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September 25, 2008

Big cats in Illinois? It’s possible

Tony Huffman

The latest “hoax” about the existence of cougars in central Illinois was a product of informational migration on the Internet, but speculation about the possibility of the large cats roaming through the area has dampened.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is quick to point out cougars aren’t native to Illinois, but there is a possibility domesticated animals could be loose in some areas.

It is illegal for someone to own a cougar in Illinois. Only zoos can obtain a license through the federal government to own that type of cat here, but that doesn’t rule out a cougar could be transported across state lines with an official permit.

“The cougar is on the list of dangerous animals,” said IDNR conservation officer Cpt. Greg Hunter. “They are legal to own in Iowa. I was personally called to a residence in Moline. We captured a cougar in the basement of a home after it had escaped. The cougar was taken unlawfully from Iowa to Illinois.”

While Hunter has personally experienced IDNR’s theory for how a random cougar could be found dead in Illinois, some wildlife biologists claim released captive cougars may not be the only way the animals come to roam state lands.

Clayton Nielsen, a wildlife ecologist with Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory and director of scientific research for the Cougar Network, claims a migration of cougars is heading east.

“Like most young outdoorsmen, he seems to be seeking the simple things in life: a quiet, out-of-the-way place to call home, great deer hunting grounds and a soul mate with whom to start a family. No wonder he’s looking in the agricultural Midwest, what with its remaining forests and abundant venison. But he’s not your average kind of guy — he’s a cougar,” writes Nielson in a recent article about the possible migration.

“There have been 21 confirmed cougars in nine Midwestern states and one Canadian province in the past 18 months. In the 10 years before that, we had one or two a year,” claims Nielson.

Nielson’s article concedes some of the animals discovered in the Midwest may have been released pets, but he also believes the cat is migrating east.

Some IDNR officials, however, have other theories.

“I believe that some of the carcasses that have been found were dead animals that were dumped,” said Hunter.

Regardless of how the cougar is getting to Illinois, Nielson’s cougar quest continues. He heads the Cougar Network that tracks confirmed cougar identifications.

“From a research perspective, we want to know where the movement corridors are, how the cougars are getting here — and if they do (get here in greater numbers), we’d like to know if there’s enough habitat for them to survive and to eventually recolonize,” Nielson says.

For a person to log a cougar run-in, certain specifics have to be met. Sightings just won’t do it. The encounter must include carcasses, cougar DNA and verifiable photos.

Regardless of whether the cougar is wild or escaped from captivity, the animal is on IDNR’s list of dangerous animals for a reason. Because the cougar is not indigenous to Illinois, it is legal to kill here.

Tony Huffman can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 135 or tony.huffman@effinghamdailynews.com.

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