Mountain Lions In NJ? Hikers Could Encounter This On The Trails

We've been hearing an awful lot about mountain lions lurking around South Jersey lately.

More and more people have been opening up about their own personal encounters with cougars in and around the South Jersey area. Apparently, it's not as much of a rarity as we thought. It's common knowledge that bobcats are on the prowl here in the Garden State, but bobcats and cougars (a.k.a. mountain lions) are two completely different animals. They're literally a different species, so don't mistake one for the other.

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If you report a mountain lion sighting here in the Garden State, you are more likely than not going to be met with some resistance from either law enforcement or state officials. Why is that? Neither has New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection nor Fish and Game ever confirmed that mountain lions exist in New Jersey. That hasn't stopped people from reporting what they've seen.

Some eyewitness reports say that people made them feel crazy for even reporting sightings in the first place. Still, NJ residents that have spotted mountain lions are refusing to deny what they know they saw. With more and more people coming forward with what they've seen, pretty soon the truth will have to be revealed.

If you do believe there are mountain lions that have taken up residency in New Jersey, then you should probably be careful when engaging in outdoor activities. For example, if mountain lions really are here, you should know what you're up against should you come across them on the trails.

A video posted to Youtube that's garnered a lot of attention is one that features a mountain lion stalking an outdoor enthusiast for almost ten minutes. The thing even charged at the man at one point, so that's a pretty terrifying thought that it could happen here in the Garden State.

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If mountain lions really are here, hopefully anyone that encounters them in the future walks away as lucky as this guy did.

Source: Youtube