Do cougars exist in the county?
Kylie Saari — Staff WriterFAIRMONT - Every so often, Martin County is set abuzz with rumors of cougar sightings.
This year, the local sightings are bolstered by statewide news accounts of cougars taking a hunter's deer near Duluth and reports of a trip camera catching clear evidence of the animals.
Locally, Ceylon seems to be a common area for spotting cougars, with many sightings reported there. Recent reports also have cougars lurking around at Rose Lake Golf Course, the Flying Goose Campground, and Fox Lake.
Some reports have been accompanied with hard evidence, ranging from paw prints to photographs to livestock losses, but Randy Markl, a wildlife manager with Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources, is cautious about confirming the evidence.
Some of the information, he says, clearly does not indicate cougars in the area.
The Sentinel received a copy of an e-mail to the DNR from a local resident outlining what she claims is proof of a cougar. One piece of evidence she mentioned is a photograph taken of a cougar on a farm near Ceylon.
The photograph was submitted to the DNR for verification. According the Markl, the animal in the photograph is a housecat.
"A cat's a cat," he said, "but the body proportions are different, the physical visual silhouette is different. The backs of the ears are black on a cougar they were not on this cat.
"The same with hair texture, (it) is bushy, not the tawny, shorter nap of a cougar," Markl said in reference to the animal in the photo.
Markl also noted the camera angle caused a size distortion, causing the animal to appear to be very large.
The author of the e-mail declined to comment.
There has also been a photograph circulated of two cougars eating a deer caught on a trip camera a device set to take photos when movement activates a sensor, near Fox Lake. The same photo caused similar rumors elsewhere.
"The picture of the cougars on a deer kill has shown up in many states," Markl said. "Evidence from the photo indicates it is really from the Black Hills (in South Dakota), not from Wisconsin, not from Green Bush, and not from Fox Lake."
Other evidence is harder to disprove, however.
Sightings of a large animal running, large paw prints, and pets disappearing overnight are difficult to verify as proof of a specific animal.
"We get enough reports at times, and there is also information to say that it is quite possible there is a cougar passing through," Markl said.
Cougars have wide roaming distances, he said, and there are established populations in South and North Dakota, as well as other western states.
"The population is doing quite well in South Dakota," he said. "Young animals tend to roam around a lot when they are teenagers. Cougars roam a really long way."
Markl says wild cougars are not an imminent threat to humans, as they mostly eat small game and deer, although caution should be taken if a cougar is encountered.
"The potential hazard is very remote," he said. "Even though they are protected in the state, the local law enforcement has wide latitude in dealing with what they consider a threat. But a flash running across the road is not a threat."
Markl said a cougar in Martin County could be an escapee from a game farm, or a pet someone could no longer care for. These animals would be more likely to approach a human and present a threat.
"If you see a cougar," Markl said, "there is potential for danger."
But the biggest threat cougars pose is to other animals.
Markl said in the west, where cougars have established populations, farm animals are sometimes victims.
"A dog, young calf it could happen," he said.
Markl said the DNR would like to be able to confirm the presence of a wild cat in Minnesota.
"The DNR would like to hear if there is something that we can look at that can confirm or not confirm a sighting," he said. "We will record it.
"If they have a picture of some sort of hard evidence we can look at, that would be real nice."
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11-20-08 9:23 AM
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I am inclined to think that people in this area would not report a sighting of a Cougar even if they did see one.
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