DNR biologist: No evidence of cougar found

This photo of a mountain lion or cougar is in the public domain.

/Public domain photo.

A search of the area in Western Kenosha County where some residents believe they saw a cougar Tuesday turned up no evidence a big cat was there, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources spokesman said Wednesday.

DNR personnel found tracks in the area from a number of animals such as coyotes, deer and other small mammals, but no cougars, said Marty Johnson, DNR wildlife biologist.

“What we found was no evidence of a cougar,” Johnson said. “As far as the department is concerned, there was no cougar there.”

The DNR relies on hard evidence such as tracks or a photo before determining that a cougar has been in a given area, Johnson said.

Johnson has said in the past that cougars are sometimes mistaken for other animals such bobcats or coyotes. Cougars are not considered resident animals of Wisconsin, but are occasionally seen here.

Reports from several residents, along with what appeared to be some attacked chickens, triggered a search for a cougar in Western Kenosha County, Tuesday.

An automated emergency call about cougar sightings was put out by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday to phone numbers in a three-mile radius from the 35500 block of  52nd Street in Wheatland. That location is where some chickens appeared to have been attacked by a predator in recent days.

Tuesday, several residents reported seeing the animal, believed to have been moving in a southeast direction from that approximate location, which prompted the call, a sheriff’s department spokesman said.

Johnson said the coop where the chickens were attacked was examined by DNR personnel. The coop has an open top and could have been entered by a number of types of animals, such as raccoons. The property owner is setting up trail cams on that property that might provided some photographic evidence of what is there.

Chickens would be unusual prey for cougars, who typically would hunt deer, Johnson said.

The DNR has received some additional reports of local cougar sightings Wednesday, Johnson said.

Related posts

Sheriff’s Department warns of cougar sightings in Wheatland

0 Shares

5 Comments

  1. Enzo amore says:

    I knew there was no Cougars in Kenosha.

  2. West of the I Citizen says:

    Apparently my report to the KCSD of a cougar was unworthy of any further investigation as no one contacted me for additional information. Amazing how the DNR gave up so fast!

  3. Dave Skofstad says:

    So who ya gonna believe? The DNR or your lyin’ eyes?

  4. Z says:

    @Citizen

    Because it’s highly unlikely you saw a cougar.

  5. Laura says:

    I personally know the person who saw this animal. She’s no idiot. If she said she saw a large cat that was bigger than a large lab (sounds like a cougar to me), that’s what she saw. Shame on the DNR for dismissing this and discrediting concerned citizens. Maybe Crystal should work for the DNR sounds like she could be a better use of our tax dollars.

  • Follow us on

  • Archives