michigan cougar sightings map 2020
Please view our directory listingfor general contact information. Saliby: Why are we seeing more cougar sightings in recent years? That stands to reason because so far we havent found any evidence cougars are breeding in the Upper Peninsula, so theres no established population here. This is about 47 miles from where a May 24 photo was captured in Marquette County. Sophia Saliby is the local producer and host of All Things Considered, airing 4pm-7pm weekdays on 90.5 FM WKAR. Cody Norton is a large carnivore specialist with the DNR. These photos provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources show cougars in the wild.Michigan DNR. One of the things the DNR is trying to find out is whether cougars are going to establish themselves here. Since then, the big cats have occasionally been spotted by residents as they wander in from states like the Dakotas. All of the sightings were in the Upper Peninsula. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. On June 1, a camera caught a cougar in eastern Mackinac County, about 127 miles from where the April 24 photo was captured. However, it boarders North and South Dakota, both of which do have established mountain lion populations. What were seeing is sort of a migratory population where a family of cougars is established in one area. Click the box above to see all species, or click the species group below. 0. michigan wolf sightings map. In February, DNR Wildlife Division staff confirmed two of those reports after finding cougar tracks while conducting the U.P. The tail is long and thick with a black tip. He joins me now. Saliby: You've mentioned a couple of different ways that your team monitors and tracks cougars, like the trail cameras [and] getting photos from residents. On April 24, 2020, a trail camera photo was captured of a cougar in Delta County, on the Stonington Peninsula. A full list of confirmed cougar sightings in Michigan since 2008 can be found here. On Why Theyre Recording More Cougar Sightings In Recent Years, On Why Its Not Likely Cougars Would Reestablish Themselves In Michigan, On What To Do In The Rare Chance You Encounter A Cougar. A Fireball in Michigan Skies in 1965: What Really Happened. In 2011, one cougar traveled a record-breaking 2,100 miles from South Dakota to Connecticut. Today, the Cougar Fund says, viable breeding populations are found in only 16 states after centuries of attempts to exterminate them that began during the European colonization of North America. RELATED: State Parks Now Open for Midweek Campers, Remote Workers as Michigan DNR Unveils New Booking Tool. This is about 45 miles from where DNR staff found tracks on February 20th in . Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Former Michigan GOP Lawmaker Who Lobbied Against Lobbyists is Now a Lobbyist, Law and Policy This is about 50 miles from where the May 13 photo was captured in Dickinson County. All . | The cougar typically weighs between 90 and 180 lbs, with a few large males topping 200 lbs. Nick Meyer, Originally Published For a full listing of help desk numbers, field offices, and other ways we can help, please visit our contact page. It was the highest amount of cougar sightings in one year over. The highest number of Michigan cougar sightings has occurred during the past three years. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. The DNR said it is possible reports could be sightings of the same animal. Click the box above to learn more about Michigan's state forests. They might cover them up with a bucket or something like that, and we physically had to go out there and try to be out there quick enough before some of that evidence disappeared. DNR educators provide classroom lessons, field trip opportunities, professional development and experiential programs to teachers around the state. DNR officials say the greater use of cameras by hunters and others is adding to the increased number of cougar reports. Just a day later, a trail camera captured a cougar in Ontanogon County, 120 miles from the picture on July 12. He's been with WDIV since 2013. Despite the occasional reported sightings, wildlife experts say theres no evidence of a breeding population in the state. On August 30, 2020, a trail camera photo was captured of a cougar in southcentral Luce County. Cougar sightings are on the rise in Michigan. On Wednesday, the DNR shared an update of the latest crop of cougar sightings in Michigan, and their findings show just how isolated and wide-ranging the animals have truly become. Fish and Wildlife Service. The last known wild cougar taken legally in the state happened over 100 years ago in Newberry, the hometown of the Tahquamenon Falls. And yeah, if anything like that happened, you'd want to report it to the local authorities or the DNR as soon as possible. So, that helps if the animal is in a field or you know, without something as a size or scale reference. Find camping and overnight lodging options, reservation info, rules and regulations and more. We'll take photos from the viewpoint of that camera to line up the background in the photos. Ever Wanted to Own an Island? Since 2008 there have been 55 confirmed reports of cougars in Michigan and . Use the button above to visit the fishing home page, or go directly to your area of interest below: Get all your hunting information here, including hunting season dates, rules and regulations, and much more. Your source for Local information & breaking news across southeast Michigan plus 4Warn Weather providing you with accurate forecasts so you can plan your day. Updated: 6:52 PM EDT August 12, 2020. In the 13 years that the state's cougar team has been searching, they have verified at least 65 reports of a cougar traversing the Michigan wilderness. Male cougars are known to travel great distancesin search of places to establish breeding locations with available females, said John Pepin, deputy public information officer at DNR, and it is almost always males that are recorded inconfirmed sightings. This is about 18 miles from where the June 1 photo was captured in Mackinac County. Politics WKARs Sophia Saliby spoke with DNR large carnivore specialist, Cody Norton. This is about 