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Reports circulating on social media; DNR has not yet confirmed

No cases of cougars in the Albert Lea area have been confirmed with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources yet this year, though there have been some reports circulating on social media.

Joe Stangel, acting wildlife region manager with the DNR, said reports of cougars typically begin in September in southern Minnesota.

This year reports began in late October with the first sighting in Dundee, in which the animal was captured on video. Others have been in Mountain Lake on a trail camera and in the town of Winnebago in Martin County. From there, there weren’t many other sightings until mid-November, when there were sightings confirmed in Dodge Center, Byron and Mantorville. They have had anecdotal information of a cougar in the Waseca area and of a cat that was captured by Albert Lea, but those have not been confirmed with a picture yet.

Anyone with pictures or video that they think is a cougar is asked to contact the Owatonna Area Wildlife Office at Rice Lake State Park at 507-214-6200. In addition to the photo or video footage itself, the DNR also tracks the exact location where the animal was seen by GPS coordinates when possible or by a township range section map, along with the date.

According to the DNR website, although some cougar sightings are accurately identified, bobcats, house cats, coyotes, wolves, fishers and light colored dogs have all been mistaken as cougars.

Stangel said vocalizations are also particularly hard to attribute to mountain lions because a bobcat sounds similar.

Stangel said from what has been confirmed so far this year, DNR officials have not been able to determine if the reports have all been for the same cat or if there are two cats, though they are leaning toward two different cats based on the time period. Normally the animals do not hang out in one area for very long, though last year there was one that was in one area for about a month.

He said it is not uncommon to see the animals at this time of year as this is when they are dispersing from South and North Dakota and Nebraska. Studies show that males have a large territory, upwards of almost 400 square miles, while the females have a much smaller territory, usually less than 200 miles.

Males are typically spotted in this region, and Stangel said he did not think there had ever been a recorded female cougar recovered in Minnesota.

Stangel said if a person encounters a cougar, which is rare, the person should try to look as large as they can by raising their arms and speaking loudly and firmly. This behavior conflicts with a cougar’s tendency to hunt by stalking and attacking from ambush. Additionally the DNR advises people not to run, crouch or lay on the ground.

Mountain lions are protected animals and cannot be shot, even if livestock or pets are threatened. They can only be killed by a licensed peace officer or authorized permit holder.

Did you know?

Adult cougar males can reach 200 pounds, but most average about 150 pounds. Adult females weight about 90 to 110 pounds.