LEECH LAKE BAND OF OJIBWE DIVISION OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 115 6th ST. NW Suite E, Cass Lake, MN 56633 COUGAR SIGHTING IN THE INGER AREA INFORMATIONAL RELEASE January 30, 2014 the Leech Lake Division of Resource Management received multiply reports of a cougar roaming in the vicinity of the Inger Village. Cougars are generalist predator and can feed on everything from small rodents to large ungulates like deer and elk. It is rare for them to attack humans, but they are capable of injuring or rarely killing people. Like all wild cats, they tend to be reclusive and avoid people so it is rare to see them. If you do see a cougar it is very likely to run off, but if you encounter one that does not, it is important to make yourself look as large as possible by waving your arms and flaring out your jacket. Shouting at a cougar or throwing objects at may also scare the animal off. Making direct eye contact will also discourage many cats and it is important to not run away as this behavior may stimulate their instinct of chase. If you have a cougar in the vicinity of your home it is probably a good idea to keep your children inside until it leaves the area. A hungry cougar will sometimes kill pets so they should also be kept inside or in protective shelter. Cougars are the largest cat that can be found on the Leech Lake Reservation. Historically cougars ranged over all of the continental United States, but their numbers plummeted in much of the Eastern US by the beginning of the 19th century due to human persecution and diminished prey supply. Protection from harvest and increases in deer numbers has led to more cougar sightings in some parts of their historic range. Cougars are very rare on the Leech Lake Reservation and the Division of Resources Management only gets 2-3 reports of sightings per year. They typically have very large territories, especially males that can range up to 500 square miles in size. The cougars we see here are young males that are dispersing from areas like the Black Hills of South Dakota in search of new territories and females. Some of these individuals will travel as much as 1500 miles. It is unusual for these dispersing individuals to remain in anyone area for more than a couple of weeks before moving on. Cougars are protected animals that cannot be hunted or trapped on the Reservation. Although they can present some challenges to humans it is rare that we get the opportunity to see a species that has been absent from the Reservation for a very long time. DRMs call in number is 218 308 0806
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 17:26:12 +0000
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