HOW I SEE IT: Cougars have been sighted in Virginia

In the last two years, multiple cougar/mountain lion sightings have been reported from Chester Gap in Warren County south through Sperryville, Syria, Hood and Loft Mountain to Crozet in western Albemarle County.

These sightings have all come along the eastern slope of Shenandoah National Park, where more than 300 sightings have been reported by tourists and resident rangers since 1927.

In other words, reports of the big cats are not a new mystery, but one that’s been around for decades.

Not all reports are misidentifications of other animals, as the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wants you, the residents of Virginia, to believe.

Wild cougars have been confirmed through pictures or tracks in Augusta, Bath, Frederick, Highland and Shenandoah counties.

The most recent reports are in western Madison County within the last two weeks, where a large cat attacked — and caused severe injuries to — a 41-pound dog.

As a mounatin lion field investigator since 1965, I have tracked and had confirmed excellent reports by trained observers in the Mid-Atlantic states, including Virginia.

We are now trying to get a handle on the recent events in western Madison County and would like to hear from anyone knowing of or having pictures of tracks or the actual cougar anywhere along the eastern slope of Shenandoah National Park.

We are also aware of the dozens of bogus or posed pictures being peddled across the Internet. We are seeking facts, not faked incidents.

To report a cougar or mountain lion sighting, please e-mail or call (304)749-7778.

Help us end the coverups by state wildlife agencies.

Both wild and native cougars, as well as released pet mountain lions, are roaming Virginia. Help us prove their continued presence. 

John A. Lutz is a resident of Maysville, W.Va. He is director of the Eastern Puma Research Network.