In an announcement on Thursday, July 14, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said it received a number of calls to investigate after a trail camera in Western New York showed what was believed to be a mountain lion.
The DEC said its environmental conservation officers and wildlife staff worked with the homeowner to place a cutout of an average-sized mountain lion in the same location.
Officials shared photos from the investigation and reported that the animal was noticeably smaller than a mountain lion, and it was actually a cat.
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