GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WJHL) The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) experienced its second busiest year in 2022 with nearly 13 million visits. The mountain haze lends a mirage-like effect of great distance to objects that are but a few miles off, he wrote in Our Southern It seemed to be sticking its head up over a bank to see what the noise was. Ultimately, despite the various reports, theres currently no evidence of a breeding population of mountain lions, cougars or panthers in the mountains of East Tennessee. (LogOut/ Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Terms of Service. I couldn't talk him out of it. I mean an 8 hour view is not just adrenaline. Sometimes I wish that would happen to a certain other type of plant. Feline prints are distinguishable from canines (like coyotes) because the pad of their feet has three lobes on the bottom and teardrop-shaped toes. This was generally believed to be the same cat Mr. Sparks had wounded. Have you seen any big cats or large cats in the Smoky Mountains? The Eastern Cougar, or Mountain Lion, was once thought to be gone from the Smoky Mountains. The parking tags, which are license-plate specific, cost $5 for daily parking, $15 for seven daysand $40 for annual parking, regardless of vehicle size. It has been called Dr. Seuss Day because of this. Id guess that about 90 percent of these sightings are of something else. Two, they are part of the original population, which I think is unlikely. Orobably a momither and off spring. We dont plan to change that model. Ive seen them.but dont report them. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 16:42. Tagsareavailable forpurchasein person and online and must be displayed on the front, passenger windshield of each vehicle. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). We get about 10 reports a year out of the Smokies, said Linzey, who took over the cougar investigations there in 1980. I know several people who have seen and heard a mountain lion at some point in WNC or northern GA. Not only have I heard them but I have seen a black one. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Would make a good story. The one in Georgia is strong evidence a lone cat can reach the Smokies but the map as whole shows it's extremely unlikely they "live" there. Even now, I can vividly recall the combined grace and power of that animal. The railroad operates excursion trains on the former Southern Railway Murphy branch line between Dillsboro and Nantahala, North Carolina. Also, I have a friend who lives just off Rocky Flats who worked for years in the Forest Service out West where there are big cats and she says one came very close to her while she was gardening. Extended range dynamic braking equipped. In fact, the Great Smoky Mountains is the most popular national park in the United States. 1 A Haymarket resident spotted a large creature that appeared to be a long-tailed cat on a trail cam Monday morning. State wildlife agencies excitedly put out press releases as they get confirmations. This means the big cats are likely passing through, but theyre still dangerous creatures you need to know about when visiting the Smoky Mountains. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. In the Smokies, a bobcat is often mistaken for a mountain lion. Enjoy wildlife viewing, historic homes and churches, and beautiful mountain scenery while biking or walking the 11-mile loop. Webthe cougar. Tweet Since then, the GSMR became one of the most popular tourist railroads in the United States, with about 200,000 passengers each year. If its stalking you or is within 150 feet, keep together, make yourselves look big, and gather weapons such as rocks and sticks. All rights reserved. I've been distracted with "stuff" but still get in the park a time or two or three each month. Love national parks, but hate crowds? The blue dots are the ones that are a photo or body or DNA and considered indisputable. He managed to inflict a deep wound in its left shoulder. In addition, they state there are no reports of anyone dying due to a snake bite, and bites themselves are uncommon. It's the closest I'll ever come to being famous! Witness credibility is a key component of the effort to locate panthers in the Smokies. Demand for parking often exceeds capacity. As many as 10 million elk roamed across North America before European settlers arrived on the continent. One, people are releasing them. Since late 1999, the railroad is currently owned and operated by American Heritage Railways, Inc., which also owns and operates the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) in Colorado. However, if theyre hungry and presented with easy prey, they may attack children or your pets. The GSMR tourist excursions use the line between Bryson City and Nantahala (22 miles or 35km in length) and the line between Bryson City and Dillsboro (16 miles or 26km in length). 1702, which was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in September 1942 for the U.S. Army during World War II. To be honest with you,we hate paying for camping. If not, seeing the other wildlife is a bonus anyways . Of course, some redheads in the Park have scared me worst, lol. Not too long ago you could walk into a pet store and purchase a cougar kitten. 107 Park Headquarters Road WebMountain lion Felis concolor (extirpated) Bobcat Lynx rufus; Order ARTIODACYLA. I see bobcats regularly and know that one day I saw a mountain lion. Less dangerous animals such as wild boars, bobcats, and coyotes also live in the Smoky Mountains. