Thursday, March 25, 2010
The Cougar Team
The Escanaba Daily Press has an article about the Michigan DNR's cougar response team: On the cougar trail
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
A Good Thing About Having Cougars Around
They can improve the overall health of the deer herd which is good for hunters.
Via the NYT: When Mountain Lions Hunt, They Prey on the Weak
Via the NYT: When Mountain Lions Hunt, They Prey on the Weak
...by consuming infected carcasses, the animals may be keeping infectious agents out of the environment, reducing transmission to healthy deer.
Labels: cougar, ecology, hunting, wildlife
Thursday, November 05, 2009
They're Here
in earlier posts I have mentioned that the Eastern U.P. is great cougar habitat and that it was only a matter of time until a cougar would be confirmed here.
That time is now.
The evidence is a trail cam photograph and paw prints near DeTour and Gulliver.
Picture and information is posted at MichiganCougar.com from right next to Neeebish Island in Bruce Township
For the news stories see:
9and10News: Cougar Confirmed in Upper Peninsula
ChicagoTribune: Officials confirm more cougar evidence in UP
SooToday: Cougar tracks confirmed in DeTour, Gulliver areas
I find this both terrifying and thrilling even though I know my chance of ever seeing a cougar in the wild is basically zero.
That time is now.
The evidence is a trail cam photograph and paw prints near DeTour and Gulliver.
Picture and information is posted at MichiganCougar.com from right next to Neeebish Island in Bruce Township
For the news stories see:
9and10News: Cougar Confirmed in Upper Peninsula
ChicagoTribune: Officials confirm more cougar evidence in UP
SooToday: Cougar tracks confirmed in DeTour, Gulliver areas
I find this both terrifying and thrilling even though I know my chance of ever seeing a cougar in the wild is basically zero.
Labels: cougar, pictures, wildlife
Friday, April 17, 2009
Flight Or Freeze?
It is only a matter of time until a cougar is seen in the eastern U.P. A new study indicates your best response is to leave the scene if you see one.
See PhysOrg: A new UC Davis study of 110 years of mountain-lion attacks on people suggests the conventional wisdom of standing your ground may not always be the right course.
See PhysOrg: A new UC Davis study of 110 years of mountain-lion attacks on people suggests the conventional wisdom of standing your ground may not always be the right course.
Labels: cougar
Friday, October 10, 2008
Jackson County Cougar
Friday, April 25, 2008
The Chicago Cougar
Recently, what appears to be a wild cougar was shot by police in a Chicago suburb. See:
ChiTrib - Cops kill cougar on North Side
NatGeo - Cougar Shot in Chicago; Was 1,000 Miles From Home?
Bloomberg - Cougar Rattles Chicago, Where 2,000 Coyotes Prowl
Just another reminder that eventually we'll probably see cougars in the Neebish Island area. And of all the large animals I might run into; wolf, bear, moose, the idea of being face-to-face with a cougar is actually terrifying. Kind of like seeing God - you like knowing he's out there but you're not quite sure what's to happen if you do see him.
ChiTrib - Cops kill cougar on North Side
NatGeo - Cougar Shot in Chicago; Was 1,000 Miles From Home?
Bloomberg - Cougar Rattles Chicago, Where 2,000 Coyotes Prowl
Just another reminder that eventually we'll probably see cougars in the Neebish Island area. And of all the large animals I might run into; wolf, bear, moose, the idea of being face-to-face with a cougar is actually terrifying. Kind of like seeing God - you like knowing he's out there but you're not quite sure what's to happen if you do see him.
Labels: cougar
Friday, March 28, 2008
Cougars Are In The Upper Peninsula
FreeP - Cougar country: tracks hint at presence in Delta County
It is only a matter of time until cougars journey into the Neebish Island area. Via the Cheboygan Daily Tribune - DNR gives advice if cougar spotted
Savethecougar.org has the cougar track pictures from Delta County: http://www.savethecougar.org/Michigan-cougar-tracks-3-12-2008/
It is only a matter of time until cougars journey into the Neebish Island area. Via the Cheboygan Daily Tribune - DNR gives advice if cougar spotted
- Stop, stand tall and do not run. Pick up small children. Do not run. A cougar's instinct is to chase.
- Do not approach the animal.
