cougars in the midwest
TRANSCRIPT
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Cougar Outline • Historic and current status of cougars in the Midwest
• Likelihood of cougar recolonization
• Evidence of cougar presence
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Topic 1: Cougar Status
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Historic Status of Cougars
• Pre-settlement, most widely distributed species in North America
• Direct persecution • 1900: Gone from East and
Midwest, vastly reduced in West
• 1960: Agency management out west – Populations flourished
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“Lions will hit the Mississippi in the next decade. The East and Midwest is beautiful
cat country, full of deer and cover.”
-Maurice Hornocker, Outside Magazine 2003
NW Illinois 2004 Chicago!!! 2007
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• Confirmation = known mortalities, trailcam photos… • Many were carcasses, and “apparently wild”
individuals
During Aug 2003 - present: >100 cougar confirmations in
12 midwestern states and 2 provinces!
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>300 cougar confirmations since 1990!
4 in Illinois since 2000 1860-2000, 0 confirmations!
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What is Going On? • Aliens, gov’t conspiracy, captives? No… • Natural dispersal from western populations!
– Populations flourishing – Midwest vacant – Subadult males
• 77% carcasses – Potential sources?
Spooner, WI 2009
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Likely Source of Dispersers: Black Hills, SD/WY
• 250 individuals, population at carrying capacity • 30 subadult dispersers/yr • Many animals fitted with radiocollars to study dispersal;
subadult males can disperse 1,500 miles!
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Why? – Social Constraints Out West
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Subadult Dispersal Into Voids
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Cougar Voids Full in the West!
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• Generally subadults disperse
• Males disperse more than females
• Males travel much farther than females • Any evidence for dispersal of juvenile
males into Midwest?
Cougar Dispersal (males)
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• Male cougar hit by train in NE Oklahoma in May 2004
• Radiocollared in Black Hills (SD) in 2003 as a juvenile
• Missing from radiocontact for 8 months
• 667 miles traveled (straight-line)…
Male Dispersal: OK Cougar
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Corridor-following male cougar would have traveled 935 miles
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What About Female Dispersal?
• Female cougars philopatric, or display relatively short dispersal movements (<150 miles)
• Female cougars have a long way to go!
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Conclusions: Current Status
• How many cougars present in the Midwest? Few. • Gender of those individuals? Mostly males.
• Breeding populations? Black Hills, ND Badlands, NW Nebraska, but nowhere else in region
• But, can cougars eventually recolonize?
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Topic 2: Will Cougars Eventually Recolonize the Midwest?
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Short Answer: Yes!
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Cougar Recolonization: Knowns
• Cougar confirmations have increased considerably
• Subadults (esp. M) can disperse far enough
• Suitable habitat and prey (wait…) • Generally good support
from the public (wait…)
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Cougar Recolonization: Unknowns
• Can enough females get here?
• Record dispersal of 807 miles (1,300 km)
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Cougar Recolonization: Unknowns • Mortality
- Legal harvest? - Illegal killing? - Vehicles?
***How will the public respond???
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What to do in the meantime?
• Prepare! We know enough about what’s going on to do so…
• Residents of Midwestern states would benefit from educational and informational efforts; some deviation between perceptions and reality
• Educational efforts would have to be diverse given regional and residential differences
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Cougar Management and Policy
SB 3049 (which provides protection status for cougars) passed both houses in May 2014 and awaits the Governor's signature.
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Recent Management Actions
• North Dakota and South Dakota: regulated hunts since 2005 (controversial)
- Will harvest out west “short-stop” dispersers traveling east?
• Nebraska and Missouri: Mountain Lion
Task Force
• Illinois DNR funding SIUC research on large carnivores in Illinois
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Topic 3: Evidence of Cougar Presence
Harley Shaw: “Wherever cougars are around in any number or for any period of time, they
leave sign!”
See Puma Field Guide…www.cougarnet.org
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Types of Cougar Evidence • Sightings may not be verified • Tracks or scat are helpful, but not always conclusive • Physical remains
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Trailcam Pics/Videos • Great evidence if photo is clear
• MUST verify location of camera
• MANY hoaxes going around…pics claimed from multiple locations, etc.
• In pics, many people mistake bobcats, deer, coyotes, dogs,
otters, raccoons, and other critters for cougars
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Cougar Tracks • Size: 4 inches or thereabouts (bobcats 2 inches)
• No clawmarks in tracks
• More “circular” than canid tracks and 2 lobes in heel pad (not 1)
• Still, need perfect track substrate,
clear photo/cast, scale, etc., which makes track ID very difficult!
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Cougar Scat • Extremely difficult to differentiate cougar scat from others
without DNA analysis • Easy to confuse with other carnivores such as coyotes,
bobcats, domestic dogs • Should be larger than the others, right? Very difficult…
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Cougar Kills • Cougars usually kill by biting the back of the neck or throat
• Distance between toothmarks = 1.8 – 2 in for top canines, 1.2 – 1.6 in for bottom canines (much narrower for dogs/coyotes)
• Hemorrhage at base of throat or neck
• Claw marks and rakes along shoulders
• Dogs go for hindquarters, cougars do not!!!
• Cougars enter carcass behind rib cage and eviscerate/eat organs; may cover the carcass
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Finally, Cougar Evidence…
…is best examined with other corroborating forms of evidence, especially when assessing tracks, kills, and scat. Extensive site searches to get all information available!