DNR confirms cougar track

By Brandon Veale
ESCANABA — Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials have confirmed a track found in Delta County as that of a cougar.

The track was spotted by Mike Zuidema of Escanaba, a member of the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, who has studied the predatory cat since 1981.

“They’re few and far between. I’ve seen them before, but not to the extent I could prove that’s what they exactly were,” he said.

He was driving on his son’s property in the southern part of Ford River Township Saturday near Forest Islands Trail, on a road cleared for a recent timber sale, when he noticed he was running over some big tracks.

He got out of the truck and saw evidence he’d been searching decades for.

“I dropped to my knees and prayed,” he said.

But because he’d cleared his truck out the day before, he didn’t have any measuring equipment on hand. The next day, he returned and found even better-defined tracks in the snow. Monday, he brought biologists from the DNR’s Escanaba office, who took data and photos.

They sent the photos to the Wildlife Division’s Cougar Team, biologists who have trained in New Mexico to identify bona fide signs of North American cougars.

“In addition to that, we forwarded all of the information to experts in other states, including Missouri, New Mexico and Wisconsin, because they’ve recently had some cougar activity, and the folks that we sent it to in those states were able to determine they were large cat — probably cougar,” Steve Chadwick, the DNR’s acting furbearer specialist, said.

Chadwick complimented Zuidema for diligently preserving the evidence so DNR staff could gather data.

“When everything comes together like this did, we were able to get some very good evidence,” he said.

Chadwick told the Associated Press that it is too early to determine whether there is a breeding population in the state.

Cougars are an endangered species in Michigan. The MWC has claimed that the DNR refuses to admit to a breeding cougar population in Michigan so as to avoid having to protect it. They estimate between 50 and 80 cougars live in Michigan, mostly in the Upper Peninsula.



In 2004, hair was removed from the bumper of a car that hit a large cat on a road in Menominee County. DNA tests confirmed the hair was that of a cougar. This track is another breakthrough in the identification of cougars in Michigan, he said.

“This is the first track that we’ve been able to really get our hands on and look at and determine the possibility of a cougar,” Chadwick said.

The MWC and Zuidema have presented numerous examples of evidence they believe confirms the presence of cougars in several counties.

Zuidema claims to have seen cougars in the wild and sent several examples of droppings to Central Michigan University biologists that have tested as from cougars, but the DNR has consistently claimed there is no breeding cougar population in the state and that what cougars have been seen in Michigan are either migrated from other states or released pets.

If any landowner finds evidence of cougars in their area, Chadwick recommends contacting the local DNR field office as soon as possible, so staff can investigate. If the sighting is on the weekend, they can call the state’s Report All Poaching hotline.

Confirmed cougar populations exist in the Dakotas, and the DNR said there are many cases of transient cougars, which they believe are dispersed young males, traveling hundreds of miles into the Midwest. Wisconsin DNR officials confirmed a cougar sighting recently in Rock County.

The DNR reminds citizens that if they see a cougar, they should stop, stand tall and never run because the animal’s instinct is to chase. They should not approach the animal, but should maintain eye contact.

If the animal is aggressive, you should wave their arms and throw rocks to convince the animal that you are a potential threat.

In 2004, hair was removed from the bumper of a car that hit a large cat on a road in Menominee County. DNA tests confirmed the hair was that of a cougar. This track is another breakthrough in the identification of cougars in Michigan, he said.

“This is the first track that we’ve been able to really get our hands on and look at and determine the possibility of a cougar,” Chadwick said.

The MWC and Zuidema have presented numerous examples of evidence they believe confirms the presence of cougars in several counties.

Zuidema claims to have seen cougars in the wild and sent several examples of droppings to Central Michigan University biologists that have tested as from cougars, but the DNR has consistently claimed there is no breeding cougar population in the state and that what cougars have been seen in Michigan are either migrated from other states or released pets.

If any landowner finds evidence of cougars in their area, Chadwick recommends contacting the local DNR field office as soon as possible, so staff can investigate. If the sighting is on the weekend, they can call the state’s Report All Poaching hotline.

Confirmed cougar populations exist in the Dakotas, and the DNR said there are many cases of transient cougars, which they believe are dispersed young males, traveling hundreds of miles into the Midwest. Wisconsin DNR officials confirmed a cougar sighting recently in Rock County.

The DNR reminds citizens that if they see a cougar, they should stop, stand tall and never run because the animal’s instinct is to chase. They should not approach the animal, but should maintain eye contact.

If the animal is aggressive, you should wave their arms and throw rocks to convince the animal that you are a potential threat.