Mountain lion reported in Armagh

MILROY - Recent reports of a mountain lion prowling in Armagh Township may be more a rural myth than actual fact, said the Pennsylvania Game Commission on Wednesday.

Still, that doesn't stop residents from keeping an eye out for the big cats.

Recently, a Laurel Avenue woman reported to the Mifflin County Regional Police she had spotted a mountain lion in her yard, about 40 feet from her house.

And while officers were unable to locate the lion, Tammy Soccio said she'll continue to keep an eye out for the cat.

Soccio, who contacted the police, said several other residents of the Milroy and New Lancaster Valley said they also have spotted the lion lurking in the woods and the mountains of Armagh Township.

Neighborhood residents have taken photos of tracks they believe may belong to the big cat, and Soccio said she was planning on installing game cameras near her property to try and spot the beast.

Local Wild Life Officer Jeffrey Mock said although the Pennsylvania Game Commission investigates every sighting, it is unlikely the feline prowling around Armagh is a mountain lion.

"Ninety-nine percent of them are somebody sees something, and it's a case of mistaken identity," Mock said.

Mock said most sightings turn out to be bobcats, which, according to the game commission, are the only official feline predators in the commonwealth.

Mock said although bobcats are "fairly good sized" they would be dwarfed in comparison to a true mountain lion.

"(And) unlike foxes and coyotes and bobcats that eat little things ... those mountain lions, they eat big things," Mock said. "In western states they kill bull elk. So if you had one running around they would be eating deer or some pretty big things."

The last mountain lion killed in the wild in Pennsylvania was taken in 1967, but it was neutered male not a naturally bred organism.

According to the game commission, Pennsylvania's last known wild eastern mountain lion was killed in Berks County in 1874. And, except for Florida, the eastern mountain lion is believed to have been extirpated from the East Coast by 1900. But, during the years, mountain lion sightings have been reported throughout the state.

Mock said he thinks part of the mystique of the mountain lion resides in Pennsylvania's rural heritage.

"It's a symbol of our wildness," Mock said. "There's a group of people that do want to believe that they are here."

Mock said the mountain lion's legendary status is very similar to that of Big Foot - numerous sightings, tracks and anecdotal evidence, but no hard facts.

"Once someone sees one or thinks they see one it's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy," Mock said. "Generally, once you get one call ... it'll keep going and going and going until it stops."

Still, the game commission is happy to investigate any sightings reported to the agency.

"I would certainly encourage people if they think they see one to give us a call to come and we'll take a look at it," Mock said.

The south-central Pennsylvania Game Commission office can be reached at (814) 643-1831.