Cougar sightings likely to become more common in urban areas

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A roaming 150-pound cougar shot and killed by police on Chicago’s north side last month, while rare, may become a signal of more frequent cougar appearances as populations rebound and the animals seek to expand their range.

Cougars have been migrating eastward over a period of years from the Black Hills and Western states, increasing the likelihood there will be more sightings in urban areas, said Lorraine Corriveau of the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine.

“People aren’t their prey,” Corriveau said. “For the most part, cougars don’t want to attack people, and they usually have somewhat of an aversion to people. The problem is that as they make a comeback from near extinction, they are moving into areas they have not been in for many years.”

The reason for the migration is the cougar’s nature. Young males stake out their own territories as they are pushed outside the boundaries of other cougar territories.

One cougar can migrate several hundred miles over time, she said. A cougar killed by a train near Red Rock, Okla., in 2004 was found wearing a tracking collar that had been attached 670 miles away in Wyoming.

Cougars are a threat to livestock and pets, she said, and cattle and deer often fall victim in cougar attacks. Cougars, also referred to as bobcats and pumas, tend to find their prey near forested areas or areas with underbrush.

Corriveau, a pet wellness clinician, said there are hundreds of reports of cougar sightings and attacks on animals annually. While there have only been 13 confirmed cougar attacks in California since 1890, nine of those attacks have occurred since 1992. Attacks also have been reported in recent years in Michigan.

Read more