

So not only does this "job" thing prevent me from riding all day every day, but now the trails around the office park are infested with killer beasts :-\

[ArmOnFire]

forget the pre-work rides (@ dawn), or the lunch rides....

I'll just continue to post here instead ;D

Much safer, as long as I don't mention anything political

[AA]

I just looked on mapquest and the original sighting was on the north side of RT 2, the latest sighting is on the south side of RT 2 and moving closer to my house. Bad kitty, bad bad kitty.

[pk]

Here's a picture of one of the paw prints sent to me by Acton's Natural Resource director. They were taken behind Idylwilde Farm.

pk

[AA]

I usually dont add smilies to posts but....

:o :o :o :o :o :o :o

[MTBME]

A picture is truely worth a thousand words. And who's the dope that keeps saying they haven't been in these parts for 100 years?

[pk]

Here's another pic that shows the difference between cat and dog.

pk

[truckboy]

This is too cool for words, although I don't think I'll be riding in Acton OR Weston any time soon. Phillip, I hope you don't mind my pillaging your pics to post on the Rage forum. They're just too cool. Especially the one with a dog print.

[pk]

I couldn't resist checking out the tracks first hand. Pretty cool, indeed.

Here's another pic.
pk

[AA]

from mountainlion.org


12 Safety Tips

Encounters with cougars are rare. But if you live, work or recreate in cougar habitat, there are things you can do to enhance your safety and that of friends and family.

1. When it comes to personal safety, always be aware of your surroundings, wherever you are; conduct yourself and attend to children and dependents accordingly.



2. Landscape for safety. Remove vegetation that provides cover for cougars. Remove plants that attract wildlife (deer, raccoons, etc.). By attracting them you naturally attract their predator—the cougar.

3. Don’t feed wildlife. Don’t leave pet food outside. Both may attract cougars by attracting their natural prey.

4. Keep pets secure. Roaming pets are easy prey for cougars.

5. Confine and secure any livestock (especially at night) in pens, sheds, and barns.

6. Don’t approach a cougar. Most cougars want to avoid humans. Give a cougar the time and space to steer clear of you.

7. Supervise children, especially outdoors between dusk and dawn. Educate them about cougars and other wildlife they might encounter.

8. Always hike, backpack, and camp in wild areas with a companion.

9. Never run past or from a cougar. This may trigger their instinct to chase. Make eye contact. Stand your ground. Pick up small children without, if possible, turning away or bending over.

10. Never bend over or crouch down. Doing so causes humans to resemble four-legged prey animals. Crouching down or bending over also makes the neck and back of the head vulnerable.

11. If you encounter a cougar, make yourself appear larger, more aggressive. Open your jacket, raise your arms, throw stones, branches, etc., without turning away. Wave raised arms slowly, and speak slowly, firmly, loudly to disrupt and discourage predatory behavior.

12. Try to remain standing to protect head and neck and, if attacked, fight back with whatever is at hand (without turning your back)—people have utilized rocks, jackets, garden tools, tree branches, and even bare hands to turn away cougars.

[minkhiller]

If it will help the local authorities at all you can tell them it take a lot more than a dollar and five cents to trap one of these things.

[pk]

Trap?

I'm rooting for the cougar! It'll keep us fat and squishy suburbanites on our toes.

pk

[off piste]

Unfortunatly, the cat will be the one to pay the price :(

[Coolriding]

Dogs are less of a risk - in fact, dogs are often used to protect against attacks. But I wouldn't want to be a dog actively chasing after a mountain lion - leashes might be a good idea especially near dusk or dawn.



