'Lions of the East' Makes Compelling Case for Mountain Lions in New England

Petakov Media’s documentary Lions of the East, produced and directed by Aleksandar Petakov and narrated by John Horrigan, details the decades-long history of anomalous big cat sightings in New England—sightings that occur despite the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s claim that eastern mountain lions have been extinct since the 1930s.

The documentary is beautifully shot, displaying the wondrous natural vistas of New England’s untouched forests. Petakov recorded interviews with investigators and experiencers alike throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; including wildlife biologists, folklorists, and others well-qualified to examine claims of this nature. Like many subjects on the fringe of belief, the investigators interviewed were often witnesses themselves—compelled to explore further after their own close encounter with an anomalous big cat.

That’s not the only similarity this subject has with more paranormal topics, and Petakov covers the folkloric tradition of big cat sightings in New England, including the ‘Beast of Truro,’ a monster cat said to have killed scores of livestock in Massachusetts in the early 1980s. But unlike the supernatural, this phenomenon has a firm basis in natural science, complete with physical evidence—something the documentary covers extensively and with compelling results. Combined with the testimony of researchers and eyewitnesses interviewed for the film, a startling picture of post-extinction survival emerges.

There’s very little mention of any paranormal angle, even when examining reports of melanistic big cats in the region. Mountain lions, unlike their smaller cousin the bobcat, aren’t known to produce members of their species with melanism; so it is a genuine mystery that people in New England report sightings of a mountain lion-sized black cat. Petakov treats these reports as true cryptids—undiscovered animals with a history recorded in folklore, but that very well could have a basis in biological science, despite the authorities’ denial of their existence. It’s a fascinating documentary in the true spirit of cryptozoology, one that doesn’t exist to promote an agenda or try to explain one mystery with another, but rather looks at the tangible evidence and lets the chips fall where they may.

Lions of the East is available for purchase on DVD and digital format through Petakov Media.

To report your own encounter with the impossible, reach out to us directly at the Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to support the Singular Fortean Society, please consider becoming an official member by signing up through our Patreon page—membership includes a ton of extra content and behind-the-scenes access to the Society’s inner workings.