Mountain Lions in Kansas
PHOTO COURTESY OF WILDLIFEMANAGEMENTPRO.COM
Although this photograph of a mountain lion was not taken in Kansas, five sightings of mountain lions have been confirmed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in Kansas since 2007.
By Cristina Janney
Newton
It used to be a thing of myth — big cats stalking the Kansas prairie.
But new evidence confirms it is not a myth — there are mountain lions in Kansas — so said a biologist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks during a lecture sponsored by Dyck Arboretum Tuesday night.
The lecture on the creatures who have been elusive in Kansas for years was so popular, the event had to be moved from the arboretum visitor's center to Hesston Mennonite Church. An estimated 240 people attended the event— the largest crowd ever for a speaker in the arboretum's winter lecture series.
Unlimited hunting of mountain lions in the 1800s and early 1900s almost eradicated mountain lions from the Midwest. The last historical sighting of a mountain lion in Kansas was in 1904 in Ellis County.
On Tuesday, Matt Peek, furbearer biologist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and mountain lion investigator, discussed five confirmed cases of mountainlions in Kansas since 2007 — three of which were last year.
In 2007, a farmer shot a mountain lion in Barber County while he was chopping wood.
In 2009, a bow hunter took a picture of a mountain lion from a tree stand near a deer feeding station. Trail cameras caught mountain lions on film in October in Republic County and November in Nemaha County.
In March, a sub-adult male mountain lion that had been raised in cap
tivity and released near Estes Park, Colo., roamed into Kansas. The mountain lion was collared with a radio collar, and scientists were able to track the animal's movements for the month it remained in the state. Peek and his colleagues were able to visit the sites where the animal had paused to rest or feed in western Kansas.
In the flat and mostly barren landscape of western Kansas in winter, the mountain lion found shelter in shelter belts, patches of weeds and draws along the Smoky Hill and Arkansas rivers. Although the mountain lion killed a domestic cat while in Kansas, it did not attack any other domestic animals while in the state even though it came near farms and grazing cattle.\
Peek said animals that are dispersing from their home ranges in the western United States tend to stay on the move and eat small to medium prey.
Study of the Estes Park mountain lion indicated it fed on two raccoons, a porcupine and a deer while in Kansas. However, the deer carcass was found near a road and may have been road kill, Peek said. "We have found them to be fairly opportunistic," Peek said. At last check, this animal was in New Mexico and had traveled more than 1,000 miles. Peek said it is difficult to know if this animal is indicative of other mountain lions because of its time in captivity.
Many of the mountain lions located in the Midwest, and especially to the north in Nebraska, have been identified as sub-adult males, Peek said. Some experts believe as populations of mountain lions in the western United States have increased, dominant males have forced the younger males out of their home ranges.
Peek theorized, based on the concentration of Nebraska sightings, mountain lions may be following river corridors in our neighbor to the north and therefore bypassing Kansas on their way east. However, this has not be proven conclusively, and outliers have occurred.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife is interested in sightings of mountain lions, but Peek said the office can't investigate all cases. The department usually will respond to a sighting if it is accompanied by other physical evidence, such as photographs, tracks, animal kills, fur or other physical signs. The department receives many reports annually that are misidentifications or hoaxes. Photographs of house cats, dog tracks and even a photo of a deer have been sent to the department with claims of mountain lion sightings. Some residents have sent photos taken outside of the state to department and media outlets, claiming the big cats were spotted or killed in Kansas, Peek said.
From a distance, a mountain lion can be identified by its large size, small head relative to its body and long upward curving tail. Tracks can be differentiated from a dog's by their asymmetrical pad alignment and the three pads on the heal compared to two with dogs.
There is no open hunting season for mountain lions in Kansas.
If a land owner spots a mountain lion, it is only legal to shoot it if it comes close to buildings or destroys property. There are licensed wildlife operators who can deal with the mountain lions."You can't shoot it if it is walking across a field," he said, "but you can resolve it through current regulations and statutes." For more information on mountain lion sightings in the Midwest, visit cougarnet.org.
But new evidence confirms it is not a myth — there are mountain lions in Kansas — so said a biologist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks during a lecture sponsored by Dyck Arboretum Tuesday night.
The lecture on the creatures who have been elusive in Kansas for years was so popular, the event had to be moved from the arboretum visitor's center to Hesston Mennonite Church. An estimated 240 people attended the event— the largest crowd ever for a speaker in the arboretum's winter lecture series.
Unlimited hunting of mountain lions in the 1800s and early 1900s almost eradicated mountain lions from the Midwest. The last historical sighting of a mountain lion in Kansas was in 1904 in Ellis County.