Re: Dogs and mountain lions - from the web. I remeber readeing about this several years ago:

"This cat is very powerful, but also very intelligent. The March/April 1996 issue of Outdoor California, a publication of California Department of Fish & Game contains the report of a large male killing a 105 pound Akita within 30 yards of a house. The cat then dragged the carcass into nearby brush to feed on the animal. the next day,when the dog's owner tracked the cat he found the tables turned...the cougar had circled and was stalking him! "

[pk]

Good thing I got a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Their mission in life is hunting big cats! (Editors note: mine is a wus!).

http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/rhodrdge.cfm

http://wintermute.sr.unh.edu/ridgeback/elvis/images/watchdog-s.jpg

pk

[boingboing]

Ok, I haven't been keeping up with all of the fine documentaries on the Discovery channel so I'm going to ask a stupid question. A Bobcat and Lynx are similar right? Is a mountain lion pretty much the same thing? I didn't know if they got their name based on their region. Kinda like Hurricane (Atlantic), Typhoon (Pacific), and I forgot what those storms are called over the Indian ocean. Anyway, I'm curious since last Saturday Big Mac and I stumbled across a Bobcat riding at Dry (lots of standing water) Hill.

[johnbryanpeters]

Here's a picture of one of the paw prints sent to me by Acton's Natural Resource director. They were taken behind Idylwilde Farm.

pk


Are you sure that's not a bobcat print? Looks about the right size...

[pk]

Mountain Lion

http://www.borealforest.org/zoo/cougar.jpg

Bobcat

http://www.rmpbs.org/learn/frontier/images/i_wwest/bobcat.jpg

pk

[Coolriding]

A bobcat is a lynx (type of large cat)

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/plaza/abf90/bobcat.htm

A mountain lion is a puma (a very large cat}

http://home.globalcrossing.net/~brendel/puma.html

To answer your question, they are not the same.

[boingboing]

Thanks for the pics PK. I was just getting to looking that up, but you saved me the time. I didn't know Puma/Mtn Lions resided in this area. Now another animal to scare the $h!t out of me on those early morning rides.

[AA]

this site has some good photos of cougar prints..

http://www.bear-tracker.com/cougar.html

it appears that we have a cougar here folks

[jaime]

Looks like I'm gonna have to forgo my favorite mid-ride snack food for a while...tuna sandwiches, I'm going to miss you!!

[CouchingTiger]

And here's some cougar scat, just in case you "step in it" ;D

http://www.bear-tracker.com/cougscatbig.jpg

-Couch

[nhiker]

If I come across a cougar on the trail you will know because there will be a big pile of Harry scat! :o :o :o ::)

I'll be heading out around noon for my usual loop, wish me luck.

Anyone else do regular lunch rides in the area? We should band together, since cougars hate a crowd.

[ArmOnFire]

I might be up for that

I work in Acton, were do you ride at lunch?

Let me know

Dan

[Scott O]

I'd rather see a cougar on my ride than the naked fells runner. Does anyone have pics of his footprints?

[truckboy]

Just yell for boing boing's Gazoo!!! Like Fred and Barney used to.
He'll call you a "dum dum" but he'll bail you out. Jeez, I thought I was the only one who rememberred that character.

Back to the cat: Somebody was talking about carrying an air horn. Anybody have an opinion about that? I guess it's not much good if he jumps on your back and grabs your head before you can press the button. Who know's if it would even scare him.

I might be up for that

I work in Acton, were do you ride at lunch?

Let me know

Dan


We leave from Nagog Park around noon, and we usually hit Sarah Doublet, Grassy Pond, Nagog Hill, cross back over 2A and ride the Wills Hole area. Typically 60-75 minutes of riding with few stops, especially when it's this cold out!

-ed

[pk]

Looks like the police is concerned about public safety. Heard second hand that the Camber of Commerce was considering offering a bounty..... I hope not!

pk

[ArmOnFire]

evilE, check your PM


WAAF this morning suggested to get it with a tranqulizer gun and cart it up to NH.

[T Grimble]

PK, Ridgeback may be bred for hunting big cats but do you really think that Ben is up for the task?

Couch, I know you have posted a lot of SH!t to the forum but this is the first time it was literal.

I hope they leave this cat alone. If it hasn't displayed any agressive tendancies why kill it?

[CouchingTiger]

We're gonna go out tonight and look for it (though PK, AA and Jamie don't know that; oops).

I want to pet it ;D

-Couch

[AA]

As with most things in my life I use the Simpsons as a guide.

"wont you please think of the children"

I remember an episode where a bear wanders into Springfield to eat out of trash barrels and everyone in town becomes paniced. The "Bear Patrol" is mobilized. This highly armed task force (including stealth fighter planes w/ "Bear Patrol" logos) again makes Springfield safe. The backlash of this is the "Bear Tax" that leads to another wacky Simpsons plot line.

