The animals are protected by state law as an endangered species. While mountain lions are native to Michigan, their numbers diminished to almost zero by the 1900s. Michigan mountain lion sightings have increased greatly in the past 3 years. According to Cody Norton, DNA analysis confirms cats have dispersed into the state from Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming (likely traveling through Minnesota and northern Wisconsin). Michigan’s DNR says cougars in the state have migrated from the West. That cat was photographed in June, 2017 in the Rose Lake State Wildlife Area in Bath Township, near Lansing. Eleven confirmed panther sightings were made in 2019, 15 mountain lions were spotted in Michigan in 2020.ĭNR officials say the greater use of cameras by hunters and others is adding to the increased number of cougar reports.Īt least one confirmed sighting of a Michigan mountain lion has been made in the Lower Peninsula. The highest number of Michigan cougar sightings has occurred during the past three years. It’s important to note the predatory cats range widely, so photos and sightings of the same cougar can be made in a number of locations. Michigan now has confirmation of no less than 74 mountain lion sightings in the state over the last 14 years. This includes three from Dickinson County, two from Marquette County and one each from Baraga, Delta, Houghton, Luce, and Schoolcraft counties. Actual lions belong to the Panthera genus. Cougars are not related to lions, as they belong to the Puma genus. It’s a popular nickname that has become more widely used over time, but the name is actually quite misleading. Ten mountain lion sightings have now been confirmed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in 2021, according to the DNR. The name mountain lion is commonly used throughout the western United States and Canada. However, the team was able to investigate the report after the owner of the photo saw a newspaper story about it and contacted DNR. “This is about 50 miles from where a July 20 video was captured in Baraga County.”Īccording to Michigan Fox affiliate TV-6, a DNR team of biologists that investigates cougar reports had seen the trail cam photo, but initially couldn’t confirm the source or location o fwhere it was taken. 16, 2021, a trail camera photo was taken of a cougar in southern Dickinson County,” reported Cody Norton, large carnivore specialist for the DNR. The photo was taken in Dickinson County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in September. Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists confirmed that a trail camera photo of a mountain lion strolling through an open area of woods is legit. Michigan trail cam photo from the Upper Peninsula.
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