COUGAR HAIR SAMPLE VERIFIED IN
MENOMINEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN
Cougar
Network News, 2/18/05
The MDNR has announced that hair samples retrieved from a car bumper last
November came from a cougar. The hairs were retrieved by a state trooper
after
a motorist reported hitting "a large cat".
After collecting the hairs, the trooper turned them over to biologists at
the DNR's Escanaba field office. The samples were forwarded to the Wildlife
Division's
pathology lab and then sent to Central Michigan University for analysis. The
lab did not test for genotype (North vs. South American).
The incident occurred in southern
Menominee County, not far from the Wisconsin border.
"This is exactly the kind of information we are looking for to gain a better
understanding of what animals are present in Michigan and identify potential
areas
for additional work," said DNR Natural
Heritage Unit Supervisor Ray Rustem. "Though the information indicates
the presence of a cougar, it still does not confirm
the presence of a breeding population in
Michigan."
The DNR encourages hunters and outdoor recreationists to report any sightings
of lynx, cougars, moose and wolves using the online wildlife
observation report system on the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr.
Click on Wildlife and Habitat and select the Report Wildlife Observations
link.
Acknowledgement
The Cougar Network is indebted to Ray
Rustem of the Michigan DNR for providing us with the documentation
behind this report (Accident report & DNA test results).