So PK get ready for the "Mountain Lion Patrol" to become mobilized. Until then all outdoor recess, soccer games, and nature walks have been canceled in Acton.

[johnbryanpeters]

A bobcat is a lynx (type of large cat)

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/plaza/abf90/bobcat.htm

A mountain lion is a puma (a very large cat}

http://home.globalcrossing.net/~brendel/puma.html

To answer your question, they are not the same.

I didn't say they were the same. I said the track looks like a bobcat track.

[Coolriding]

A bobcat is a lynx (type of large cat)

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/plaza/abf90/bobcat.htm

A mountain lion is a puma (a very large cat}

http://home.globalcrossing.net/~brendel/puma.html

To answer your question, they are not the same.

I didn't say they were the same. I said the track looks like a bobcat track.


My bad...

[turch]

As odd as it may seem I believe that we may have been jumping to conclusions regarding a big cat. On another forum, easterncougar (a SUG interested in substantiating the existence of the mountain lion in the eastern/northeastern US), I put up an advisory yesterday referencing our own forum thread. Since that time a couple of respected wildlife trackers, Ken Miller (visited the sites along with another tracker) and Paul Rezendes (reviewed the track pictures) have concluded that the tracks are of a large canine (apparently a cat has a square or trapizoidal center pad whereas a canine has a triangular one, see cougar examples at: http://www.bear-tracker.com/cougar.html.). There is also not much to go on regarding the 1:30am -2:00am brief sighting to draw a conclusion (despite the vocalizations).

So while I remain intrigued and hopeful that we will see additional positive evidence materialize, I fear that we may be letting our imaginations and desire control our perception of this situation. Either way I hope that no one gets hurt, human or animal.

[pk]

As I look at the pictures I took, I am also growing skeptical. A couple of the shots of the same paw show what might be seen as a claw. And the base of the foot doesn't appear to have the lobed pattern of a cat.

That said, I await the experts to hash it out.

An Audobon biologist says it's 100% cat. Paul Rezendes says it's 99% canid.

Meanwhile, I hope some knucklehead doesn't go hunting for it and shoot something.

pk

[Jisch]

On another forum, easterncougar (a SUG interested in substantiating the existence of the mountain lion in the eastern/northeastern US), I put up an advisory yesterday referencing our own forum thread.


Link to the thread? ===> NM found it on Yahoo groups

John

[off piste]

evilE, check your PM


WAAF this morning suggested to get it with a tranqulizer gun and cart it up to NH.


Where do you think it came from? ;D

[turch]

geez, in my haste I neglected to specify the forum location. Yes, it's on easterncougar on yahoo!groups.

[johnbryanpeters]

As I look at the pictures I took, I am also growing skeptical. A couple of the shots of the same paw show what might be seen as a claw. And the base of the foot doesn't appear to have the lobed pattern of a cat.

That said, I await the experts to hash it out.

An Audobon biologist says it's 100% cat. Paul Rezendes says it's 99% canid.

Meanwhile, I hope some knucklehead doesn't go hunting for it and shoot something.

pk

It's a cat, it's a dog, it's an elephant, it's a Martian... ;D I second the no shooting motion.

In an attempt to derail the thread, it's getting cold and slippery up this way. Dark. too. And oh, yeah, we do have coyotes here...

J

[Jisch]

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=53427

State wildlife expert says Acton `lion' likely a bobcat
By Herald staff
Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Cops are warning folks in Acton to be on the lookout for a big cat,
but state officials say it is most likely a bobcat mistaken for its
much larger kin.

MassWildlife officials yesterday said there is no evidence the
feline phantom spotted last week and again Monday was a mountain
lion. Environmental police combed parts of the town yesterday in
search of tracks.

``We do want people to know that whatever is out there probably
has no interest in people so they should be feeling safe and going
about their business,'' MassWildlife biologist Marion Larson said.

While Larson said the occasional exotic pet gets loose in the
Bay State, residents generally spot bobcats and confuse them for
mountain lions or cougars - which are native to the West. That's
what happened earlier this year in Beverly and Charlton, Larson
said.

