The last mountain lion in West Virginia was killed in 1877 on Tea Creek in Pocahontas County. Or was it? Numerous sightings and eyewitness accounts of this majestic cat have been documented for years. The WV Division of Natural Resources is firm on their stance that there are no native mountain lions in West Virginia, but all the sightings seem to tell a different story. Where are these cats? Where did they come from? How did they get here? Why are they so reclusive? These questions and more can be discovered on the pages inside of Skip Johnson’s book, West Virginia Mountain Lions.

About the authors:

Skip Johnson was born on Birch River in Herold, West Virginia and lived there till shortly before his death in 2011. He retired in 1992 as outdoor columnist and reporter for the Charleston Gazette. In 1993, he wrote Woods and Waters, a collection of outdoor stories.

Dr. Edwin Michael, Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Ecology at West Virginia University, has devoted over 40 years of his life to the study of West Virginia’s wildlife. That experience was the basis for his three, historical fiction novels, A Valley Called Canaan, Shadow of the Alleghenies, and Death Visits Canaan.

Dr. Michael was born on Plum Run in Marion County, and attended public schools in Shinnston and New Martinsville. He received a B. S. degree in Biology from Marietta College, and M. S. and Ph.D. degrees in Wildlife Ecology from Texas A&M University. Dr. Michael continues to research and write about the wildlife of West Virginia, especially those living in the high mountains.