Photos of Wisconsin Mountain Lion
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on May 22nd, 2007
On April 29, 2007, I posted a story here on Cryptomundo concerning sightings of a mountain lion in a Wisconsin business park.
See Wisconsin Mountain Lion Sighting.
Now, images are being sent by email purporting to be of that mountain lion.
The text of the email states:
I thought you’d be very interested to see these:
Here are a couple of photos of the very elusive, but much talked about, Mountain Lion supposedly roaming Franklin - well, you can believe the rumors now!!! These were taken from the safety of OUR OWN BUILDING (Pen& Inc. of Milwaukee), while the Mountain Lion clearly checked out Our lot! Go ahead pass these around - they’re the ONLY photographs of the animal taken that day!!!
Click on image for full size version
Click on image for full size version
Thanks to Cryptomundo reader Headless for the heads up! (No pun intended)
Looks pretty real to me. Also the context seems plausible. Looking out the window at work. Lets hope for a Bigfoot photo as sharp, clear and in focus!
It will be interesting to here the comments of those that are versed in Photoshop.
Well, for once we have a big cat photo that actually looks like a big (even if not huge) cat and not a little domestic kitten.
The only thing i’d say is that the second image looks a bit odd. A bit ’stuck-on’ shall we say.
Anyone got the time, inclination, and equipment to look at it more closely?
Both pictures are fake. Good job using the Photoshop on the second pic.
Looks fake.
That is some pretty fine photo-shoping! I wouldn’t say I’m an EXPERT, but I work on photoshop all day at work and I can say with confidence that these are faked.
Not that I want to give more ammunition to hoaxers trying to make fools of the crypto-community… but the first shot is missing any footprints on the damp driveway and the second is fuzzy and the perspective is wrong.
Damn, they’re getting good!
I’d lean toward fakes, as well. The second cat definitely looks more ‘robust’ than the first, and both cats seems to have a ‘halo-effect’ around them, indicating photo manipulation.
Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s what it looks like to me!
If these were real… The first pic shows the cat walking towards the photographer, and he doesnt get one as he gets closer ? or if it turns away. This photo is of the rear of the building (dumpsters and access road) the second photo is of the front of the building (corporate sign and main street). No pics between? no pics coming or going when your this close? No side or butt views after traveling all the way around the building? No need to worry about photo shop the human element here is enough to say fake. Then there is the color shift in the green just to the left of the cat in photo two.
Man I’d hate to post a picture on here… I think if I had a honest photo it would be called a fake….
Absolutely no reason for a Mountain Lion to be in a Parking lot unless he eats cars. In the First shot, he’s an inquisitive cat, getting ready to stalk the building. The second picture appears he’s looking for what? Animal crackers or cat nip. Nice try, but no sale.
I work with Photoshop too. The second photo especially looks awkward, but I’ve seen a lot of awkward-looking real shots, too. If Photoshopped, they’re very well done. My only minor criticisms…the animal’s coat doesn’t appear wet, and why is it so interested in the building? There doesn’t appear to be much edible there. Unless it’s attracted to the people behind the glass. How many witnesses were there? Sorry…the jury’s still out here. Maybe real, or not.
It’s strange how different people see different things…. Look’s like it’s just plain ol walking to me in the first photo… the second photo look’s like it is checking something out… Most likely the people in the building…
I’ve seen deer in the middle of the city…. Why not a cougar in a parking lot….? They have been seen in school yards, why not a parking lot… Where was this photo taken I wonder…?
Milwaukee…. Why not Milwaukee….?
the first pictue has hints of photoshopping. The second picture the cat is too small, and has absolutely no shadow.
Photoshopped.
One of the most refreshing things about this photo is that the animal is so clearly a cougar. It would be most educational if someone versed in photo shop could take the picture of it walking downhill and put the animal in a different setting with the same degree of realism that this photo has.
Best regards
Even though I still lean towards this being real if you look up the company on the internet, ( pen-and-inc.com) you will find it is involved in the packaging industry doing graphic design work. Probably just a coincidence.
Best Regards
The first pic looks pretty real. But the 2nd one, IMO, is just screaming ‘fake’.
See what you’ve done? I was the open minded one. Now I’ve become a skeptic like the rest of you. I guess I’ve been around the wrong company for too long. Both look fake, especially the second one. I did edge detection on the first picture (not with Photoshop) but nothing suspicious showed.
Forget edge detection! Just magnify the first image using Microsoft Paint (LOL) and you will see halo effects and other cropping phenomena around the cougar. Officially fake.
The first photo has been exposed as a photoshop hoax.
See Update: Photos of Wisconsin Mountain Lion.