Possible Mountain Lion sightings in Holland Patent?
By: Chelsea Rarrick
Updated: May 14, 2012
"I was taking my daughter down for a walk coming down this way and I was looking in the trees and in that tree over there, I saw a Mountain Lion," said Holland Patent resident, Marie Latus nearby her neighborhood.
And last Friday evening wasn't the only time that Marie says she came across a possible Mountain Lion in her neighborhood.
She says just two days later it happened again, but this time it was noises.
"I didn't know where the Mountain Lion was, but he was hissing, growling, at me and my Golden," said Latus.
Marie says along with the two possible sightings this year, she says there had been a time where she says she spotted one in the far back of her property adn called the Department of Environmental Conservation.
"They said there is absolutely no Mountain Lions here unless someone released it as a pet," said Marie.
Eyewitness News did speak with a spokesman for the D.E.C. Watertown Office who says that there is no Mountain Lion population in New York State, and if Marie saw one, he says it could have possibly been one that escaped from captivity or someone had illegally released it.
Marie's neighbor says he's never seen or heard of Mountain Lion sightings around, but decided to check out the pine tree where Marie says she saw the Mountain Lion.
"There is some evidence that some big animal was up ion it, there's bark that's torn off, and there's a branch that's broken up in there, so something fairly good size was up in it," said Scott VanBuskirk.
Scott wasn't able to confirm that it was actually a Mountain Lion, but Marie says whatever it is, she's just looking for answers.
And last Friday evening wasn't the only time that Marie says she came across a possible Mountain Lion in her neighborhood.
She says just two days later it happened again, but this time it was noises.
"I didn't know where the Mountain Lion was, but he was hissing, growling, at me and my Golden," said Latus.
Marie says along with the two possible sightings this year, she says there had been a time where she says she spotted one in the far back of her property adn called the Department of Environmental Conservation.
"They said there is absolutely no Mountain Lions here unless someone released it as a pet," said Marie.
Eyewitness News did speak with a spokesman for the D.E.C. Watertown Office who says that there is no Mountain Lion population in New York State, and if Marie saw one, he says it could have possibly been one that escaped from captivity or someone had illegally released it.
Marie's neighbor says he's never seen or heard of Mountain Lion sightings around, but decided to check out the pine tree where Marie says she saw the Mountain Lion.
"There is some evidence that some big animal was up ion it, there's bark that's torn off, and there's a branch that's broken up in there, so something fairly good size was up in it," said Scott VanBuskirk.
Scott wasn't able to confirm that it was actually a Mountain Lion, but Marie says whatever it is, she's just looking for answers.
