Ozarks lion leaves fur on fence
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 1:02 am
http://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-mountain-li ... 8286.story
click for video
by Linda Russell, KY3 News
lrussell@ky3.com
2:50 p.m. CDT, March 29, 2011
ROVER, Mo.-- It's the sixth confirmed mountain lion sighting in Missouri since November. This time, it was here in the Ozarks.
Driving down a hilly highway in Oregon County on his way home from work on March 9, John Cotter knew exactly what he saw.
"Absolutely! There's no mistaking a full-grown mountain lion crossing the road in front of you," Cotter said this week.
There was no time to grab a camera.
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"I actually hesitated, because I thought, 'Who's going to believe this?'"
Luckily, the mountain lion left something behind. Cotter was driving north on Highway M and, as he saw it cross the blacktop and hurdle a barbed wire fence, it got a little hung up.
"It got its back leg hung up and jerked free," Cotter said.
As it ran off into the brush, Cotter called the Missouri Department of Conservation.
"When I arrived, I found two tufts, about a cotton ball sized hair on the two top strands of barbed wire," said MDC Ozark Region District Supervisor Jerry Elliott.
Testing on that hair confirms it was indeed a mountain lion, the first sighting in the Ozarks since one in Shannon County in 2006. But, in a recent string of confirmed sightings across Missouri, this is the sixth since November.
"The evidence that we do have supports that we're finding these are young males trying to expand their territory, and their main diet is white-tailed deer, which we have an abundance of," Elliott said.
Missouri also has an abundance of cattle, like Charles Williams' herd just down the road.
"They scare cattle pretty bad, the smell of a lion or a bear, either one," said Williams.
He says they've been spooked a few times in the past.
"They'll run though the fence," Williams said.
Williams just hopes the cats stick to wild game.
For Cotter, it's quite a story to tell.
"I can't help but be excited about it. I hope to get to see more of them. They're very interesting and beautiful animals to watch," he said.
Two mountain lions shot recently in other parts of the state are likely descendants of a South Dakota or northwest Nebraska population. A lab is studying this cat's hair sample to try to figure out where it's from.
It is illegal to kill a mountain lion unless you or your livestock are being threatened. The conservation department says they're naturally shy of people and seldom cause problems, even in states with breeding populations. But, if you do run into one, it's best to yell or speak sternly, stand your ground, and look as large as possible, for instance, by opening your jacket.
click for video
by Linda Russell, KY3 News
lrussell@ky3.com
2:50 p.m. CDT, March 29, 2011
ROVER, Mo.-- It's the sixth confirmed mountain lion sighting in Missouri since November. This time, it was here in the Ozarks.
Driving down a hilly highway in Oregon County on his way home from work on March 9, John Cotter knew exactly what he saw.
"Absolutely! There's no mistaking a full-grown mountain lion crossing the road in front of you," Cotter said this week.
There was no time to grab a camera.
Get half off gift certificates to great local businesses at halfpriceozarks.com!
"I actually hesitated, because I thought, 'Who's going to believe this?'"
Luckily, the mountain lion left something behind. Cotter was driving north on Highway M and, as he saw it cross the blacktop and hurdle a barbed wire fence, it got a little hung up.
"It got its back leg hung up and jerked free," Cotter said.
As it ran off into the brush, Cotter called the Missouri Department of Conservation.
"When I arrived, I found two tufts, about a cotton ball sized hair on the two top strands of barbed wire," said MDC Ozark Region District Supervisor Jerry Elliott.
Testing on that hair confirms it was indeed a mountain lion, the first sighting in the Ozarks since one in Shannon County in 2006. But, in a recent string of confirmed sightings across Missouri, this is the sixth since November.
"The evidence that we do have supports that we're finding these are young males trying to expand their territory, and their main diet is white-tailed deer, which we have an abundance of," Elliott said.
Missouri also has an abundance of cattle, like Charles Williams' herd just down the road.
"They scare cattle pretty bad, the smell of a lion or a bear, either one," said Williams.
He says they've been spooked a few times in the past.
"They'll run though the fence," Williams said.
Williams just hopes the cats stick to wild game.
For Cotter, it's quite a story to tell.
"I can't help but be excited about it. I hope to get to see more of them. They're very interesting and beautiful animals to watch," he said.
Two mountain lions shot recently in other parts of the state are likely descendants of a South Dakota or northwest Nebraska population. A lab is studying this cat's hair sample to try to figure out where it's from.
It is illegal to kill a mountain lion unless you or your livestock are being threatened. The conservation department says they're naturally shy of people and seldom cause problems, even in states with breeding populations. But, if you do run into one, it's best to yell or speak sternly, stand your ground, and look as large as possible, for instance, by opening your jacket.