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Police Investigating Possible Mountain Lion Sighting In New Jersey

by Molly Daly

WINSLOW TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- Was it a mountain lion, or a house cat?

That's the question after a winery in Hammonton, New Jersey posted a brief video appearing to show a puma strolling through the vineyard. A trail-cam photo has also surfaced.

A five-second video posted October 9th on the Plagido Winery's Facebook page shows a light tan, long-tailed animal. The trail-cam photo shows a cat, but it's tough to tell how big.

Winslow Township Police Lieutenant Christopher Dubler says the images aren't conclusive.

"It's a grainy video, and a grainy photograph taken from a hunter's trail-cam in the woods. And it's not possible to determine whether it is a large cat or not, based upon the quality of the photo. We can't tell if that's a regular house cat that's close to the camera, or if it's a larger cat that's farther from the camera," said Dubler.

He says there have been no other reports.

"Our take is if there was, and there legitimately is one in the area, just to be aware of your surroundings, and to let us know if you should see something," he said.

Dubler says they don't believe that the animals pose a threat to people, but suggests everyone use sound judgement and reasonable precautions with their kids, pets, and themselves.

Anyone who sees one of these animals can report the sighting by calling Winslow Township's Animal Control at 609-567-0700 ext. 1500.

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