- A Game Commission biologist visited the location in Lower Macungie
- He spoke to the person who captured the photograph and took a number of measurements
- He concluded the animal seen Sunday was a home cat, not a mountain lion or bobcat
LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — A doable mountain lion sighting that gripped a township growth with concern turned out to be a typical home cat.
That’s the dedication made by a Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist who visited the location Monday and carried out an investigation.
“It’s just a house cat,” mentioned Thomas Keller, furbearer biologist for the Game Commission.
Keller mentioned he inspected pictures taken by a resident, spoke with the resident and took a number of measurements on the web site in an effort to determine scale.
State police mentioned they have been referred to as to the Village Round growth about 11:45 a.m. Sunday to fulfill somebody who had photos of a big cat within the space.
State police on the time mentioned was the picture of a big feline — presumably a mountain lion — in fields behind Hanover Drive.
“We will generally go out and try to talk with who reported it and get perspective on where the photo was taken,” Keller mentioned Monday. “We have a look at authentic image and measure what we will.
“We get a number of these yearly. We have a look at issues within the image that we will get scale from. It would possibly appear to be a mountain lion, however we have to know what these measurements are to get the dimensions.”
“I encourage the general public and different regulation enforcement businesses to get in contact with us and allow us to determine what you’re seeing there earlier than making a judgment name in the event you’re unsure.”
Thomas Keller, Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist
Keller mentioned he was in a position to decide it was a typical cat primarily based on his measurements and re-creation on the scene. The resident who reported the sighting took pictures from her second-floor condominium window, about 90 yards away from the animal.
Keller, who makes a speciality of Pennsylvania species which might be trapped, mentioned there aren’t any mountain lions within the state.
“There’s none,” he mentioned. “We get lots of of those reviews yearly and we haven’t been in a position to substantiate one but.”
But he mentioned there are bobcats — and bobcats within the Lehigh Valley — so visiting the location and conducting the investigation had worth.
“It gives us some clarity, especially in places like this where it has been reported to the police because there’s a lot of fear and panic that can spread,” Keller mentioned.
“The real value especially in these cases is to let people know that we serve Pennsylvanians as the state wildlife agency.
“I encourage the public and other law enforcement agencies to get in touch with us and let us figure out what you’re seeing there before making a judgment call if you’re not sure.”
The final wild mountain lion in Pennsylvania was reported to have been killed within the 1870s in Berks County, in response to the Game Commission.
