Mountain lion alert

To the Editor: I read with interest your story by Mark Yablonsky about the numerous mountain lion sightings in Sussex County. In mid August 2004, I, too, observed a mountain lion on my lawn in Sparta, in a development called The Summit. This lion was able to bound into the middle of the street and then onto my neighbor’s property in one leap. No other wildlife in New Jersey could have accomplished this feat. The lion was seven to eight feet long while in mid air, with its head hunched down into its shoulders. I was stunned to the point where I got out of my car and took a look in the woods. About 20 yards ahead of me was a mountain lion. I slowly backed away while facing the lion, knowing that they prey on living things and usually attack from the back. I have hiked the woods of Sussex County and Warren County for 20 years and am positive of what I saw. I called the N.J. Fish and Wildlife Non-Game species in Hampton, the Star Ledger Sussex County reporter, the Herald and News 12 New Jersey, but no one wanted to panic the public. Only the U.S. Parks Dept. confirmed my sighting. The Sparta police were not called because of their tendencies to shoot first. Nevertheless, the public should have been made aware of this before a tragedy happened. In light of the recent sightings, I hope this letter serves to alert the public. Al Scepkowski Sparta