The Cougar—Wonder Wedneday

Photo credit: Michigan DNR

It's WONDER Wednesday!

This week's WONDER is the cougar! A recent big cat sighting north of Harbor Springs has us brushing up on our knowledge of this impressive animal and standing in awe of the wilderness that surrounds us.

NoHa NEIGHBORS
One evening last week, Joanne and John Biddick were looking out the window of their home north of Harbor Springs when they observed a large feline creature slink under the hotwire fence surrounding their garden. "He was not in a rush," says Joanne, who said the animal was "sleek and muscular" and looked to weigh up to 150lbs. They snapped pictures of the tan cat but images came out blurry. The Biddicks submitted a report to the DNR, who will evaluate whether it can be counted as a confirmed sighting.

NOT SO FAST, SAYS DNR
According to the DNR's wildlife division, people routinely mistake housecats, bobcats, and other animals as cougars. And if the image isn't clear enough, they are forced to throw out the report. The DNR recommends people in the area mount trail cameras in known wildlife corridors. If it's a cougar, someone will get in on camera soon enough, they say. This animal was "way too big" to be a bobcat, according to the Biddicks. Cat-like and 150lbs is enough for us!

COUGAR'S BACKYARD
All 12 confirmed cougar sightings in 2021 occurred in the Upper Peninsula. As cougar habitat shrinks across the country, wildlife biologists count northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the UP as prime habitat. But it seems likely the cats are roaming the Lower Peninsula, too. It's rare to encounter a cougar and even more rare to suffer an attack. If you see one, make yourself as threatening as possible. Intense eye contact, loud noises and appearing as large as possible can help convince a cougar that you're not prey. Above all, don't run or turn your back on a cougar.

All this has us wondering: what else is out there in these wild northern woods?