Tag: cougar

Extremely rare cougar sighting documented in Missouri

Missouri biologists say the recent sighting of a mountain lion in Shannon County was only the 117th known sighting in the state since 1994.

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.

“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

Cougar pursues coyote past trail camera, audio reveals likely result

Recent trail-cam footage showing a mountain lion hunting a coyote is reminiscent of a similar but more dramatic scene captured last fall.

On Monday we featured trail-cam footage showing a mountain lion’s successful nighttime hunt in the Southern California wilderness.

The mountain lion, or cougar, was shown following a coyote past the camera and returning minutes later with its kill. The footage revealed a predator-prey interaction that plays out routinely on trails when most people are in their beds.

It’s also reminiscent of a similar but more dramatic scene also captured via trail-cam in eastern Orange County. (See video below.)

In Nathalie Orozco’s footage, captured last fall, the coyote is shown trotting down a trail and a stealthy mountain lion sensing opportunity. The ambush occurs in the darkness beyond the camera’s infrared light, but audio reveals the likely result.

Mark Girardeau, who featured the footage on Orange County Outdoors, stated:

“Just before entering the frame, the mountain lion noticed the coyote and went into action to secure his next meal. Notice how the mountain lion pounces quietly rather than sprinting.”

A scouting mission the next day turned up coyote fur but no carcass. Girardeau, who theorized that the cougar had hauled its kill off-trail, commented:

“Our guess is that the mountain lion was successful based on other nearby cameras which showed him hanging out in the area for the entire night afterwards.”

Coyote no match for stealthy cougar, as trail-cam footage shows

A trail camera in Southern California has captured surreal footage showing a mountain lion following a coyote into the darkness and returning minutes later with dinner.

A trail camera in Southern California has captured surreal footage showing a mountain lion pursuing a coyote into the darkness and returning minutes later with the coyote in its jaws.

Jason Andes, who owns the camera, states in the accompanying footage that the coyote walked past the camera at 10:15 p.m. on a recent night in eastern Orange County.

The mountain lion, or cougar, passed in the same direction 12 minutes later. It then passed the camera in the opposite direction 20 minutes later with a freshly killed coyote.

If there were cries by the coyote, they are not heard in the footage.

Andes wrote on YouTube:

“This Coyote met his fate after a Mountain lion was close behind. Mountain lions kill and eat Coyotes on a pretty regular basis.

“Mule Deer are their main prey, but Coyotes are not far behind. This is nature and a great look at how prey and predator have interactions.”

The footage was captured in Black Star Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains.

The canyon is popular among hikers and mountain bikers, but at night its trails are utilized by nocturnal predators and prey.

Man calmly videos cougar walking past him; ‘I had bear spray ready’

While checking on his trail cameras, Mark Girardeau came face to face with a mountain lion as it strolled past him just feet away.

While checking on his trail cameras, wildlife photographer Mark Girardeau came face to face with a mountain lion as it strolled past him just feet away on a dirt road in the wilds of Orange County, California.

Calmly, Girardeau captured the close encounter in Trabuco Canyon on video.

“It was kind of a stalemate because I didn’t want to turn away and was hoping she would first, but she didn’t,” Girardeau told FOX 11.

“I filmed it as she ended up walking right by me. After that, I ended up having a second encounter with her, when I saw her from my car.”

Girardeau wasn’t totally defenseless, however. “I had bear spray ready,” he said at the end of the video while holding up the can.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Boy fishing from pool noodle lands big bass, but it ends in heartbreak (video)

Girardeau believed the collared cougar was one he knew as Uno, but wildlife officials have not confirmed its identity, according to FOX 11.

Yellowstone guide captures intriguing moment shared by cougar, elk

A tour guide in Yellowstone National Park on Monday captured a rare scene showing a mountain lion and bull elk coexisting peacefully within a small space.

A tour guide in Yellowstone National Park on Monday captured rare footage showing a mountain lion and bull elk coexisting within a small space.

Andrea Baratte, a guide for Yellowstone Adventure Tours, stated via Instagram that he was “still speechless” after the encounter.

