Watch CBS News

State Biologists, Winchester PD Disagree Over 'Confirmed' Mountain Lion Sighting

WINCHESTER (CBS) - State wildlife officials are disputing claims by Winchester police of a confirmed mountain lion sighting in that town.

Winchester police reported on Thursday that there had been a second reported sighting in town about ten days after the first.

Officials say a footprint analysis by "several independent mountain lion organizations in the United States" confirmed that second reported sighting last month in fact was a mountain lion.

"Experts from those organizations have conclusively stated that the paw print belongs to a mountain lion," Winchester police said on their website.

However, the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game was quick to refute that claim.

"This is not a mountain lion," Fish and Game spokesperson Krista Selmi said in an email. "We have sent the photos to several out-of-state experts, including a western mountain lion biologist, and all the feedback we have received is supportive of our original interpretation that these tracks were made by a coyote or dog."

Mountain lions are thought to be extinct in New England. The last confirmed kill of a mountain lion in Massachusetts was in 1858.

MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.