One time, as I walked quietly along a woods road in the early morning gloom, a cougar stepped out of the roadside brush into the trail right in front of me. With the difficulties associated with cougars naturally making their way east, the more likelyand certainly quickeroption for returning the cougar to its native habitat in the East is a human-led reintroduction. Researchers hope that further analysis can lead to a better understanding of how this apex predator is managing to survive and spread throughout the region. Cougar in Obion County in 2015. However, because of the eastern migration of western cougar populations, Davidson said it's possible they have traveled to Mississippi. Mandy said the truck drove off as she was recording. Between 1995 and 2004, there were sightings of cougars reported from over 25 counties. If the animal attacks, fight back! Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. Cougars in Minnesota | Minnesota DNR Mississippi Sportsman Frequently Asked Questions. I distinctly remember hearing a panther scream from the woods across the river in the middle of the night. Nonetheless, the subspecies, which originally stretched from Michigan and Tennessee in the west to Eastern Canada, Maine, and South Carolina in the East, was only declared extinct and removed from the Endangered Species List by the U.S. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officials have confirmed a sighting of a cougar in northeast Louisiana near the Mississippi state line. "There are no black panthers," Flynt said. When more confirmed sightings occur, they will be added accordingly. Cougar tracks are round and are 3-4 inches long and 3-4.5 inches wide. Quite a few even shared their biological knowledge of large cats. Lets now look at my personal list of encounters of the cougar kind during my decades spent living, hunting and traveling around Mississippi. Females will follow more slowly, so we are unlikely to see frolicking cougar kittens in the East anytime soon. "It was in Morehouse Parish," saidMaria Davidson, LDWFs Large Carnivore Program manager. The Minnesota DNR reports that, since 2004, there have been about 50 verified cougar sightings in the state. Mandy said the scat has since been determined to be from a coyote. And finally, the TWRA confirmed the location by returning to the scene and matching the tree, soybeans and path the cat walked along. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Yet another was fatally struck by a car on I-88 west of Chicago. The Eastern Cougar, once ranging in all of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River, is now officially extinct, with the vast majority of the population wiped out by the early 1900s. This photo was different. What is it?: Possible large cat sighting caught on camera in Perry Co. ", Wildlife Bureau director Dacus leaves MDWFP. They ARE, however, searching for guys online because it tends to be a better use of their time, and eHarmony is a favorite among the cougar crowd. Relating this story to nearby neighbors elicited several stories of encounters they had also had but had been reluctant to tell anyone about. Located in Biloxi at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, the Eight75 Lounge is a great place to meet cougars in Mississippi. The fact we could even see this cat from that distance is proof positive it was huge.. Hair, tracks, and scat samples can be analyzed as evidence of a cougar sighting. Porcupines in Colorado (Diet, Lifestyle, Predators, more), 11 Incredible Animals With Feathers (Accompanied by Images), Top 10 Most Patient Animals in the World (With Pictures), Do Wolves Eat Hawks?
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