Cougar caught on camera in western Wis.by Andy Rathbun, The Pioneer Press, found at TwinCities.com
arathbun@pioneerpress.com
December 22, 2009A cougar has been caught on camera in Dunn County, Wis.
A cougar was photographed by a trail camera Saturday night near Downsville,
Wis. The animal is believed to be the same one that left tracks last week
along farmland in Spring Valley, Wis. (Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources)It's likely the same animal that left tracks last week along farmland in the village of Spring Valley, Wis., officials said. A trail camera captured a photo of it Saturday night as it was walking southwest of Downsville, Wis.
On Monday, it was discovered the cougar had killed a buck fawn. The fawn was found only about 100 yards from where the photo was taken, said Jess Carstens, wildlife biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Recourses office in Menomonie.
A Cougar killed a buck fawn this week near Downsville, WI. Officials say cougars commonly cover their
kills, and this carcass was covered with corn stalks. (Courtesy the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.)The partially eaten fawn had been covered with corn stalks, said Carstens, who said it's a common behavior for cougars to cover their kills. The cougar returned to the carcass for leftovers at some point, and fresh tracks were observed on Tuesday.
Carstens estimated the fawn weighed 90 to 100 pounds. The spot where the kill was found is the cougar's last known location, Carstens said.
The DNR will monitor the kill site to see if the cougar returns, said Ed Culhane, a DNR spokesperson.
The cougar appears to be moving southeast at a rate of 5 to 7 miles per day, officials said.
Last Wednesday, a farmer in Spring Valley spotted what he believed were cougar tracks. It was confirmed Friday that the tracks belonged to a cougar, and hair samples from the site were collected for testing, said Harvey Halvorson, a wildlife biologist for the DNR.
It's still undetermined if the cougar in Wisconsin is the same animal that was seen crossing through the Twin Cities' north suburbs earlier this month, said Halvorson. That animal was last spotted in Stillwater Dec. 11.
Officials have said that the recent cougar tracks in Minnesota and Wisconsin appear to be similar in size.
A cougar track was photographed this week near Downsville, Wis. Cougar tracks were also spotted last
week in Spring Valley, Wis. (Courtesy the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources)The DNR has no immediate plans to capture the animal, Culhane said in a statement. Landowners in the area are being asked to report any signs of the animal to the department.
While confirmed reports of cougars in the area are rare, cougar tracks were found in May in Pepin County and one was seen in March near Spooner, Wis.
Cougars are protected animals in Wisconsin. It's illegal to kill one, except to protect a human from injury. Cougars, however, typically avoid humans and the risk of one attacking someone is small, officials say.
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