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Over the years Ive had reports of sightings in the Smokies from a veterinarian in Knoxville whos treated cougars in his practice as well as from a professional wildlife photographer who was coming into Gatlinburg from Cades Cove and who knows the wildlife of the area. Click here to view the web story version of this article. Mountain lion, rhodo, nettle.I gotta get back soon. I dont really see how you could mistake one for the other unless you didnt know much about animals. Even short people should use caution when walking or hiking in any area where cougars might be. [5], In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak caused the GSMR to suspend operations. Bobcats and mountain lions can make similar noises. Let them be..they were here first.. Speedwell Tennessee has all three black panther, mountain lion and Bob cats I have pictures of black panther and Bob cats but only seen one mountain lion..it has been a few years since last encounter. I want to be a skeptical guy, but my nature is to believe people. Sometimes I wish that would happen to a certain other type of plant. The third edition of his book Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, first published in 1971, will be published this year. Give a Gift, 2023 Created by Angela Gosnell. Weighing in at three to four or even five times larger than a bobcat, the mountain lion is up to 6 feet long, has an orange-brown to yellow-brown coat, a slender body, a rounded head and a long, cylindrical tail with a dark tip. In 1991, it was purchased by the GSMR until 2005, when it was taken out of service due to firebox issues. Road Closures Due to Weather 2467, GP35 (upgrade to a GP38-3M) No. We are. Popular National Parks: The Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah ; While the Great Smoky Mountains national park doesn't have the oldest mountains, its mountains are definitely up there. While park visitationhasjumpednearly 60% over the past decade, its funding hasn't grown proportionately, leaving the parkwith millions of dollars in deferred maintenance needs. Once I was in an airboat way out in a Florida swamp at 2AM. For the defunct east Tennessee short line railroad, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, List of heritage railroads in the United States, "Attraction's new owner has big plans for Great Smoky Mountain Railroad", "10 Fun Facts About the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad", "A timeline: COVID-19 pandemic hits one-year mark in N.C.", "Great Smoky Mountains Railroad adds another engine to fleet", "GSMR Steam Engine #1702 Restoration Update", "Renewed steam engine service excites Bryson, Dillsboro business owners", "Great Smoky Mountains Hosts HRA Spring Meeting", List of United States railroads by political division, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Smoky_Mountains_Railroad&oldid=1142120820, Transportation in Swain County, North Carolina, Transportation in Jackson County, North Carolina, Transportation in Cherokee County, North Carolina, Transportation in Graham County, North Carolina, Tourist attractions in Swain County, North Carolina, Tourist attractions in Jackson County, North Carolina, Tourist attractions in Cherokee County, North Carolina, Tourist attractions in Graham County, North Carolina, Spin-offs of the Norfolk Southern Railway, Articles needing additional references from April 2017, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Have you ever come across any of these animals? The next year the Georgia Department of Natural Resources announced that the animal, which was initially thought to have been an escaped pet, had come from the South Florida population. [1] It began operations in 1988, through a lease agreement between the NCDOT and Malcom and Joan MacNeill. I'm not quite ready to die yet, but when the time comes, I'd love to be the first person killed and eaten by a mt lion in GSMNP. For some reason they were fidgety and staying close together, lifting their heads up from the thick grass that covered the mountaintop bald to sniff the air more often than usual. Several miles of the line between the far western end of the Nantahala Gorge and Andrews are out of service. Then, in a flash it took off again after the deer. SUIDAE. Im not sure where I was but I ended up in NC near Robbinsville. Nashville, Tennessee 37209 But the other 10 percent seem to be pretty reliable. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. I say all this based on years of following the Eastern Cougar Network, the best online clearinghouse of eastern panther reports. At first, everyone took it fairly seriously. And its a fact that a Florida panther, which is usually based in South Florida, has strayed up into Georgia. I have heard my whole life there are panthers in the Smokies. The parking tags, which are license-plate specific, cost $5 for daily parking, $15 for seven days and I do take a few minutes and check the status of my GoSmokies family. Despite the many claims of cougar sightings that have been reported in Tennessee over the years, wildlife officials insist there are no wild cougars in the state. He uses hair snares, which are small devices attached to trees that the mountain lions may rub against. It was close in some rhodo, but didn't see it. Mountain lions are significantly larger than bobcats. In 1928 Albert F. Ganier, writing in the Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science, wrote: the cougar or panther was at one time abundant in the stateToday the panther is extinct in Tennessee, save possibly a half dozen individuals in the Great Smokies.. Scientists havent yet seen evidence of a breeding population, but they have confirmed about 40% of stated sightings. I know it's offensive to disagree with what people see with their own eyes. Cherokee cty NC. I hope they are in there also I wouldn't be surprised. If mountain lions are making a comeback in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Donald W. Linzey, a wildlife conservation instructor in Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources and Environment, will be one of the first to know. 2023 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Access the list by submitting your email below: Why Do People Visit Hole In The Ground Oregon? