The Missouri Conservation Department Confirmed Tuesday a mountain lion sighting in Northwest Missouri.
A mountain lion was caught on a trail camera April 2nd in Grundy County.
It was confirmed to be a mountain lion earlier this week. A Wisconsin man who leases hunting right on a property in Southwestern Grundy County reported the picture. It’s the 29th confirmed sighting since 1994 and the third sighting so far this year.
Mountain lions were once native to the state. Evidence indicates that sightings in recent decades are due to young male mountain lions dispersing from western states and wandering into Missouri, said Rex Martensen, an MDC wildlife damage biologist and a member of the Response Team. MDC has confirmed no evidence of a breeding population in Missouri.
Confirmation of a mountain lion sighting is made when there is verifiable physical evidence such as hair, scat, tracks, photos, video, a dead cougar or remains from a mountain lion feeding on prey.
Mountain lions are naturally shy of humans and generally pose little danger to people, Martensen said, even in states with thriving breeding populations. Although mountain lions are protected by law, Missouri’s Wildlife Code does allow people to protect themselves and their property if they feel threatened.