Science & Outdoors
Mountain lion discovered in Burnett County
The Pointer
Kbose675@uwsp.edu
A Trego, Wis. man was contacted by a friend early on March 4, 2009 after some unusual tracks were spotted in his yard. The tracks turned out to be those of a mountain lion, a very rare species in Wisconsin.
The man and his hunting dogs pursued and treed the 130-pound male cougar after it was chased from Trego to eastern Burnett County. Department of Natural Resources personnel were called to tranquilize the cougar, but were unable to get to the location before the cougar escaped. After the big cat eluded the DNR’s wildlife biologists over the past few days, they decided to leave the animal alone for the time being.
“These animals are very quick and agile and we could not make a clean capture,” said Ken Jonas, wildlife supervisor. “After three days of trying to get the animal, we decided to leave it alone.”
He also stressed that the DNR staff did not want to stress the animal, even though the young male cat appeared in good health.
Being only the second confirmed sighting of a cougar in Wisconsin in 100 years, wildlife biologists had been eager to capture the animal, take a blood sample and place a radio collar around its neck so they could then release it back into the wild.
Though a confirmed sighting of a mountain lion is very rare, over the years various wildlife biologists have collected reports of alleged cougar sightings across the state. Since 1991, the DNR has maintained a regular reporting system for collecting reports of cougars and other rare mammals.
The DNR appreciates any reports of cougar observations by citizens. If a cougar is spotted, the DNR urges people to photograph the animal and/or its tracks. They ask that it is reported to the local DNR with information pertaining to the time and location of the animal. A Web site is also available to report cougar sightings at www.dnr.wi.gov/land/er/mammals/cougar.