But Kenneth Sundberg still insists he saw a mountain lion last
week on Henley Road in Acton. Sundberg, who said he has seen a caged
mountain lion before, was behind the wheel when he watched the cat
cross the street in front of him about 5 a.m.

``I was kind of in disbelief saying what the heck was that?
Then I said, `Oh, I know what that was,' '' he said.

Acton Police Chief Frank Widmayer said two of his officers saw
a mountain lion chasing deer Monday. He believes it's a loose pet.

``I say it's a mountain lion,'' Widmayer said. ``My officers
said it was a mountain lion. So did the guy who reported it last
week.''

[boingboing]

``We do want people to know that whatever is out there probably
has no interest in people so they should be feeling safe and going
about their business,'' MassWildlife biologist Marion Larson said.


a mountain lion chasing deer Monday. He believes it's a loose pet.

Ok First maybe Marion Larson should do a solo ride at 7 am just to check things out for us.
Second A mountain lion chasing a deer just a loose pet? I didn't realize these were common house broken animals.

[truckboy]

Who keeps Mountain Lions as pets!?

Where can I get one?!

[pk]

Article in Boston Globe:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/11/12/town_pounces_on_lion_tales/

Friday. November 12, 2004

Town pounces on lion tales

ACTON -- Along the winding drives, in community e-mails and neighbors' conversations, this town is all abuzz about what police and some residents are calling a mountain lion in their midst.

Parents keep an eye on children playing outside. Dogs are leashed. Cats are confined indoors. And recess monitors at C.T. Douglas Elementary School stand with their backs to the adjacent marsh, their eyes on the pupils, for fear of the cougar.

Four sightings have been reported over the past nine days: Nov. 3 -- large cat reported on Henley Road. Nov. 8 -- residents of Mohawk Drive report growling outside their homes; police respond and report seeing a lion (a tan, muscular cat about 5 to 6 feet long). Nov. 9 -- paw prints found behind Idylwilde Farms. Nov. 10 -- Central Street resident reports seeing the cat.

But wildlife biologists, here and across the nation, are skeptical.

They point out that most reported sightings of mountain lions in suburbia turn out to be large dogs or coyotes and that there is no true proof (no pictures or even poop). The last confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in Massachusetts was in Hampshire County, circa 1858, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

In cougar-rich California, fish and wildlife officials say that 60 percent of reported sightings are erroneous. The most popular culprit mistaken for a mountain lion is the golden retriever.

Recently, California Department of Fish and Game officials shot a 15-pound Abyssinian house cat, thinking it was a lion, said Lynn Sadler, executive director of the Mountain Lion Foundation in Sacramento.

"One of the scientists here often jokes that he's some day going to go to an area where he is certain there are no mountain lions, tell someone he saw one, and count the days before it appears in the press," she said.

Don't say that to Colleen DiPietro, 34, of Mohawk Drive. She is certain that she heard a mountain lion outside her home about 1:30 a.m. Monday.

Sound asleep, she and her husband, Dan, were awoken by what she described as "a growling outside."

"It's definitely a cat," she said yesterday. "I have no doubt."

She called police, who said they spotted it two doors down.

Earlier in the evening, Ellen Schemer, 43, who lives across from DiPietro, said her husband heard what sounded like an animal running rapidly outside their house.

"He said it was unlike any other sound he'd ever heard," she said. "Now, I'm just being extra super-aware of my surroundings."

Such sightings are reported much more frequently than people think, said David Baron of Boston, author of "The Beast in the Garden," a book about mountain lions in Boulder, Colo., in the 1980s.

"Once or twice a week, there's a flurry of sightings, and another town is on edge, somewhere in the East, because people claim there's a lion on the loose," he said yesterday, mentioning earlier sightings in Beverly and Manchester-by-the-Sea. "These sorts of lion scares occur with stunning frequency, and it's impossible to prove the negative. People are quite adamant about what they've seen. And can I say with 100 percent that there is no lion in Acton? I can't."

