Biologists in Missouri have confirmed that a mountain lion did, in fact, kill an elk in Shannon County on Sept. 12.
The confirmation is newsworthy because there are no known breeding populations of mountain lions in Missouri.
In fact, the latest sighting – confirmed via trail cameras positioned near the elk carcass – was only the 117th known cougar sighting in the state since 1994.
The Missouri Department of Conservation explained Friday that all sightings likely involved animals that were passing through the state.
The predation of an adult elk, the MDC added, was not considered abnormal.
We have confirmed the 117th mountain lion sighting in the state after the animal was documented killing an adult elk Sept. 12 in Shannon County.
Read more from the newsroom – https://t.co/9mkGuPgqbp pic.twitter.com/NOLvEKQUKc
— MO Conservation (@MDC_online) September 22, 2023
“Mountain lions are natural predators to elk, and this scenario is nothing to be concerned about,” biologist Nate Bowersock stated in a news release. “Here in Missouri, we have an abundant of natural foods for mountain lions. While we do get questions regarding livestock, there has never been a confirmed instance of a mountain lion killing livestock in Missouri.”
While mountain lions inhabited Missouri at the time of European settlement, “the last known historical specimen was killed in the Bootheel area in 1927.”
The nearest states in which mountain lions do exist include Wyoming, Colorado, North and South Dakota, and Texas.
Biologists collected genetic samples from the site of the Sept. 12 sighting in the hope of learning more about the animal.
–Mountain lion image atop this post is generic