Is There a Cougar Loose in Lake County?
UPDATED with helpful tips - Scroll DownUpdate 4-12-2008: Has the cougar been spotted in Wilmette? Click here to read the Wilmette update.
Update 4-14-1008: The Chicago Tribune reports on a cougar which was found in Chicago and shot dead by the police at about 5:30 pm.
A couple of years ago I was out in the Arizona desert, and suddenly I saw a mountain lion about 2 or 3 feet from me. My first reaction was "My, that's a large cat," but the cougar slinked off in fast order. I'm not sure whether I was ever in danger, but Lake County is very concerned about several reports of sighting of a cougar by local residents.
Despite repeated searches I have been unable to find much information about Illinois wildlife, although it is clear that many spottings of exotics are due to escaped or released animals owned by someone as a pet.
It's obvious that foxes and coyotes, deer, racoons, squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks, ducks and geese live among us, but could it be there is a far greater variety of wild animals that have adapted to suburbia than we have previously imagined? It would be nice if someone would gather up the information. A couple of years ago, sharpshooters were assigned to forest preserves in the New Trier area to cull a large population of deer. Is it strange to believe that their natural predators are showing up in the area? Unfortunately, no one knows.
A big hat tip to El Rider, who covered this intesting story on his blog.
UPDATE: Please read this fact sheet from the United States Department of Agriculture (pdf format) for tips on living with cougars. In addition, there are several potentially livesaving tips for you, your family and your pets which you can read by clicking here. What to do if you encounter the cougar? Read this or this to be prepared. While the webpage features an annoying growl this page on cougar do's and don'ts might be helpful.
Statistics show that a person is ten times more likely to be killed by a dog than a mountain lion, but you may want to read further about mountain lion attacks, including anecdotal evidence from 1890 to the present.
BOTTOM LINE: If you live in the area where the mountain lion has reportedly been spotted, don't go walking in the woods, especially not with your dog (dogs are mountain lion magnets), don't let your kids go outside to play alone, and don't leave your pets unattended! Note: One of the most recent sightings occurred in the forest preserves, so it isn't a good time to take an early spring hike.
posted by Publia at 3:00 PM
2 Comments:
Publia,
Thanks for the link. You were a few feet from one in Az.? That is dangerous. I was also once within spitting distance of a small cougar or a lynx, in Carefree Az. At night while tending a BBQ, I'm not sure who was more scared. I know a guy who was attacked above Boulder, Co. While biking in the mountains, he was descending a switchback trail when a large cat appearedin the middle of the trail. He did what you are supposed to do, he held his bike aloft while waving his arms and making noise, the cat ran off. The man encountered the cat again further down the mountain as he turned one of the switchbacks. The cat kept from a bush and attacked the bikers head, he was saved by his bikers helmet and some passerby.
Those cats are also known to go after children and joggers, joggers become victims when they stop to tie their shoes, thus exposing their necks, the cat's target. Those cat's are also incredible stalkers, I'll be in Carefree next week and will keep an eye out for the (at least) two large cats known to frequent the area I will be in.
Actually, if I didn't have my eyes open I probably would have walked into it! It was small, too, but neither of us were scared. It was mid day. I suppose if you were tending the BBQ, you could have flipped the meat at the cougar.
Unfortunately, the story you tell of the guy who was attacked is very similar to many mountain lion attacks.
You be careful, now, in Carefree. Hopefully, there are plenty of better treats around for them. I'd prefer that a cougar think of me as, say, a breaded fish stick, rather than a prime, aged filet. And the helmet is no joke, that is recommended. I wouldn't believe that except for the fact that I had a pet cat who liked to catch a rabbit every day and--well I won't go into the details . . .
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