Today there are no known Wisconsin cougars. However the recent discovery of mountain lion kittens in Michigan suggests the return of the big cats may be inevitable.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) employees verified the existence of two kittens in that state in March. The two were estimated to be up to 9 weeks old.
Outdoor Life says Michigan has not had cougars in a century. Including the two kittens just mentioned there have been 10 sightings this year, the website says. The Wisconsin Deartment of Natural Resources says there are no Wisconsin cougars today.
Photo by Maheera Kulsoom on Pexels.com Cougars are large powerful cats that can leap great distances and run fast. In California one of their favorite foods is mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
But suggestions are that Michigan cougars are breeding and the number of sightings is increasing. Spilling over into neighboring Wisconsin is considered highly likely if not “inevitable”
Cougars (Puma concolor) have the longest north- south range of any cat on Earth. They are found from Canada deep into Argentina in South America. In general they are slightly smaller than Jaguars (Panthera onca). Jaguars range from Mexico south at least into Brazil. There are efforts to reintroduce Jaguars into the United States. At one time they ranged across the southern United States.
In the United States mountain lions are benefitting from increased conservation efforts. Many of those efforts are centered around avoiding traffic collisions with the cats. The Liberty Canyon project in the Santa Monica Mountains is nearing completion. It will provide an overcrossing over the 101Freeway.
Jaguars are benefitting from similar efforts in South America. They are also being transplanted into areas from which they were displaced,
Mountain lions are resilient and are adept at living close to humans. The example f P-22 and other Santa Monica Mountains cats shows they can adept well to human presence although there can be conflict.