Tests confirm cougar in Upper Peninsula

The Detroit Free Press has this article on mounting evidence that cougars live in Michigan:

DNA testing has confirmed that a large cat struck by a vehicle last year was a cougar, but it remains unclear whether Michigan has an established population of wildcats, a state wildlife official said Thursday. A motorist reported hitting "a large cat" in southern Menominee County on November 2, 2004. The driver turned over hair samples collected from the bumper to biologists at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources field office in Escanaba.

"This is exactly the kind of information we are looking for to gain a better understanding of what animals are present in Michigan and identify potential areas for additional work," said Ray Rustem, the DNR's natural heritage unit supervisor. Even so, he said, the test result "still does not confirm the presence of a breeding population in Michigan."

Additional information is available at the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy web site. Evidence of cougars have appeared in these NE Michigan Counties: Alpena, Alcoma, Montmorency, Oscoda, and Roscommon.