“It’s better to be careful than not,’’ McCabe said.
A letter sent to residents of the community that abuts wildlife conservation areas urged them to take care, especially with young children and dogs, The Greenwich Time reported. The managers also warned residents about walking around at dawn or dusk, when mountain lions would be particularly active.
In June, a mountain lion was killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in the New Haven suburb of Milford. Authorities later determined it was the first confirmed wild mountain lion found in Connecticut in 100 years and that it had originated in South Dakota.
Dennis Schain at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said his agency was aware of the latest sighting but that there was no evidence supporting the presence of another mountain lion.
Schain said the department gets periodic calls about unusual wildlife sightings that cannot be confirmed. The department does not believe the state has a native population of mountain lions, but some wildlife experts say there is a chance a small group of the cats lives in the state.
Bobcats, coyotes, and dogs are often mistaken for mountain lions, environmental officials say.
But Schain said the department does not have any permanent mountain lion monitoring stations like Western states and can investigate only individual claims and evidence from called-in reports.
