DEC debunks cougar rumor

Did you hear they found a dead mountain lion in Black Brook? It was hit by a car. The state Department of Environmental Conservation picked up the carcass and hauled it away the other day. There’s even a photograph to prove it.

Naturally, DEC put out a news release denying the whole thing, but what would you expect? Everybody knows DEC is secretly releasing mountain lions in the Adirondacks and then lying about it.

You can read all about this mountain lion on the Internet. Some guy took a picture of it on his cell phone.

But there is a problem with the story. The same photo turned up on the Internet weeks ago, supposedly taken in Pennsylvania. And a guy in Adirondack Forum says he received the photo twice: the first time, a few weeks ago, he was told it was taken in Springville, N.Y. ; the second time, just yesterday, he was told it was taken in Black Brook.

You can read about the hoax here and here. And click  hereto read about an earlier hoax.

DEC spokesman David Winchell said the agency decided to issue a news release debunking the rumor after receiving a number of phone calls and e-mails about it.

Winchell acknowledges that mountain lions have been seen in the Adirondacks, but he insists there is not a wild population. Rather, DEC maintains that any cougars in the region are pets that were released or escaped. He says it’s easy in some states, such as Ohio, to acquire exotic animals.

“They’re cute when they’re little,” Winchell said of cougars, “but when they grow up they’re wild animals, and the people can’t take care of them, so they bring them to the Adirondacks and release them.”

Click on the link below to read DEC’s news release (Word document).

DEC on hoax