ADVERTISEMENT
The possibility does exist. Mountain lions kept as pets or part of "canned hunts" could have escaped or been set free. Baron also pointed out that the mountain lion population in the West is migrating eastward. Once thought to be devoid of mountain lions, Iowa now officially has them. A lion recently struck by train in Oklahoma was found to have been either radio-collared or tagged in the Black Hills of eastern Wyoming, about 600 miles away.

"I think they're going to get to New England, but I don't think they're here yet," Baron said.

Some Acton residents are not taking chances.

Earlier this week, students on Mohawk Drive were being driven to their bus stops, 20 seconds away.

"Now we're a bit more careful," said Wendy Wildes, 38, as she raked leaves in her front yard on Nashoba Road.

She acknowledged recently driving to her mailbox, about a two-second trip. A mothers group to which she belongs recently dubbed the town "Mutual of Acton's Wild Kingdom."

Judy Reiter, 53, a librarian in Boxborough, has stopped walking in local conservation areas, something she once did daily. "I think people are just being cautious," she said.

All the reported sightings have occurred along the line between Acton and Boxborough, in an area with new houses being built.

The Acton Police Department, which had no one available to comment yesterday, has warned residents to stay indoors, close garbage cans tightly, and keep pets inside.

Shortly after officers said they saw a lion on Mohawk Drive on Monday, two huge highway signs were erected on Central Street with the message: "Use caution. Mountain lion sighted." The signs were gone yesterday.

After a state biologist raised doubts about footprints being found, police stood their ground.

"He can be as skeptical as he wants," Police Chief Frank J. Widmayer III recently told The Beacon, a newspaper in Acton. "As far as I'm concerned, if my officers saw it, it's written in stone."

Sadler, of the Mountain Lion Foundation, declined to speculate about the local scare, saying it benefits neither the lions nor the people who believe so strongly that the animals walk in their backyards.

"People want it to be there," she said.

"Even if they are frightened or concerned, it's something exciting. People want to have this amazing thing be there."

Mac Daniel can be reached at mdaniel@globe.com.

[SloMoJo]

What?!?
There's a mountian lion in Acton!
It's probably feeding in Marlboro by now.

I'm going to warn everyone I know!

[TrailBate]

you guys up in Acton have some snow on the ground now? Good time to go look for some footy prints, no?

[flyinelvis]

FWIW, I live in one of the towns mentioned in the Globe article..I heard something abnormal last year in the woods one night. next day there's a picture of Mt Lion in local paper..they found scat 100 yards behind my house and a neighbor turned on her deck lights to see the thing (5 feet, 150 lbs) eating her cats food? Spotted in Beverly and couple of days later they found a dear gutted from the neck back..disappeared after that. They thought it might be escaped "pet". WTF? Certainly gave me pause a few times while solo in the woods...

[Coolriding]

Don't say that to Colleen DiPietro, 34, of Mohawk Drive. She is certain that she heard a mountain lion outside her home about 1:30 a.m. Monday.




So what does a moutain lion sound like:

http://www.nps.gov/bibe/sounds/cougarsounds.wav

Not what I want to hear on ride.....

[minkhiller]

The news spread (Via PK) to some local Park Rangers here in NH today, they are already looking over their shoulders, the question seems to be is who can run faster than who.

[Quo Fan]

If I'm in a group, I don't have to be the fastest, just not the slowest. ;D

[Ben-O]

funny Quo Fan!

....it reminds me of a Simpson's quotation, adapted for this thread:

"You don't have to be faster than the Mountain Lion, just faster than your friend." ;D

[hammerhead]

Not sure you want to be the fastest either. Being way off the front of the group is as risky as being off the back, although your riding buds might try to get the beast off your neck when they catch up.

[iceman]

lions and tigers and bears ........Oh my!!!!!

just in case of an attack remember.....

"It only hurts untill the pain goes away!"

I guess it really is a jungle out there. ;D

[Quo Fan]

"What you are feeling is not pain, but weakness leaving the body"

At least that's what I tell my students. ;D

[minkhiller]

But these big cats can make you lose all your weakness.

[iceman]

"What you are feeling is not pain, but weakness leaving the body"

At least that's what I tell my students. ;D



Quo, you sound like a ROMAD, that was our montra during training.