The return of the cougar

 
Image from Scientific American
 
Great news for cougars: According to a recent study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management, cougars (Puma concolor) are beginning to repopulate the Midwest after an extended absence going back to the early 20th century. Their population declined in the Midwest when prey dwindled and they were being hunted to protect livestock and humans. Visit this website for a timeline of their decline across the Midwest. By the end of the 20th century, the animals were mainly restricted to the Western United States.
 
Cougar populations actually started to bounce back when states began making the animals a managed-game species. With these regulations in place, the animals have been able to increase their numbers and expand their territories. Confirmed cougar sightings between 1990-2008 have been reported in Nebraska (n=67), North Dakota (n=31), Oklahoma and Texas (n=12 each), South Dakota (n=11), Missouri (n=10), Arkansas (n=8), among other Midwestern states.
 

Number of confirmed cougar sightings. Figure from: The Journal of Wildlife Management.

 

Map of established populations (green) and confirmed cougar sightings (yellow and orange). From: The Journal of Wildlife Management.

 

Sources:

 
Categories

More like this

This is police dash cam video of a cougar just across the Mississippi from my place, in the town of Champlin. The Cougar was spotted heading towards the river.
Conflicts between predators like cougars and coyotes and human companions like pets and small children are becoming more common as people move into areas that used to be wildlife habitat.
Several years ago, I had a conversation with a friend who at that time, like me, spent a lot of time in the Adirondacks in Update New York. This was in the 1970s. He had spent a week or so on cross country skis on the north slope (facing Canada) the previous winter.
There was a mountain lion in the courtyard of a local elementary school playground today. A mountain lion. At the elementary school.