Antique Shop Sells Endangered Mountain Lion Head

In a recent sting operation at the Wurtsboro Antique Market, authorities seized a taxidermied mountain lion head. The sale of this prohibited species led to the shop owner receiving a ticket from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The owner and an employee claimed ignorance of the law, but the sale is a violation.

This incident is not isolated, as a Delaware County man was previously fined $2,500 for attempting to sell a full-body leopard mount in 2024. Mountain lions have been absent from New York since the late 19th century. The federal Endangered Species Act classifies the Eastern cougar as endangered, with New York within its presumptive range, thus requiring a permit for possession or sale of such species.