180 miles from where the July 17 photo was captured in Ontonagon County. USE THE BUTTON ABOVE TO VISIT THE SNOWMOBILE HOMEPAGE or go directly to you area of interest below: Want to find tasty morel mushrooms in the forest? Four additional sightings were confirmed after residents submitted trail camera photos of cougars. The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. July 13, Ontonagon County: A trail camera photo was captured of a cougar. Support local journalism by becoming a new WKAR donor and get ad-free feeds of your favorite NPR podcasts with NPR+ when you donate $8/month or more! Also known as pumas, panthers, mountain lions, cougar sightings remain extremely rare in Michigan. This includes three from Dickinson County, two from Marquette County and one each from Baraga, Delta, Houghton, Luce, and Schoolcraft counties. This is about 45 miles from where DNR staff found tracks on February 20th in Schoolcraft County. When we get them, we go out and investigate them and try to substantiate the reports.. On June 1, 2020, a trail camera photo was captured of a cougar in eastern Mackinac County. Click the box above to learn more about Michigan's state forests. It's the most confirmed sightings in one year in at least the last 12 years, according to DNR . are coming from the West of us, the Minnesota, the Dakotas, that Kind of thing.. On December 22, 2021, a security camera captured video of a cougar in southwestern Delta County. At one point, the animal roamedall 48 contiguous states in the United States, according to the Cougar Fund, a Wyoming-based nonprofit that educates people on and advocates for the protection of these animals. A Fireball in Michigan Skies in 1965: What Really Happened? July 12, Delta County: A trail camera photo was captured of a cougar. In 2019, at least 11 cougar sightings were confirmed in the state. On July 12, 2020, a trail camera photo was captured of a cougar in Delta County. DNR educators provide classroom lessons, field trip opportunities, professional development and experiential programs to teachers around the state. DNA analysis of two cougars poached in the U.P., for example, showed the animals likely dispersed from their established populations in South Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska, said Cody Norton, large carnivore specialist with the DNR. Or, they could be transient or dispersing cougars from the nearest known breeding populations in North and South Dakota. So, we do, especially with trail cameras, it makes it pretty convenient because you have background. The state agency does not know how many of the sightings in recent years were unique, according to Pepin, but assume that several reports may involve the same animal or animals based on some studies as well as the close geographical locations of some sightings. Here is a list of the confirmed sightings from this year: Feb. 19, Delta County: DNR members identified cougar tracks while conducting wolf track surveys. Every so often we have numerous verifications due to a similar situation., (Find a complete rundown of the 12 sightings in 2020 right here), From 2018: Cougar captured on DNR camera in Michigans Upper Peninsula. In the early 2000's, many big cat sightings were . The species, which have the largest relative hind legsof all the members of the cat family and can jump up to 18 feet from the ground, were once the most widely distributed land animal in the Western Hemisphere, according to the U.S. Although sightings are rare in Michigan, they have been on the rise in recent years. It is the most in a. It doesn't suggest that, you know, we necessarily obviously didn't have 14 different cougars showing up last year. Should you encounter a cougar: Copyright 2020 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. Saliby: Could a cougar population ever reestablish itself in Michigan? Michigan now has confirmation of no less than 74 mountain lion sightings in the state over the last 14 years. State park, historic sites and visitor center events. This is about 3 miles from where a December 22 video was captured in Delta County. Its also important to note that the reports could be multiple sightings of the same animal, the DNR said. The DNR Wildlife Division staff confirmed two of those reports after finding cougar tracks while conducting its annual UP Winter wolf track survey. But what should people do if they do see a cougar? While mountain lions are native to Michigan, their numbers diminished to almost zero by the 1900s. Icy conditions lead to more than a dozen crashes overnight in Kent County, Ousted Ottawa County administrator becomes Wyoming city manager, 13 On Your Side Forecast: Warming Trend through Mid-Week, Almost 200 Chihuahuas up for adoption at Noah's Ark animal sanctuary, Kalamazoo police use boat to rescue dog stuck in marsh, Financially struggling zoos could be latest pandemic victims. Six separate cougar sightings have been confirmed this year in Michigan, according to a mid season update from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. winter wolf track survey. Click the box above to see all our offerings, or click the program below. This is about 72 miles from where the April 24 photo was captured in Delta County(photograph not available). That cat was photographed in June, 2017 in the Rose Lake State Wildlife Area in Bath Township, near Lansing. This is about 10 miles from where August 30 photos were captured in Luce County. READ: This Beloved Ann Arbor Farm Is Surviving the Pandemic Without PPP. Local 4 News every morning. No evidence of cougars has been found. January 26, 2021 But a rise in sightings does not necessarily mean more of the animals are reclaiming Michigan as their home. There's not a lot of trees [and] not a lot of great habitat for cougars. What do they look like? The odds of encountering a cougar in the wild are very small and attacks are extremely rare. WKAR Public Media | A second trail camera caught what is likely the same cougar, taken 5 miles away in western Mackinac County. A field or you know, without something as a size or reference! Photos provided by the 1900s a Fireball in Michigan Skies in 1965: what Really?. 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