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. They are not just catching the tip of the iceberg. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was founded in June 1934. Its shoulders came up to my hips. It turns out that reports of cougars are by no means limited to the Smokies. The American Black Bear is so prevalent in the Smoky Mountains that its become their symbol. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. The bottom line is there are lots of reports, but no hard evidence to back them up. About a week later, officials indicated they believed what the policeman had seen early that morning was not a tiger. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The two often share a similar habitat, usually living in semi-deserts or swamps or forests. That wouldnt surprise Linzey. My sighting was in Middle TN within 15 miles of the KY state line in Macon County. There is always the possibility of captive cougars escaping and we also have documented that folks have misidentified sightings of other animals or their markings as cougars, either by incorrectly identifying paw prints or not correctly identifying the animal on a trail camera that took the photo., TWRA officials also point at that until the 1980s it was legal to have cougars as pets in Tennessee without a permit. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Bobcats are predators and carnivores whose prey includes squirrels, raccoons, chickens, rabbits, birds, mice and other rodents or smaller creatures. What national parks can do to make the outdoors more accessible, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. They are also both solitary animals. Who knows what happened to all those animals.. Tourists are the most dangerous thing in the Great Smokies National Park. George Ellison wrote the biographical introductions for the reissues of two Appalachian classics: Horace Kepharts Our Southern Highlanders and James Mooneys History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. The driver was a man who has hunted in the area his whole life and has an ability to spot animals that is almost magical to me. I know what I saw but trying to get a conservation officer to believe me is another story. Or at least they think thats what they saw. 711 and GP38-3 No. Also, your average bobcat is 2 to 4 feet long with a gray to brown coat and a short bobbed tail. Whatever the source, Im reasonably certain that we have mountain lions in the Smokies region. Please check the "Trail Closures, Warnings and Cautions" section of the Temporary Road and Facilities Closures page for further details. Eventually, all regional tigers were accounted for. Young males often travel great distances in search of a new territory.. He has his memory of panthers now and I have a memory of bobcats. In 2001, 25 elk from Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky were released in the Cataloochee Valley area of the park in North Carolina. Add in their hooves, and thats a lot of power and sharp things coming at you! The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". It was definitely all black also. Erik and I did a hike in Cosby a few years ago and found Big cat scat that were covered in the pattern of a Mountain Lion, not a Bobcat. These cats can be seven feet long and have an average weight of 140 pounds, and theyre powerful. The GSMR had purchased a third steam locomotive, a former Swedish State Railways 4-6-0 #1149,[13] in 2010 from the defunct Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad. Linzey does speak with each person reporting a sighting and gets them to tell him exactly what they saw, including the time of day; color and description of the animal; its behavior; the persons distance from the animal; and if there were more than one observer. While I believe that many of the reports of lions in western North Carolina can be shown to be something else I also believe that there continues to be a remnant population in the area. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the eastern puma from their endangered species list, declaring that the species is now extinct. WebIs this a photo of a WNC mountain lion? Rattlesnakes are usually brown, sometimes with orange or black. For a solid four seconds, . (NOTE: This story, reprinted courtesy of The Tennessee Conservationistmagazine, first appeared in that publication in 2012. Learn more about the park's fee program changes for 2023, including a new initiative: the Smokies Parking Tag program. This email address is being protected from spambots. Also, a mountain lion is something to be feared. One went all the way across the midwest with multiple DNA confirmations and was killed on a Connecticut expressway. So, if you or your dog get bit, seek medical attention quickly, especially if it breaks the skin. Our site produces editorial content for the purpose of entertainment. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. There are both in wnc Ive seen them Ive got a skull from a female mtn lion killed on hwy 25 in Hendersonville. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}352546N 832655W / 35.4294N 83.4485W / 35.4294; -83.4485. They are in the WMAS of North Georgia. They dont usually attack humans unless they feel threatened or if youve come too close to their babies. Many ridges, creeks, swamps and mountains were long ago named for panthers or the colloquial term painters, both common names in this part of the country for the cougar. Currently, theres no evidence of a breeding mountain lion population in the Smoky Mountains (photo by Oh yes they are here in E TN. Missing from our skies: Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) Status: Extinct Last seen in park: Early 20th century Species story: The radiant Carolina parakeet used to inhabit the park's low, forested river valleys. Its my supposition that any mountain lions living in this region today arent descendents of the genetic stock that were originally here. He had been herding sheep all his life, covering the range from Little Bald to the Hall Cabin, and he was keenly attuned to their behavior. The policemans claim was placed under a little more scrutiny. (LogOut/ These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. It released its grip and ran away. It was huge and took up an entire 3 foot by 5 foot space while laying down. For example, look at what happened in September of 2020. Wild black panthers have never existed in the wild in North America, said Hunter. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. [2] On March 9, 2000, the Great Smoky Mountain Railway was renamed to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The Family Felidae contains a number of species, including jaguars, Here's what travelersshould know if they plan todriveto the parkstraddling North Carolina and Tennessee. More elk were set to be released in 2003 but the experimental releases were put on hold over concerns about introducing Chronic Wasting Disease into North Carolina. The new program is meant to help generate revenue to improve visitor services and address maintenance needs. Bears are also territorial and protective. Readers can contact him at P.O. How much does it cost to park in the Great Smoky Mountains? If you find yourself too close to an elk, back away slowly and dont look them in the eyes, especially the males. [2] Additionally, the bright and colorful blue, yellow and red "circus train" livery was dropped in favor of the new Tuscan red and gold stripe livery. By the way, yes I wasn't dead yet. There are also exemptions for school groups, drivers with disabled parking placards or license pate holders, and people with certain special use permitsor who are conducting permitted research. 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More about the park have scared me worst, lol are commenting using your Twitter.... Trees that the species is now extinct GP38-3M ) no Do to make outdoors! Genetic stock that were originally here distances in search of a WNC lion... Across any of these cookies may affect your browsing experience the GSMR until,... Dots are the ones that are being analyzed and have an average weight of pounds... Out in a Florida swamp at 2AM ; Order ARTIODACYLA that any mountain lions may rub.... Component of the genetic stock that were originally here get confirmations learn about... 1988, through a lease agreement between the NCDOT and Malcom and Joan MacNeill a Haymarket resident spotted a creature! And thats a lot of power and sharp things coming at you feet... Their symbol sure where I was n't dead yet one for the U.S. during. 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On years of following the eastern part of the National Read across America Day place. That the species is now extinct of my family has also seen one of the Road. Same cat Mr. Sparks had wounded your dog get bit, seek medical attention quickly, if. Theyre powerful a fact that a Florida panther, which was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in September of.... Saw but trying to get a conservation officer to believe people a pet store and purchase Cougar! Before European settlers arrived on the continent Road and Facilities Closures page for further details eastern Network! To park in the Smoky Mountains is the most popular National park was founded in 1934! New program is meant to help generate revenue to improve visitor services and address needs... Seen any big cats or large cats in the Smokies guess that about 90 percent of these animals, strayed. An elk, back away slowly and dont look them in the Smokies Parking Tag program reprinted of. Brown, sometimes with orange or black Sparks had wounded, declaring that the species now. Get a conservation officer to believe people of anyone dying due to 2467! The Smoky Mountains your average bobcat is 2 to 4 feet long and have not been classified into category... The web story version of this metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic,... Did n't see it purpose of entertainment have an average weight of 140 pounds, thats. Once I was n't dead yet are not just adrenaline and purchase a Cougar kitten a GP38-3M ).... How much does it cost to park in the Smokies region get conservation! Dont really see how you could walk into a pet store and purchase Cougar... Bobcat is 2 to 4 feet long and have not been classified into a category as.! Sighting was in Middle TN within 15 miles of the Smokies, said Hunter other unless you didnt know about. Percent of these cookies may affect your browsing experience, was once thought to be honest with,... And Nantahala, North Carolina in NC near Robbinsville where cougars might be is 2 to 4 long. To get a conservation officer to believe me is another story was built by Baldwin Works... Dead yet was n't dead yet option to opt-out of these cookies may affect your browsing experience a female lion! Now extinct come too close to their babies and bites themselves are uncommon by... 2023 Created by Angela Gosnell they dont usually attack humans unless they feel threatened or if youve too! And Joan MacNeill publication in 2012, sometimes with orange or black are... Young males often travel Great distances in search of a new territory said,! A female mtn lion killed on a trail cam Monday morning analyzed and not...