Baratte explained that the mountain lion, or cougar, was sleepy after feasting on a bighorn sheep carcass since at least the day before.

The guide added: “The mountain lion had a full belly and was napping as this bull elk approached. Both were aware of each other. The cat never showed any interest.”

RELATED: Yellowstone wolf flees rival pack in ‘epic’ downhill chase

Mountain lion sightings are extremely rare in Yellowstone National Park, which boasts a population of about 40 animals spread across the northern range.

According to the park, mountain lions prey largely on mule deer and elk, along with smaller mammals such as marmots. Bears and wolves, the park added, often displace mountain lions from their kills.

Watch: Deer survives cougar attack thanks to curious motorist

A San Diego County motorist unintentionally spoiled a mountain lion’s attempt to take down a deer this week by pulling up to capture the scene on video.

A San Diego County motorist unintentionally spoiled a mountain lion’s attempt to kill a deer this week when he stopped to capture the scene on video.

Buddy Wilkerson of Alpine told NBC that he first saw just the deer on the side of Japatul Road, then realized he had stumbled upon a mountain lion predation attempt.

“All I saw was the deer. It was a big deer,” Wilkerson says in the footage. “And as I got closer, I saw the mountain lion.”

ALSO: Fishing boat speeds over sea lions in ‘terrible’ scene caught on video

Wilkerson estimated the mountain lion’s weight at 100-plus pounds. In California, mule deer are typical prey for adult mountain lions, or cougars.

Wilkerson said he did not intend to frighten the mountain lion, which is seen releasing its grip on the deer’s throat and sprinting into the wilderness, allowing the deer to escape.

“He was just trying to eat,” Wilkerson acknowledges in the video. “I wasn’t trying to, you know, interrupt or anything. I just wanted to see him and as I got a little bit closer, I guess it spooked him.”

–Generic mountain lion image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Tense moments as mountain lion attempts to cross busy street

A South Dakota resident has captured dawn footage showing a mountain lion attempting to cross a busy street and narrowly escaping oncoming traffic.

A South Dakota resident has captured dawn footage showing a mountain lion attempting to cross a busy street and narrowly escaping oncoming traffic.

“I just saw it dart across the road on my way to work,” Dan Tiede said of the March 21 sighting in Rapid City, miles from the more cougar-friendly Black Hills. “I was pretty positive I knew what I saw, so I turned around to see if I could grab a photo or video.”

The rare footage shows the mountain lion pausing in Tiede’s headlights, then attempting to cross Jackson Blvd. in building commuter traffic.

“Look out kitty… lookout kitty! No, no no!” Tiede says, nervously, in the footage.

Tiede then express relief when the cat changes direction after almost being struck and bounds toward a quieter part of town.

ALSO: Georgia angler’s catch of giant crappie stuns biologists

“Hopefully it found its way safely out of the city,” Tiede said, adding that he notified a local ranger about the sighting.

Mountain lions, or cougars, were listed as a state-threatened species in South Dakota in 1978, and removed from that listing in 2003. A limited hunting season is now allowed in the Black Hills.

Watch: Partially blind cougar shows why she’s still a super mom

A cougar nicknamed Uno because she has only one good eye was caught on a trail camera recently proving why she’s still a super mom.

A cougar nicknamed Uno because she has only one good eye was caught on a trail camera recently proving why she’s still a super mom.

The nighttime footage, captured by cameras monitored by Nathalie Orozco and Mark Girardeau, shows Uno dragging a deer carcass through the Southern California wilderness with two cubs in tow.

As viewers can see, light from the infrared camera reflects from only one of Uno’s eyes. Biologists believe she’s partially blind in the other eye, perhaps because of an old injury.

But it’s clear that she’s able to fend for herself and her offspring.

On Tuesday, Girardeau shared the footage to his Orange County Outdoors social media pages.

“Uno scored a nice meal!” he exclaimed on Facebook. “Every animal in nature has its role: deer graze the grass and spread seeds while mountain lions keep the deer population under control to prevent overgrazing.

ALSO: Yellowstone elk has perfect response to taunts from a tourist

“After bears were extirpated from Orange County, mountain lions are the only animals left to play this vital role as the keystone species that they are.”

