Officials Issue 'Ghost Cat' Warning In Pennsylvania

Have wild mountain lions made their way to Pennsylvania?

According to a press release from Pennsylvania State Police, a large cat was spotted in Lehigh County on Sunday (October 15). Fogelsville police responded to a report of a possible mountain lion sighting at 11:44 a.m. and arrived at 1013 Village Round to an individual who had captured photos of the animal lurking around a field. Police contacted the state game commissioner to assist with the situation. Per the release:

"If the animal is observed or you have information regarding the incident please contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Tel: 610-926-3136 or PSP Fogelsville, Tel: 610-395-1438."

UPI mentioned that mountain lions are often referred to as "ghost cats" because of their excellent hiding abilities. Despite these innate abilities, Pennsylvanians have been seeing more and more of these large felines throughout the state in recent years. Pennsylvania Game Commission Furbearer Biologist Thomas Keller spoke with WTAJ in August about the possibility of mountain lions existing in the Keystone State.

“To be able to say ‘Do we have mountain lions in Pennsylvania?’ The answer to that can be some of these other facets or things like ‘Do we have folks that have mountain lions in captivity’ which we certainly do in Pennsylvania. ‘Do we have folks that had mountain lions in captivity and released them into the wild’ and that may be where you get some sightings and that has occurred in the past.”

Information regarding the mystery animal's capture as of Monday afternoon (October 16) has not been released as officials continue to investigate the incident.