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A possible mountain lion sighting in Pennsylvania’s Lower Macungie Township was reported on Sunday, October 15. State police warned Lehigh County residents to be on the lookout.
The person who saw the alleged animal called the State Troopers. The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) was informed about the same by a “sister law enforcement agency” later on Sunday. PGC was informed about the alleged sighting near 1013 Village Round.
The state police initially reported the animal to be a “large feline”, which could possibly be a cougar. PGC said the following on Monday, October 16:
“Turns out the Lehigh Valley’s latest cougar is just a big, feral house cat.”
PGC further said that its staff contacted the person who reported spotting the animal and launched an investigation. They examined the Lower Macungie area for animal tracks by placing life-size cutouts of a mountain lion, a bobcat, and a house cat, and taking photos of the nearby vegetation.
An official from the Game Commission told WFMZ-TV that based on the photos taken by the staff using the cutout and comparing them to the original photo of a cougar, the staff members determined that it was just a large house cat.
Internet reacts hilariously to PGC's inference on possible mountain lion sighting
Photos of the alleged mountain lion sighting were shared online. The person who first spotted the possible cougar was able to capture it on their ring camera. Though the pictures are not clear and the animal in question can not be identified at a glimpse, several people were unconvinced by the Pennsylvania Game Commission's inference to the possible cougar sighting.
Some believed that it could actually be a mountain lion, but claimed that the PGC never admits to sightings of such wild animals in the state even if there have been plenty of reports of residents catching glimpses of similar wild animals. A few others pointed out that a cat can either be a house cat or a feral cat but not both at the same time.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission said that it has not been able to verify or confirm a mountain lion sighting for decades. It also noted that the last cougar in the state of Pennsylvania was reportedly killed in the 1870s.