Uno before being collared. Photo: ©Mark Girardeau

Girardeau told FTW Outdoors that he has been monitoring Uno’s habitat with trail cameras since 2019. Biologists from UC Davis put a tracking collar on Uno a year ago. The mountain lion is cataloged as F312.

“This is a decent sized deer as you can see Uno struggling to move it to a safe place before retrieving her kittens to feed with her,” Girardeau continued, adding that Uno’s cubs are about 7 months old.

The father of the cubs is believed to be Toro (M313), who also appears sporadically in trail-cam footage.

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Mountain lion hunts coyote in eerie footage captured by trail-cam

Nighttime footage captured via trail-cam shows a mountain lion pursuing a coyote into darkness on a Southern California trail, and audio hints at a successful hunt.

Nighttime footage captured recently via trail-cam shows a mountain lion pursuing a coyote into total darkness on a Southern California trail – and audio hints at a successful hunt.

The eerie scene appeared on a motion-sensor camera placed by photographer Nathalie Orozco.

Her footage begins with a lone coyote trotting rapidly down the trail, and the mountain lion, or cougar, in a cautious pursuit that turns into an apparent ambush after both animals vanish into the blackness.

In the Facebook description Mark Girardeau, who runs Orange County Outdoors, urges viewers to turn the volume up because it reveals how this likely ended – with the coyote crying out while under attack.

Girardeau writes: “The coyote was trotting along as they usually do and unaware of the mountain lion which just happened to be walking along his normal route.

“Just before entering the frame, the mountain lion noticed the coyote and went into action to secure his next meal. Notice how the mountain lion pounces quietly rather than sprinting.”

ALSO: Can you spot the elusive Yellowstone pika in this photo?

Girardeau explained that mountain lions are ambush hunters that rely on stealth to capture prey.

“After checking the area, we noticed lots of coyote fur but did not locate a kill so we’re uncertain of the outcome,” the photographer continued, noting that mountain lions often drag kills off-trail. “Our guess is that the mountain lion was successful based on other nearby cameras which showed him hanging out in the area for the entire night afterwards.”

The mountain lion, a young male nicknamed Toro, is scientifically cataloged as M313. Girardeau said Toro might be the father of kittens recently born to Uno, who occasionally appears before Girardeau’s cameras.

The footage was captured on private property in the Orange County Wilderness.

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Man ‘played chicken’ with a cougar in Olympic National Park, and won

A fisherman returning from a lake in Olympic National Park encountered a cougar on the trail, and fortunately he had survival training.

Correction & clarification: A prior version of this story misidentified Bart Brown.

A fisherman returning from Lake Angeles in Olympic National Park in Washington encountered a mountain lion on the trail, and fortunately he had survival training for such an incident.

Bart Brown told KIRO 7 that “something just told me to look over my shoulder, and there was a cougar right there…on the edge of the trail.”

“She was about to attack me. I’m serious. I’m dead serious,” he told KIRO 7.

“It’s one of them life or death situations and I felt like I was going to die.

“Like I was prepared to die. I’m going to fight this cougar and I know I’m not going to win, you know. But I’m going to try.”

Jason Knight, owner of Alderleaf Wilderness College, told KIRO 7 that if a cougar isn’t running in the other direction to get away from you, “the appropriate response is to be aggressive towards it.”

Brown followed that advice.

Also on FTW Outdoors: ‘Idiot’ nearly takes fatal leap in Bryce Canyon National Park (video)

“It was going to be me or her, right?” Brown told KIRO 7. “And so I charged her. I charged the cougar.

“She gets down and she looks at me and I look at her, too…We’re in a death stare. I’m like, here we go. I muster the courage. I charged her again. We played chicken and I won. And she took off down the mountain.”

KIRO 7 has a short clip of the Aug. 20 encounter in its video report.

From the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare. In Washington state, the first fatal cougar attack on a human was reported in 1924. Since then, state authorities have recorded 19 other cougar-human encounters that resulted in a documented injury, including a second fatal attack in 2018.

Generic image of a cougar courtesy of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.