Comments on: Wisconsin Cougar Sighting

By: foxvalleymale75

foxvalleymale75 — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:57:44 +0000

Hello While I was in Medina this morning my wife called from Appleton saying she had just called the sheriff to report a mountain lion in our back yard on the RR tracks. I believe it may have been a stray bob cat. I have seen no follow up by animal control to look at the tracks to verify either way. I just had to check some where for sighting reports to see if it was at all possible.

By: pix

pix — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 04:53:19 +0000

I would like to validate the story. I am a West-Central Wisconsin resident and I almost hit a cougar on the way to work. I have absolutely no doubt what it was. In regards to the typical sighting, I have to admit that I didn’t believe it at first. However, because I was so close and had approximately five full seconds of steady observation on my part I decided to ‘check it out on the internet’, and I was brought to this site. I am curious now as to whether anyone knows what the average range of this cougar would be? The one I saw was at a full run. I saw it from my driver-side window running straight for me I slammed the brakes and literally screeched to a halt. Watching it the whole time as one does when they are about to hit an animal. It ran right in front of me and continued through an old cornfield and disappeared. I think I was in shock at first, but I just stepped on the gas and went to work.

What really ticks me off, though, is that I had JUST purchased a camera phone that was still in the package on my dashboard. Not that I would have had the time to get a picture, but still!

By: Bob Michaels

Bob Michaels — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 01:37:39 +0000

Let the cougar be, its real keep the armed nuts away.

By: kittenz

kittenz — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 02:02:23 +0000

I’m not referring to the overall body proportions, although they seem more Panthera than Puma; there are pumas that are heavily built and most pumas have a loose dewlap of skin along the belly like this cat has. I’m even willing to believe that what at first glance looks like a “muttonchop” ruff could be a very thick collar or radio collar, and that there is no ruff. Pumas do not have a ruff.

But the face itself looks like a Panthera face which is much different than a Puma face. The face below the eyes is nearly twice as long as a Puma face. The head is held in a Panthera-like position too, and the mandible is longer than a Puma mandible.

Furthermore if you look closely at the underbelly, it appears to be white with what could be stripes – the photo is too blurry to tell for sure – and the chin and lower face look like there are whit markings and possibly stripes or spots there too.

No matter how hard I try I cannot superimpose a Puma face on this cat. I do intricate wildlife art and I have studied cats of all kinds intensively all my life, because in order to produce a lifelike portrait of an animal, you have to know the animal’s physiology and structure inside and out. My first glance said “Tiger!”. It COULD be a lion. But that head is just not a Puma head.

By: BurningStarFour

BurningStarFour — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 14:06:43 +0000

I’d have to agree after further inspection that it does seem to look like an African Lioness, although it could just be because the picture is blurred and therefore would be the most likely of suspects the cougar.

By: shovethenos

shovethenos — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 23:54:38 +0000

In looking through some pictures there are some paunchier looking mountain lions, and even some with fuller faces. But the mutton chops on the face of the cat above are pretty pronounced. I guess a cougar is still a possiblity, but I wouldn’t rule out an escaped cat of another species.

By: Mnynames

Mnynames — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 23:26:27 +0000

I’ll admit, my first thought upon seeing the picture was Lion, until I read about the collar. That changes things, and with all due respect to kittenz, who I know is quite knowledgeable, I see no reason why it couldn’t be a cougar, as described.

As for the hair composed of unknown materials, wouldn’t it be a kick if Sasquatch were using these scratching posts too?

By: shovethenos

shovethenos — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 20:14:30 +0000

I agree with kittenz, the cat pictured is much more stocky and paunchy that a cougar. The fur around the face also has the “mutton chop” look that tigers and some other cats have. I thought it was just due to the collar at first, but its the underlying physiology.

What is it then? I don’t know, it’s too big and the tail’s too long for it to be a bobcat. I would say tiger but
one would expect the stripes to be more pronounced if it was a tiger. Tiger, immature male lion, lionness, liger, tigon – take your pick.

By: kittenz

kittenz — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:53:34 +0000

I dunno. This blurry photo does appear to be a big cat, but the proportions do not look right for a puma. Look how big the head is, and how long the face. It looks more like a Panthera cat, like a lion or even a tiger. (Of course lions and tigers are not native to Wisconsin. But there are big cats in private hands there.)

It just does not look like a puma.

(As an aside, I try very hard to hold to to the scientific community’s usage of “puma” for Puma concolor. But I have to admit, I like the word “cougar” better. It just seems so much more descriptive and rolls off the tongue so easily.)

By: BurningStarFour

BurningStarFour — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:44:56 +0000

Hi Craig, good find. I actually live near Trempealeau county about 20 minutes away to be exact, and its definitely taken for granted by farmers and local hunters that there are cougars in the area, in fact a horse was mauled a couple of months ago by a possible cougar, I say possible because the animal wasn’t actually seen, but there have been plenty of sightings around this area as well, and I should think there’s enough forest to keep them hidden and enough deer to keep them fed. It’s definitely interesting to talk to the locals that are well acquainted with the area they seem to have plenty to say on the subject.