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Above: an acual cougar. Note the relative size of the body and tail, as well as the “masked” face.
Dave Hamilton there was already a long line of usually get for a Friday night high
Missouri Dept. of Conservation pickup trucks and cars way down the school basketball game – but they
1110 S. College Ave. rural road heading into town, and we normally didn’t come armed! We
Columbia, MO 65201 weren’t “on” for another 20 minutes. hadn’t planned on a hot public debate,
Five minutes before we were to open but they sure did, and two and a half
Some time ago, a couple of us the meeting, more than 300 people hours later, we realized why.
from the Missouri Mountain Lion were already sitting quietly in the The topic was “Mountain lions
Response Team were in the parking gymnasium (in a northeast Missouri in Missouri – what we know,” and
lot of a small community high school, town of 150) in eager anticipation for it was designed as a platform for the
waiting for folks to arrive for an the “debate” that was about to take Missouri Department of Conservation
evening public meeting where we place. One gentleman remarked that to relay factual information about the
were about to speak. Remarkably, this was a bigger crowd than they big cat that had been mostly missing
Wild Cat News - www.cougarnet.org 1
confirmed cougar occurrences thrown
in the mix (more than 100 confirmed
with evidence in the last decade) that
often warrant front-page headlines and
always several “I told you so’s” down
at the coffee shop.
Sterling Heights, Michigan – In March 2005, two housecats residing in this heavily urbanized
southern Michigan community created a media sensation. Local residents mistook them
for cougars, specifically an adult female (tan and white animal on left) and its spotted kitten
(black and white animal above). The city’s Chief of Police held a televised press conference
to address the hysteria surrounding the “cougars.” CNN later reported on the story,
claiming video footage of the tan housecat was actually of a cougar. Above photograph
courtesy Dr. Christine L. Marossy.
Yet, it is extremely unlikely that 24 hours a day, seven days a week. cougars and trail cameras that are
undiscovered cougar populations Although this response has legitimate but are from western states
exist. Throughout North America, become somewhat of a cliché, we with concocted stories attached, many
even where small populations are have to allow for the possibility that times with real people attributed. Be
known to exist, bona fide sightings an occasional (rare event) captive quick to put these to rest with the
are uncommon, but evidence of cougar will become at large after help of the media and your internal
their existence, such as tracks, scat, escaping or being released. A female communication system.
scrapes, road-kills and train collisions, cougar recently escaped captivity
accidental captures, documented in central Indiana after seven years Cougar Field Workshop Offered
depredation cases, prey kills, in a pen and has yet to be captured. Clearly there is a need to increase
photographs taken by trail cameras, Captive cougars exist in surprisingly our experience, skills, and knowledge
cougar carcasses from poaching and high numbers, even where they have in order to deal effectively with
other accidents, and photographs of been supposedly “banned.” We must the public and maintain credibility.
cougars occasionally treed by hound also expect transient sub-adult male Featuring retired cougar biologist
hunters are easily obtained. cougars to occasionally disperse into Harley Shaw, the Cougar Network has
For example, in southern Florida the central United States. organized a Cougar Field Workshop
and in South Dakota where small Also, be ever vigilant about scams; designed to train biologists working in
populations exist, biologists document they do happen. We recommend that the Midwest and eastern United States
several road-killed cougars every you actually go to each site where to recognize cougar sign and to initiate
year. Cougar behavior is sufficiently mountain lion photos have been a plan of action to help conservation
stereotypic to suggest that local reportedly taken to confirm that the agencies deal with communication
populations should not be immune photographs matches everything on and public service issues. The first
to detection. In fact, the case can the ground, and that the camera in Cougar Field Workshop is to be held
be made that all across the Midwest question actually took the photograph March 19 to March 23, 2007, on Ted
and the East, the system of roads – not “Photoshop.” The Internet is Turner’s spectacular Ladder Ranch
and highways provide a continuous rampant with scams as well; some in the heart of New Mexico’s cougar
“cougar detection network” operating include photographs of hunter-killed country. The event is co‑sponsored