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Greenwich Mountain Lion Reportedly Spotted Again: Police [Update]

Audubon Greenwich closed its trails Sunday following reports from a John Street family that the animal crossed into the property from their backyard.

 

Update at 10:15 p.m:

Greenwich Police have released this statement following two reported sightings of a mountain lion on John Street, near Audubon Greenwich on Sunday.

"We take these reports seriously and DEP will be working closely with Greenwich PD to investigate further and to monitor the situation there. We are not aware at this time, however, that these sightings are accompanied by any new or fresh evidence of the continued presence of a mt lion in Greenwich. Absent such evidence, we continue to believe the mt lion struck and killed in Milford Saturday was the same animal that had been seen last week in Greenwich."

Original story:

The publicly accessible trails at a 300-acre wildlife sanctuary in northwest Greenwich were closed Sunday following a reported sighting of a mountain lion on a private property that abuts it, officials say.

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and Greenwich police looked for signs of the mountain lion in the Audubon Greenwich property following reports of a "large tan cat" in a John Street backyard, according to Lt. Kraig Gray, public information officer with the Greenwich Police Department.

"The cat was described by the family as a mountain lion," Gray said in a press release.

The John Street homeowner and "four other members of his family" claim to have seen it at approximately 11:30 a.m., Gray said. The property abuts Audubon Greenwich's 295 acres, he said. It's also located in roughly the same area of town where a mountain lion was spotted exactly one week earlier.

If true, the sighting likely means the mountain lion killed on Route 15 in Milford before dawn Saturday is a different feline altogether.

Officials say no photos were taken this time of the animal, and that it had no contact with people or domestic animals.

The incident likely renews investigators' priority of looking into the status of two legally permitted mountain lions in New York state, near the border of Greenwich.

A mountain lion last was spotted in Greenwich June 5, with DEP officials confirming the animal's species based on a blurry photograph (attached).

Though the Greenwich mountain lion now has its own Facebook page, the beast has eluded further sightings in town — possibly until Sunday.

Until the report Sunday morning, the lion hadn't been seen in one week, and police hadn’t received any calls of the roaming beast outside of the King Street area, Gray said.

Reports emerged last weekend of sightings of a mountain lion, and Greenwich Police on Wednesday released a photo taken of the elusive animal, taken June 5 on the King Street campus of Brunswick School.

Officials of the private all boys school placed the campus—which abuts the Westchester County Airport—off limits to activities and are allowing only faculty and staff on the bucolic acreage that is across the road from the Fairview Country Club and just up the road from the town-owned Griffith E. Harris Golf Course.


Susan Troiano

7:34 pm on Sunday, June 12, 2011

Now this is hysterical. See DEP we the people know what we see. It is apparent you aren’t so smart after all, and stop making us seem like we don’t know what we are talking about. It is you guys that don’t what you’re talking about. Perhaps a new animal book would come in handy.

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Greenwich Resident

7:46 pm on Sunday, June 12, 2011

It's not a Mountain Lion in Greenwich it's a Back Country Lion....

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Karen J. Moulton

8:22 am on Monday, June 13, 2011

"The incident likely renews investigators' priority of looking into the status of two legally permitted mountain lions in New York state, near the border of Greenwich."

Please - I am sure this has already been checked - how long would it take to have DEP go to that owner and verify if the lions are still in possession? Not this long. I would say DEP already knows the answer - no missing lions from that owner

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Sue Donem

11:42 am on Monday, June 13, 2011

I talked to someone the other day who said that early last week (June 6/7?) they saw a very large mountain lion cross Rte 53 around the Wilton/Weston line. They reported the siting to both Weston and Wilton officials.

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Craig Donofrio

2:14 pm on Monday, June 13, 2011

Hey Sue,

I called the Wilton PD and Wilton Animal Control and they said they received no such reports.

Sue Donem

4:36 pm on Monday, June 13, 2011

The guy I talked to said he had called the selectmen's office of the two towns -- not sure why he didn't call police and/or Animal Control.

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Theresa

10:45 pm on Monday, June 13, 2011

Can we report some expert advise on what to do if the mountain lion crosses or path? or our children's path?

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Joe Witz

10:59 am on Thursday, June 16, 2011

@Theresa, just make sure that you can run faster than the slowest person in your group

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Michael Dinan

12:21 pm on Thursday, June 16, 2011

Greenwich police reporting unconfirmed sighting 2 p.m. June 15 @ Partridge Hollow Lane near North Castle New York border: "Women was walking her dog in the woods. She reported that she saw a mountain lion being chased by two 'hounds.' DEP and GPD responded investigated: No contact with people, no local pet owners reported dogs missing or injured."

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Concerned Parent

7:26 am on Sunday, June 19, 2011

If you see a mountain lion all you have to do is climb the nearest tree and swing outta there from a vine. If it gets real close, throw it a couple of bananas.

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David Moyer

11:29 am on Sunday, June 19, 2011

All these "sightings" and no photographs, in an age where nearly every person carries a cellphone with an integral camera? What's wrong with this (lack of) picture?

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sydney k

10:39 am on Tuesday, July 5, 2011

okay, so its a mountain lion.. we have to share this world.

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Ken MacCallum

11:48 am on Tuesday, July 5, 2011

On Thursday evening there was a black bear on Tall Oaks Road in Wilton. Lions - and bears - and what next in Fairfiled County? Tigers?

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Peter Mulshine

10:58 pm on Tuesday, July 26, 2011

LET BABABOOIE USE HIS ENORMOUS INCISORS TO KILL THE LION!!!!!!

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Peter Mulshine

10:59 pm on Tuesday, July 26, 2011

oR KEEP SOME ANATOLIAN SHEPARDS,,,IN YR. HOUSE.tHEY HAVE BEEN USED TO HUNT LIONS FOR 8000 YRS.

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