lion sighting in NE Oklahoma
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 6:51 pm
http://sandspringsleader.com/news/wild- ... 002e0.html
click for photos
Wild returning to Sand Springs, photographs suggest
COURTESY KYLE INGRAM
trailcam lion
Kyle Ingram's trail camera caught this nighttime shot of a mountain lion near Sand Springs, he said.
Posted: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 9:22 am
By Nick DeMoss
Staff Writer
nickd@sandspringsleader.com | 0 comments
As temperatures go up, Northeast Oklahoma residents have been spotting some rarely-seen creatures when the sun goes down.
Sand Springs and Mannford residents have noticed black bears and big cats roaming the area when the at dusk and after dark. It's a phenomenon that's causing mixed feelings for residents.
Sand Springs resident Kyle Ingram had always heard that there were no big cats in Oklahoma, but a July 7 photo taken by his motion-activated game camera suggests otherwise.
A photo of what appears to be a mountain lion was taken shortly after 9 p.m., in the woods off Highway 97 north of Sand Springs.
The photo definitively confirms what Ingram's friends reportedly saw near their home earlier in the month.
"We've seen the lion cross our gravel road at about 11:30 at night," said Aaron Ringle, who lives in Sand Springs.
Ringle and Ingram agreed that the sightings were exciting and neither has experienced a problem with the creatures. Still, Ringle said the sightings have changed his attitude.
"It makes you think you've gotta watch your step when you're out there at night," he said. "I've heard people say we don't have big cats in Oklahoma, but here's one 10 miles from downtown Tulsa."
Mountain lions aren't the only unexpected animals seen in the area recently.
Lynn Montgomery spotted a black bear late last month while doing yard work on her 10-acre property on Blackberry Hill in Mannford, she said.
"It was just getting dark, and some movement caught my eye. I thought it was a raccoon or a possum, but it was really big," she said. "I clapped my gloves together and it trotted off into the woods."
A few days later, she found print in her driveway and confirmed with her veterinarian that it was a bear track. Montgomery informed wildlife authorities, who told her that if the bear didn't cause a problem, nothing needed to be done and she would likely never see it again.
"It's kind of exciting and cool, but it's kind of scary at the same time," she said.
Since then, five of Montgomery's chickens have gone missing, and she has found her horse feed bucket and trash cans tipped, though she can't be sure whether the bear was to blame.
"It never happened until after I saw the bear," she said. "I've been living out there three years."
Montgomery hasn't seen the bear since the first spotting, she said.
This summer's scorching conditions could lead to more black bear sightings in the area, but residents have no cause for concern, wildlife officials said.
Researchers with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Oklahoma State University have captured eight bears, and implanted four with tracking collars. Researchers plan to collar two more bears to track population movement in the northeastern part of the state, said Joe Hemphill, southeast region wildlife supervisor for the ODWC.
Though the research is in the early stages, northeastern black bears have shown signs of contrast to their southeastern companions.
"Southeast bears are pretty stable -- they stay in one spot," Hemphill said. "The initial northeast bears we have information on are just moving around everywhere."
The bears are probably looking for a new home range, Hemphill said. Because of the excessive heat, blackberries that once served as a food source for the bears have dried, sending the bears toward more populated areas.
"People are going to see bears," he said. "We see more all the time."
Though no conclusive research has been conducted in the area, some satellite images show bears moving west, and then turning around. Hemphill's guess is that they wander into more urban areas where they can't find good homes, and then return to more suitable places, he said.
Bears typically do not interact with humans and can be scared away with loud noises, according to the National Park Service. Most injuries from black bear attacks are minor and result from a bear attempting to get at people's food.
click for photos
Wild returning to Sand Springs, photographs suggest
COURTESY KYLE INGRAM
trailcam lion
Kyle Ingram's trail camera caught this nighttime shot of a mountain lion near Sand Springs, he said.
Posted: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 9:22 am
By Nick DeMoss
Staff Writer
nickd@sandspringsleader.com | 0 comments
As temperatures go up, Northeast Oklahoma residents have been spotting some rarely-seen creatures when the sun goes down.
Sand Springs and Mannford residents have noticed black bears and big cats roaming the area when the at dusk and after dark. It's a phenomenon that's causing mixed feelings for residents.
Sand Springs resident Kyle Ingram had always heard that there were no big cats in Oklahoma, but a July 7 photo taken by his motion-activated game camera suggests otherwise.
A photo of what appears to be a mountain lion was taken shortly after 9 p.m., in the woods off Highway 97 north of Sand Springs.
The photo definitively confirms what Ingram's friends reportedly saw near their home earlier in the month.
"We've seen the lion cross our gravel road at about 11:30 at night," said Aaron Ringle, who lives in Sand Springs.
Ringle and Ingram agreed that the sightings were exciting and neither has experienced a problem with the creatures. Still, Ringle said the sightings have changed his attitude.
"It makes you think you've gotta watch your step when you're out there at night," he said. "I've heard people say we don't have big cats in Oklahoma, but here's one 10 miles from downtown Tulsa."
Mountain lions aren't the only unexpected animals seen in the area recently.
Lynn Montgomery spotted a black bear late last month while doing yard work on her 10-acre property on Blackberry Hill in Mannford, she said.
"It was just getting dark, and some movement caught my eye. I thought it was a raccoon or a possum, but it was really big," she said. "I clapped my gloves together and it trotted off into the woods."
A few days later, she found print in her driveway and confirmed with her veterinarian that it was a bear track. Montgomery informed wildlife authorities, who told her that if the bear didn't cause a problem, nothing needed to be done and she would likely never see it again.
"It's kind of exciting and cool, but it's kind of scary at the same time," she said.
Since then, five of Montgomery's chickens have gone missing, and she has found her horse feed bucket and trash cans tipped, though she can't be sure whether the bear was to blame.
"It never happened until after I saw the bear," she said. "I've been living out there three years."
Montgomery hasn't seen the bear since the first spotting, she said.
This summer's scorching conditions could lead to more black bear sightings in the area, but residents have no cause for concern, wildlife officials said.
Researchers with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Oklahoma State University have captured eight bears, and implanted four with tracking collars. Researchers plan to collar two more bears to track population movement in the northeastern part of the state, said Joe Hemphill, southeast region wildlife supervisor for the ODWC.
Though the research is in the early stages, northeastern black bears have shown signs of contrast to their southeastern companions.
"Southeast bears are pretty stable -- they stay in one spot," Hemphill said. "The initial northeast bears we have information on are just moving around everywhere."
The bears are probably looking for a new home range, Hemphill said. Because of the excessive heat, blackberries that once served as a food source for the bears have dried, sending the bears toward more populated areas.
"People are going to see bears," he said. "We see more all the time."
Though no conclusive research has been conducted in the area, some satellite images show bears moving west, and then turning around. Hemphill's guess is that they wander into more urban areas where they can't find good homes, and then return to more suitable places, he said.
Bears typically do not interact with humans and can be scared away with loud noises, according to the National Park Service. Most injuries from black bear attacks are minor and result from a bear attempting to get at people's food.