# Mountain Lion in Cincinnati?



## kingofamberley

My lady swears she saw a dead cougar on the side of the highway near our house. Problem is, we live in the city, and I just don't believe it, but she is adamant that she knows what she saw. I tried to convince her it must have been a dog or even coyote but she's not having it. We drove by the spot this morning and the carcass was gone, so no evidence whatsoever. Has anyone heard any reports of big cats in the area?


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## MassillonBuckeye

Decomposing deer or black crappie. No mountain lion.


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## deltaoscar

She can report it here.

http://ohiomountainlionwatch.wikifoundry.com/


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## SeanStone

Not in Cincinnati. ....but I've seen a few on trail cams in Adams County Ohio.....which is 40 miles east and slightly south of Cincinnati. (I've also see. Bears on trail cams too though) I've never seen one personally though....and I'm outside on the water or in the woods way more than I am inside. So take that for what it is.

Last year we had an article in the local paper where someone shot one while he was fishing a local stream. Had pics of it in the bed of his truck and everything.



Edit.....I'm confusing mountain lions and bobcats. The article was of a bobcat. 

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## MIKE*A

It's certainly possible! I saw a road kill on I-70 between Springfield and Columbus about 6 years ago and last year saw one just West of Richmond IN on I70....again, a road kill.....may have been escaped "pets"....you'd be amazed how many people have Cougars and even African lions as pets in the tri-state area.....

Mike


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## tunnelofD

deltaoscar said:


> She can report it here.
> 
> http://ohiomountainlionwatch.wikifoundry.com/




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I was surprised to see how many sightings were in Cincinnati city limits specifically price hill area. Makes you thinks it's someones pet that they let go. I wouldn't think a wild mountain lion would take up residence so close to the city. I guess plenty of food sources in the city though.

I remember as a kid in that area there used to be a guy in price hill that had a male lion that he would drive around with in the back of his pick up. Like it was a dog. Pretty cool to see when I was 8 years old.


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## Orville Wrong

Pretty certain there are no wild mountain lions in Ohio, and if there were, they'd be in the unglaciated extreme south and east, or less likely in the highest elevations of Wayne, Medina and Guernsey Counties. This is perhaps the most human-habitation averse species of any in North America, hunting from ambush along high-altitude game trails. You know there are mountain lions uncomfortably close to human habitation -- as mostly occurs in Colorado -- only when a jogger gets eaten, not by casual observation. 

Veteran forest rangers who spend every day afield in real lion country in the west are lucky to get a visual on one every five years or so where they are "common" by cougar standards.

Edited to add: Jim McCormack is probably the best all-around naturalist in Ohio and writes extensively on the state's fauna and natural history at jimmccormacdotblogspotdotcom. He has never tagged a post for that species in seven years.


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## longhaulpointer

There were several people last year that called into 700 and had reported a dead lion on the side of 74. It turned out to be a deer. With that said, my cousins have a farm near Indian creek and about 15 years ago they had goats taken. Game officers searched other farms where sheep had been taken and found mountain lion prints. No one ever saw it and the game warden told them that it must of just been passing by. I have seen them in Pike county while grouse hunting, 3 of them.......in some guys kennel behind his trailer.


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## fishmasterflex

Chupacabra?


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## Baba Ganoush

.....................Nature will find a way......................


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## chadwimc

There used to be a real live African lioness at Harrison Ave. and East Miami River Rd... A person could walk right up to the gate to feed her. "Sheeba" was her name. Lived in a big dog house when not pacing her enclosure...


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## Bazzin05

chadwimc said:


> There used to be a real live African lioness at Harrison Ave. and East Miami River Rd... A person could walk right up to the gate to feed her. "Sheeba" was her name. Lived in a big dog house when not pacing her enclosure...


 
That guy had a Male lion in there for a while too. I remember driving down there to check it out every once in a while. He was right behind the dry cleaner on what is now ripple rd.


Also the person's land I hunt on in Hamilton told me last year they swear they saw two mountain lions in their back yard one night. They swear they know what a mountain lion looks like and that is what they saw. I just hope to get a glimpse of it on a trail cam if it is there.


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## Mean Morone

I know that Bobcats are making a good come back in Ohio. I had a guy tell me that he and his son saw one while fishing a favorite smallie stream of mine. His son thought it was a "lion". As far as Mountain Lions go, I wouldn't think there would be any wild ones around. But, if there are enough escaped or released Mountain Lions around, they will find a way to get together. Nothing surprises me anymore.


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## kingofamberley

longhaulpointer said:


> There were several people last year that called into 700 and had reported a dead lion on the side of 74. It turned out to be a deer. With that said, my cousins have a farm near Indian creek and about 15 years ago they had goats taken. Game officers searched other farms where sheep had been taken and found mountain lion prints. No one ever saw it and the game warden told them that it must of just been passing by. I have seen them in Pike county while grouse hunting, 3 of them.......in some guys kennel behind his trailer.


That is nuts! When I was growing up in Amberley, there was a black bear that took up residence in my neighborhood for about a week. The only people who saw it was a group of kids and their babysitter, but a naturalist gave positive identification from some fecal matter found in a neighbor's garden (he would come in there to eat her plants I guess). He moved on before I ever saw it though.
I think it is possible that she saw a dead cougar. It was on 74, right near Mt. Airy Forest. It could have theoretically been passing through or temporarily living there, eating deer and such. There are a lot of deer and even wild turkeys and other critters in Mt. Airy.
She is adamant that it was not a bobcat, which I suggested to her. Who knows. The city came and got it so it will never be known for sure.


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## deltaoscar

kingofamberley said:


> The city came and got it so it will never be known for sure.


Sounds like you are just trying to keep people away from the West Fork of the Mill Creek to me.


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## tunnelofD

deltaoscar said:


> Sounds like you are just trying to keep people away from the West Fork of the Mill Creek to me.




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The mill creek is how that house cat turned into a mountain lion


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## kingofamberley

I think what she actually saw was a Mill Creek carp, that mutated legs and walked up on to the highway. They get to be about as big as a cougar down there.


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## rustyfish

Really? Half of you are nuts and the other half is just messing with you.

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## GarrettMyers

rustyfish said:


> Really? Half of you are nuts and the other half is just messing with you.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


Why you gotta judge us RustyFish? Just wait til the Loveland Frogman hears about this...


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## longhaulpointer

i love when these posts go sideways. My kid came running over to the laptop to see what i was laughing about.


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## Hook N Book

The OP should call Amberly Village's administrative office and ask the question if they have any knowledge of this?


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