- Try to appear larger than the cougar. Never take your eyes off the animal or turn your back. Do not crouch down or try to hide.
- If the animal displays aggressive behavior, shout, wave your arms and throw rocks. The idea is to convince the cougar that you are not prey, but a potential danger.
- If the cougar attacks, fight back aggressively and try to stay on your feet. Cougars have been driven away by people who have fought back.
Savethecougar.org has the cougar track pictures from Delta County: http://www.savethecougar.org/Michigan-cougar-tracks-3-12-2008/
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Large Animals In The Area
Just south of Neebish Island, across Munuscong Bay, lies Gogomain Swamp. An area that harks back to how the eastern U.P. used to be.
Perfect cougar habitat.
View Larger Map
The Soo Evening News had the first report. Mystery cat prowls Gogomain Swamp
I e-mailed the editor asking to be sent the photographic evidence but never got a reply.
This is what a trail-cam picture might look like:
This is NOT the Gogomain Swamp cougar trail-cam photograph. Rather, this is a supposed trail cam picture from near Grand Rapids, MN However, in a forum posting here the directory the image was uploaded to is 2004-5; so this may be a hoax.
Getting back to our neck of the woods... Unfortunately, in the original Soo Evening News article Mr. Inglis, the gentleman who got the trail-cam picture, makes the uninformed comment that he'd rather see a cougar than a wolf "out there". This is an uninformed comment because a cougar is a much more dangerous animal than a wolf. Although some people are prone to repeating the myth that there's never been a case of a healthy wolf attacking a human in North America; it happens, although it is extremely rare - so rare in fact that it is big news when it occurs -Wolf attack a tragic, cautionary tale
On the other hand, cougars are known to attack, kill, and eat people.
For example, [in California since 1986] there has been an average of one attack on a hiker, jogger, or camper a year -- some fatal.
You're much safer if you run into a wolf in the Neebish Island woods rather than a cougar (or a mama bear or a moose with a calf). Out of those four animals your best chance of getting away uninjured is a wolf encounter.
Turns out however that the cat in Gogomain Swamp is just an odd looking bobcat - Mystery cat identified: Captured image is that of a bobcat, not a mountain lion
In other news, I can verify that there is a moose on Neebish Island. I've heard rumors like this before but in August was able to take pictures of Moose tracks (not the ice cream) on the beach.
Favorite foods of moose include birch, willow, and aspen trees. Ironically the low water levels mean more of these trees are sprouting up and this may be drawing moose.
Perfect cougar habitat.
View Larger Map
The Soo Evening News had the first report. Mystery cat prowls Gogomain Swamp
I e-mailed the editor asking to be sent the photographic evidence but never got a reply.
This is what a trail-cam picture might look like:
This is NOT the Gogomain Swamp cougar trail-cam photograph. Rather, this is a supposed trail cam picture from near Grand Rapids, MN However, in a forum posting here the directory the image was uploaded to is 2004-5; so this may be a hoax.
Getting back to our neck of the woods... Unfortunately, in the original Soo Evening News article Mr. Inglis, the gentleman who got the trail-cam picture, makes the uninformed comment that he'd rather see a cougar than a wolf "out there". This is an uninformed comment because a cougar is a much more dangerous animal than a wolf. Although some people are prone to repeating the myth that there's never been a case of a healthy wolf attacking a human in North America; it happens, although it is extremely rare - so rare in fact that it is big news when it occurs -Wolf attack a tragic, cautionary tale
On the other hand, cougars are known to attack, kill, and eat people.
For example, [in California since 1986] there has been an average of one attack on a hiker, jogger, or camper a year -- some fatal.
You're much safer if you run into a wolf in the Neebish Island woods rather than a cougar (or a mama bear or a moose with a calf). Out of those four animals your best chance of getting away uninjured is a wolf encounter.
Turns out however that the cat in Gogomain Swamp is just an odd looking bobcat - Mystery cat identified: Captured image is that of a bobcat, not a mountain lion
In other news, I can verify that there is a moose on Neebish Island. I've heard rumors like this before but in August was able to take pictures of Moose tracks (not the ice cream) on the beach.
Favorite foods of moose include birch, willow, and aspen trees. Ironically the low water levels mean more of these trees are sprouting up and this may be drawing moose.