On Tuesday, Matt Peek, furbearer biologist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and mountain lion investigator, discussed five confirmed cases of mountainlions in Kansas since 2007 — three of which were last year.
In 2007, a farmer shot a mountain lion in Barber County while he was chopping wood.
In 2009, a bow hunter took a picture of a mountain lion from a tree stand near a deer feeding station. Trail cameras caught mountain lions on film in October in Republic County and November in Nemaha County.
In March, a sub-adult male mountain lion that had been raised in cap
tivity and released near Estes Park, Colo., roamed into Kansas. The mountain lion was collared with a radio collar, and scientists were able to track the animal's movements for the month it remained in the state. Peek and his colleagues were able to visit the sites where the animal had paused to rest or feed in western Kansas.
In the flat and mostly barren landscape of western Kansas in winter, the mountain lion found shelter in shelter belts, patches of weeds and draws along the Smoky Hill and Arkansas rivers. Although the mountain lion killed a domestic cat while in Kansas, it did not attack any other domestic animals while in the state even though it came near farms and grazing cattle.\
Peek said animals that are dispersing from their home ranges in the western United States tend to stay on the move and eat small to medium prey.
Study of the Estes Park mountain lion indicated it fed on two raccoons, a porcupine and a deer while in Kansas. However, the deer carcass was found near a road and may have been road kill, Peek said. "We have found them to be fairly opportunistic," Peek said. At last check, this animal was in New Mexico and had traveled more than 1,000 miles. Peek said it is difficult to know if this animal is indicative of other mountain lions because of its time in captivity.
Many of the mountain lions located in the Midwest, and especially to the north in Nebraska, have been identified as sub-adult males, Peek said. Some experts believe as populations of mountain lions in the western United States have increased, dominant males have forced the younger males out of their home ranges.
Peek theorized, based on the concentration of Nebraska sightings, mountain lions may be following river corridors in our neighbor to the north and therefore bypassing Kansas on their way east. However, this has not be proven conclusively, and outliers have occurred.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife is interested in sightings of mountain lions, but Peek said the office can't investigate all cases. The department usually will respond to a sighting if it is accompanied by other physical evidence, such as photographs, tracks, animal kills, fur or other physical signs. The department receives many reports annually that are misidentifications or hoaxes. Photographs of house cats, dog tracks and even a photo of a deer have been sent to the department with claims of mountain lion sightings. Some residents have sent photos taken outside of the state to department and media outlets, claiming the big cats were spotted or killed in Kansas, Peek said.
From a distance, a mountain lion can be identified by its large size, small head relative to its body and long upward curving tail. Tracks can be differentiated from a dog's by their asymmetrical pad alignment and the three pads on the heal compared to two with dogs.
There is no open hunting season for mountain lions in Kansas.
If a land owner spots a mountain lion, it is only legal to shoot it if it comes close to buildings or destroys property. There are licensed wildlife operators who can deal with the mountain lions."You can't shoot it if it is walking across a field," he said, "but you can resolve it through current regulations and statutes." For more information on mountain lion sightings in the Midwest, visit cougarnet.org.
We recently found a cedar tree in the woods on our farm, that has been scratched from the ground to nearly 8 ft. up the tree. bark and small limbs have been torn off the tree completely around the entire circumference or this 9" tree.
ReplyDeleteWhat animal marks a tree in this manner?
likely a bear////////////////black bear
ReplyDeleteMy mother and her husband live in Rock Kansas it's a very small small town east of Derby and Rose Hill South of Douglas and Augusta south east of Wichita and they have got pictures of a large cat on a game camera one of their neighbors has this in his possession and my step father has heard loud snarles or cries that sounded as though they were a puma... they have lived in this area for about a year and a half now. They have seen or heard it on at least five different occasions
ReplyDeleteMy wife just seen one on the side of Butler road near the intersection of 210th st. Just south of Rosehill. Said it was panting like it was just running before she seen it.
DeleteMy mother and her husband live in Rock Kansas it's a very small small town east of Derby and Rose Hill South of Douglas and Augusta south east of Wichita and they have got pictures of a large cat on a game camera one of their neighbors has this in his possession and my step father has heard loud snarles or cries that sounded as though they were a puma... they have lived in this area for about a year and a half now. They have seen or heard it on at least five different occasions
ReplyDeleteMandy................if we stop the intense killing and hunting regimine in place in South Dakota where the most easternmost breeding colony of Pumas are,,,,,,,,,your mom is bound to see and hear more of the Big Cat
ReplyDelete