[FEL-L] Continuing debate: Mt. Lions in Wisconsin?

Sat Jan 13 11:07:52 CST 2007

It does more rese3mble an African lion than a cougar,
but when the photo is enhanced what appears to be a 
drooping tail is actually the inside leg. A short
stubby tail can also be seen against the body, so this

is another bobcat.

Ben Willis

--- Laura Morin <lmorin67 at earthlink.net> wrote:

> That picture looks more like African lion than Mtn
> lion...The unknown hairs on the rubbings.. Must be
> Bigfoot! Its been seen up there recently too, but no
> proof!
> 
> Laura 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Gary Breuckman 
> To: felines-l at catbox.com
> Sent: 1/12/2007 9:40:08 PM 
> Subject: [FEL-L] Continuing debate: Mt. Lions in
> Wisconsin?
> 
> 
> This is in the news every so often, folks claiming
> to have seen one...
> 
> Original Link:
>
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070107/GPG0204/71070643/1233/GPGsports
>  
>  
> Posted January 7, 2007
> 
>  
> 
> This fuzzy photo reflects the difficulty in
> documenting the existence of cougars in Wisconsin.
> This shot, believed to be a collared cougar, was
> taken by a hunter's trail camera in western
> Wisconsin. Special to Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers 
> 
> 
> Proof of cougars remains elusive 
> If they're not here, they soon will be, state
> researcher says 
> By Jim Lee 
> Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers 
> STEVENS POINT &#8212; A year-long search failed to
turn up
> positive proof that mountain lions are present in
> Wisconsin, but the study's leader is far from
> dismayed. 
> "We're still looking, but I don't think it (finding
> conclusive evidence) is too far off," said Eric
> Anderson, professor of wildlife at the University of
> Wisconsin-Stevens Point. 
> "If cougars are not here, they're going to be here,
> and we should be thinking about how we are going to
> deal with their presence." 
> Anderson's optimism is buoyed by a photograph
> reportedly taken Oct. 22, 2005, near Ettrick in
> Trempealeau County. A bow hunter's trail camera
> produced a blurry image that appears to be a cougar
> with a large collar around its neck. 
> "I consider it to be a legitimate photo," Anderson
> said. "It's intriguing, to say the least." 
> The presence of a collar could indicate the animal
> is an escaped pet cougar, but Anderson has another
> theory. 
> "South Dakota is doing radio-collar work with
> cougars. One of their collared cougars was located
> in northwestern Minnesota. One was headed in the
> direction of Wisconsin, and they don't know its
> fate." 
> If the latter animal is the cougar captured on
> camera, there is no way to verify it. 
> But the presence of cougars has been documented in
> Illinois and Minnesota, Anderson said, and the
> Michigan public is pushing that state's Department
> of Natural Resources to concede cougars have a small
> but established population there. 
> Dozens of cougar sightings have been reported in
> Wisconsin in recent years, but state DNR officials
> say strong photographic or physical evidence is
> needed to verify those reports and to take any steps
> that might be necessary regarding the animals'
> future. 
> Anderson began a concerted effort to obtain DNA
> samples of cougars in 2006. 
> Hair snares on rubbing posts baited with cat lure
> were placed in several areas of the state with
> frequent cougar sightings. The snares were designed
> to capture cat hairs for DNA testing to ascertain
> whether the hair came from a cougar or some other
> animal. 
> "We put a total of 36 hair snares out from Jan. 3 to
> the end of March," Anderson said. "We had seven
> hits. Two were from bobcats, two were from black
> bear and three were of unknown materials." 
> This winter, an additional effort will be made to
> collect hair samples, but the snare device has been
> redesigned and the cat lure reformulated. 
> "We're trying to increase the attractiveness to
> mountain lions," Anderson said. "We've done trials
> on captive animals to see which formula gets the
> best reaction. We're trying to elicit a rubbing
> response." 
> Snare efforts will be concentrated in Lincoln,
> Langlade and Oneida counties, enabling UWSP student
> researchers Kristina Artner and Joe Welch to more
> easily monitor the stations. 
> "The Rhinelander area produced the most cougar
> sightings in the state this past summer, with close
> to 10 observations," Anderson said. 
> Many cougar sightings appear legitimate at first
> glance, he added, "but maybe 90 percent of the
> sightings are explainable as other species. 
> "When people have photos, nine times out of 10, the
> photo is of a bobcat. Shadows or the angle of the
> lens affect a photo, and if you don't know what
> you're looking for, it can look very much like a
> mountain lion." 
> Anderson said the Ettrick photo is the only one
> "that I'm really quite convinced may be a mountain
> lion." 
> A paw print obtained along the Wisconsin-Michigan
> border in Vilas County "looks pretty darn convincing
> to me," he added. 
> If one of the hair snares produces DNA evidence that
> a cougar is present, an array of trail cameras may
> be established in the vicinity, Anderson said. 
> Adrian Wydeven, a DNR wildlife specialist at Park
> Falls, and Anderson have been looking for conclusive
> evidence of cougars in Wisconsin since 2003. 
> "We don't have any answers yet, but we have lots and
> lots of questions," Anderson said. 
> Among the intriguing queries: 
> If a native breeding cougar population is indeed
> present, how have these stealthy animals maintained
> a presence on the landscape without leaving more
> physical evidence of their existence? 
> Jim Lee is an outdoors writer for Gannett Wisconsin
> Newspapers. E-mail him at jlee77 at charter.net 
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> 

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