MOUNTAIN LIONS IN THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
Help ensure a future for mountain lions in New Hampshire
Though mountain lions once roamed the hills and forests of New Hampshire, persecution at the hands of humans has driven them locally extinct in the state. Fear and misinformation were the main forces driving this extirpation. But attitudes have changed since the early 1900s and there's hope for the future.
If we support mountain lion-friendly legislation, open space conservation, and preserve corridors connecting potential habitat, we could reverse this situation and bring mountain lions back home to New Hampshire.
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USE THE TABS TO THE LEFT TO EXPLORE:
Return to the portal page for New Hampshire.
The status of Puma concolor in New Hampshire.
State law and regulations affecting cougars.
The history of cougars in New Hampshire.
Ecosystems and habitat in New Hampshire.
Cougar science and research in New Hampshire.
Our library of media, research and reports.
How you can take action to help!
SUMMARY: Cougars in the State of New Hampshire
For more detail you can explore using the links below.
The status of Puma concolor.
Though mountain lions once roamed the hills and forests of New Hampshire, persecution at the hands of humans has driven them locally extinct in the state. Fear and misinformation were the main forces driving this extirpation. But attitudes have changed since the early 1900s and there's hope for the future.
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Mountain lion law in New Hampshire.Here you will find all the governing state statutes, mountain lion legal status, state laws, information about the state legislature, initiative and referendum processes, and the state wildlife agency, mountain lion management plans, mountain lion hunting laws, depredation laws, and other regulations as appropriate. Click here to learn more about law |
The history of lions in the state.
Before European settlement, mountain lions once occurred throughout New Hampshire, and moved between New Hampshire and neighboring states. Ideal habitat would have occurred in the forests, hills, and along the timbered streams, but mountain lions could have persisted anywhere there was ample prey.
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Lion habitat in New Hampshire.
Though mountain lions once roamed the hills and forests of New Hampshire, persecution at the hands of humans drove them locally extinct. If we support open space conservation and preserve corridors connecting potential habitat, we could reverse this situation and bring mountain lions back home to New Hampshire.
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The science of lions in the state.
Though mountain lions once roamed the great state of New Hampshire, human persecution has eliminated them from its hills and forests. With no mountain lion population to study, there isn't any current research to report in New Hampshire.
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Take action for lions.Despite having eradicated mountain lions over 100 years ago, New Hampshire's legal code lists mountain lions as a game animal. There is no current season for mountain lion, so it is effectively illegal to hunt them. One could easily argue that mountain lions should be listed as endangered in New Hampshire. However, New Hampshire's threatened and endangered species list apply only to "species of native wildlife whose continued existence as a viable component of the state's wild fauna is determined to be in jeopardy". Unfortunately, the state does not consider mountain lions to fall within this categorization. Click here to learn more about action |
