Cougar Cubs Spotted In MI For First Time In 100 Years: DNR

MICHIGAN — For the first time in more than 100 years, cougar cubs have been found living in the Michigan wild, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Biologists confirmed the sighting of two cougar cubs on private land in Ontonagon County in the western Upper Peninsula, according to officials.

"It’s pretty exciting, considering this could be the first known cougar reproduction in modern times in the western Great Lakes states," said Roell, referring to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. "It really shows that we have a unique place in Michigan where someone has a chance to see a wolf, a moose and a cougar in the wild. It’s something that should be celebrated, that we have the habitat to support an elusive animal like this."

Officials believe the spotted cubs are between 7 and 9 weeks old and were photographed by a local resident on March 6. Officials said they were spotted without their mother.

Cougar cubs are highly dependent on their mothers, often staying with them for the first two years of life, according to officials.

The cubs have not been seen since March 6, and without their mother, Roell says there’s no guarantee they will survive in the wild.

"Those young cougars are very vulnerable right now," Roell said. "We don’t know where they are or if they’re even alive. Mother Nature can be very cruel."

Nonetheless, it is the first time cougar cubs have been verified since the big cats were hunted out of existence in Michigan in the early 1900s, said Brian Roell, who large carnivore specialist for the DNR.

Roell, a wildlife biologist for 26 years, led the team that verified the cubs.

The DNR has verified 132 adult cougar reports, Roell said, but DNA testing has confirmed only male cougars to date.

Although cougars are native to Michigan, most of them now appear to be transient animals, dispersing into Michigan from Western states, according to officials.

Officials said cougars are on the list of endangered mammals in Michigan, meaning it’s illegal to hunt or harass them. It is also illegal to try and locate their den and to trespass on private property, he noted.

Sightings can be logged in the DNR’s Eyes in the Field reporting system.