MYSTERY REMAINS

MYSTERY REMAINS
BY SCOTT MONROE
Staff Writer Morning Sentinel

WINSLOW -- A state wildlife biologist has investigated the reported sighting of a mountain lion in Winslow.

The biologist, Kendall Marden, didn't find any evidence such as hair or feces to scientifically confirm the presence of the animal.

But something else was discovered: what appears to be a large paw print in sand and dirt by the side of the road. It appears to measure 6 to 9 inches long and 5 inches wide.

For Lin Stout, who reported the mountain-lion sighting, there remains no doubt in her mind about what she saw, despite the lack of physical evidence.

"I'm convinced 100 percent," Stout said. "I would bet everything on it. I saw a mountain lion."

State wildlife officials say there is no wild mountain-lion population in Maine and reports of the animals, when they're legitimate, are of captive mountain lions that have been illegally released. Many people mistake other wild animals for mountain lions, state officials say.

There have been only two scientifically confirmed cases of mountain lions in Maine: The first was in 1938 near the Maine-Quebec border and the second was in 1995 in Cape Elizabeth.

Stout says she and her two sons encountered the mountain lion Monday afternoon in their backyard off South Ridge Drive. First, Stout said, they saw a long tail bobbing through ferns and brush and then the animal walked out in full view.

Stout said the mountain lion was uninterested in them and was instead focused on watching a domestic cat that was in a nearby marsh area. The mountain lion, Stout said, silently leaped back into the woods after about 30 seconds.

Wally Jakubas, mammal-group leader for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the agency's point person on mountain lions, said Stout's description of the animal seemed to fit. Jakubas also said there had been another possible mountain-lion report last week in the north Augusta area, in which a feces sample (also known as scat) was recovered and is being analyzed.

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