Sightings have been reported over the past week of a possible mountain lion in southern Dutchess County near the town of Cold Spring. Several residents have reported seeing a large animal, described by one witness as "tawny in color and had no spots, its long tail curled gently behind it", near their homes and now they are concerned. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation isn't convinced it's a mountain lion though.

If we had a reproducing population, we would see roadkill," DEC regional spokeswoman Wendy Rosenbach said Monday. "You would see scat. You would see prints. A hundred percent of the time, when people send in pictures, the paw prints turn out to be from a large dog."

Rosenbach did suggest that it could  be a rougue mountain lion that escpaed from it's owners, or simply be a bobcat.

Residents who see what they think is a mountain lion should report their sighting to the DEC at 845-256-3098.

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