Are there mountain lions in WNY?

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - There has been several recent reports about mountain lions, or other big cats, spotted in western New York.

News 4 tried to separate fact from fiction.

Well, there are two things going on here, there are people who claim to have actually seen them, and then there are the Internet pictures, so we'll start with the more famous pictures.

It happened again last month, a picture started circulating of a mountain lion allegedly hit by a car in the southtowns. The same picture turned up on a Pennsylvania website claiming it was hit there.

"It's always 'a friend of a friend saw it, a cousin of mine got this from a buddy of his,'" said Captain David Bennett of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

State conservation officers have posted some of the more famous photos, like the cougar on the back deck, which was actually taken in the state of Wyoming. One was traced to Arizona. But the bottom line, according to DEC officers, they have never found bones or even a footprint proving that mountain lions have been here in over 100 years.

"None, no proof at all other than those in captivity," said Captain Bennett.

News 4 has talked to three people who seem very credible and swear they have seen a mountain lion. One of them in the Boston hills a few years ago. But, what actually are they seeing?

"It's very difficult to judge size," said Mark Kandel, a regional wildlife manager.

Kandel believes many people are seeing bobcats which are here in western New York. A few of them turn up dead on local roads each year, but they're only about 16 inches high and top out at 20 pounds.

He thinks people who claimed to have seen a black panther may actually be seeing a fisher cat.. Fisher cats are here, but they are no more than 20 pounds either.

A mountain lion averages more than 100 pounds, and often feed on deer. Some people believe the DEC secretly released them here to control the deer population.

"Everybody would know if we did. We can't keep that secret. A lot of people think we can keep it a secret, but it would be impossible," said Captain Bennett.

Just in the last couple days since News 4 started teasing this story, News 4 has heard from at least five other viewers insisting they've seen a mountain lion. But News 4's George Richert has tried to do this story for years. He has talked to dog wardens, the SPCA, taxidermy shops, and every story comes back to no tracks, no pictures.

Bobcat? Bear? Coyote? The DEC is willing to come look at a track, but every one they have seen is from some other animal.

To see some of the more popular email hoaxes, visit here. For an example of a story where a finger lakes man was prosecuted for generating a cougar hoax, visit here.

Additional facts about the Eastern cougar are available here.