Officials State Local Mountain Lion Sighting Possible, But Unconfirmed
On the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 1, something set off the motion sensor on the trail cam that Cody Lewis set up near Black Lake. When he reviewed the footage, he was surprised at what he saw.
Though the images were dark and a little blurry, the creature bore an eerie resemblance to a predator not usually seen in northern Indiana. Lewis thought, maybe, this animal was a mountain lion (see related).
“I got it on the camera just the one time,” explained Lewis. “It had a long body, a round, long tail and a round, oval head.”
Lewis wasn’t alone in his belief. The photos, which were shared on InkFreeNews.com on Thursday, Oct. 16, sparked thousands of readers to discuss the potential of a mountain lion in the Kosciusko County area. Among them was Derrick LaVoine, Tri-County Fish and Wildlife assistant property director.
“It looks very much to be a cat judging by the coloration, it could be similar to a mountain lion,” stated LaVoine to InkFreeNews.com. “But due to perspective and distance, it could make things look bigger and smaller than they are. The sighting is possible, but unconfirmed without hard evidence.”
LaVoine noted in order to positively identify a mountain lion sighting, the Department of Natural Resources, of which Tri-County Fish and Wildlife is a subsidiary, necessitates firm evidence of the encounter. Provision of animal tracks, clear and crisp photos or even animal scat are all means in which a sighting can be positively confirmed.
According to LaVoine, there is a possibility that large cats, such as mountain lions, can escape from the several big cat sanctuaries found throughout the state of Indiana.
“It is pretty interesting,” explained LaVoine, “take the bobcat. We find tracks regulary, we know they are around the area. But sightings are so rare and illusive. It is possible a cat that size could be in the area somewhere and we wouldn’t see it.”
LaVoine explained a mountain lion is a large predator, by traveling at night and avoiding areas humans reside in, it could remain hidden within the area. Though some have questioned the safety of area livestock, LaVoine noted there is bountiful amounts of wild game the predator could hunt if it was in the Kosciusko County area. In addition, LaVoine stated a mountain lion would be able to weather Indiana’s colder temperatures in the winter.
Should someone within the county spot a mountain lion, LaVoine encourages contacting Tri-County Fish and Wildlife or a local conservation officer immediately noting that a cat the size of a mountain lion can travel great distances in a short period of time.
“If we feel it merits investigation, we will have someone visit the site,” stated LaVoine.
According to Grace College Associate Professor of Environmental Science Nathan S. Bosch, Ph.D., other possible sightings of mountain lions around the Pierceton area have been reported over the years, though Bosch notes these reports are “far from common at this time.”
According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the mountain lion, also known as the cougar, puma, catamount and panther, once lived in much of the eastern United States however they were extirpated from Indiana by the late 1800s.
The DNR reports that Indiana has no breeding population of mountain lions, however, data collected by the Cougar Network and other states over the past decade suggest mountain lions are appearing outside their traditional western range. According to the DNR, these appearances may be the result of an increase in mountain lion numbers in western states. Animals found outside of their Western range are usually young, transient males, which, according to the DNR, reduces the possibility of a viable population developing in Indiana.
To contact Tri-County Fish and Wildlife call 574-834-4461.