DNR: Cougar sightings reach record high for third consecutive year

DNR: Cougar sightings reach record high for third consecutive year

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has confirmed 27 separate cougar sightings so far this year, the highest number on record since they were thought to be wiped out in the state.

It is the third consecutive record-breaking year and a continuation of the trend that started with 14 sightings in 2021. There were 15 confirmed sightings in 2022, 18 in 2023 and 23 in 2024.

Despite the rising numbers, the DNR says there is still a lot to learn about the big cats before they can determine if the state once again has an established population.

“This situation is not unique to Michigan but has been occurring in many other Midwestern and eastern states, as young males disperse from core range in the western United States,” the DNR says on its website.

Cougars were originally native to the area but were wiped out by hunters by the start of the 20th century. The last known wild cougar legally killed in Michigan was in 1906 near Newberry.

One of the biggest findings in recent years was two cougar cubs found in Ontonagon County last March. The cubs were believed to be between 7 and 9 weeks old. Prior to that point, the DNR had only found DNA evidence of male cougars, almost exclusively transient ones who wandered from other states.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has verified two wild cougar cubs in Ontonagon County. It is the first time they have been found in the state since the early 20th century. (Courtesy DNR)

Cougar cubs are highly dependent on their mothers in their early stages and typically stay with them for their first two years of life. However, the cubs were reportedly spotted and photographed without their mother present.

There has been just one cougar sighting in the Lower Peninsula since 2008. That was in June of 2017 in Clinton County’s Rose Lake Wildlife Area. DNR officials said it is unclear how the animal ended up in that area — whether it found its way there naturally or was released locally.

According to the DNR, the state banned ownership of exotic large cats, including cougars, in 2000. Some people who already had permits to own such animals were grandfathered in, but no new permits were issued.

“The DNR occasionally receives reports of illegally owned large pet cats including cougars and has confiscated these animals. It is possible that escaped or released pet cougars account for at least a portion of the sightings in Michigan,” the agency said.

Cougars are considered endangered animals in Michigan, meaning it is illegal to hunt or harass them. That includes trying to find their den.

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