# Cougar in Northern MI park?



## k9wernet

That's no cougar. That's a Bengal Tiger -- I bet my life on it!


----------



## jackbob42

Just what I thought , another housecat.
Some folks should really go and study some pictures of real cougars.


----------



## Swamp Monster

Freestone said:


> If these end up being legitimate pics of a cougar near sleeping bear dunes...
> A lot of naysayers on here will be eating crow.
> 
> Let the backpeddling begin!:lol:



No crow, no backpeddling. No proof of origin from a photo so it's a bit hard to tell. Origin is the important aspect...who cares if a stray cat or two are out there...where are they from is what makes em' legit. Even with the Wolverine that people always use as an example...turned out to be from a different region of the continent based on dna samples....certainly wasn't a Wolverine that got here on it's own. People will see and believe what they want, thats understood.


----------



## PaleRider

srconnell22 said:


> keep your pictures out of this one... unless you're the guy that took the pictures of this cat.
> 
> Here is the story...
> 
> http://www.miwildlife.org/c_adtlinfo.asp
> 
> http://www.prlog.org/10353546-cougar-photographed-in-leelanau-county-mi.html
> 
> http://www.northernexpress.com/editorial/features.asp?id=4110


Don't tell me what to do, and I mean this in a nice way :gaga:.



Neal said:


> I agree....I don't think anyone who is reasonable could make the arguement that are are no cougars (or a chance of cougars) in Michigan. Just like other exotic animals, they get released or escape from private owners. I think the main question is if there's is a _breeding population _in the state, in which there has been no evidence that I'm aware of.






I like my Crow well done with a nice tossed salad. :lol:


----------



## MAttt

Thanks for posting the pics Tracker
and that was a good read on cougar hysteria BVW!

Looking at these 2 pics, it looks like they took
the cardboard picture much closer to make it appear bigger. 

*http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/256.jpg*
*http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/104.jpg*

Looks like they could have called in the Warren Police
to handle this wild beast.

The best picture of all time is definitely the wild cougars of Monroe
that BVW posted.
Cougars in the cornfield.
Could have lured them in with Kibble & Bits for sure.

*http://www.miwildlife.org/images/vc_cvt_full.jpg*


----------



## Tracker83

GIDEON said:


> :lol::lol::lol: I love it because of all the people that will be eating crow now. This thread will be really interesting come the morning.


Is it interesting yet? Lots of yawning and crickets chirping from what I can see. The pictures are here for the entire world to see, but I'm not observing any crow eating. Apparently those who were giddy with excitement last night have disappeared... I guess the pictures speak for themselves...


----------



## Lunker

Thats no cougar ..its a jaguar! If that kid is out of film school, I wonder how long before the movie comes out. "The Cougar ate my Baybea!!!...Traverse City edition. " Better luck next time Roger Moore Junior.


How much money do you think they raise like this? Maybe I can pay off all my debt after all... I declare we need fundraising for the native cougar population rehab program in Toledo OHIO ! YEAH starting with my property ...just look at the tracks I found!.........


----------



## tgafish

House cat


----------



## FIJI

http://www.easternpumaresearch.com/


dont ask how I've known of John Lutz for several years now. I'm not telling :SHOCKED: (although with a bit of sleuthing ya might find it)

http://www.easternpumaresearch.com/reports.htm


----------



## MEL

Freestone said:


> If these end up being legitimate pics of a cougar near sleeping bear dunes...
> A lot of naysayers on here will be eating crow.
> 
> Let the backpeddling begin!:lol:


 
I got a feeling that this is another kitty cat. 
Just another reason why not many believes we have them.. To many false claims. To much BS from MWC


----------



## MEL

srconnell22 said:


> Sleeping Bear Dunes Park...south side of Glen Lake.
> 
> Pics were taken over labor day weekend.
> 
> Sighting confirmed by the *Michigan Wildlife Conservancy* (whoever that is).
> 
> *Dang I love it when I'm right*.


MWC is a bunch of nuts who have been confirning all the cougars sightings over the past few years. Notice i said "confirming". 

What are you right about???


----------



## Airoh

http://www.9and10news.com/category/story/?id=172888

DNR: Pic of Alleged Cougar is Actually a Kitty Cat
Posted: 9/25/2009

» View Picture » Play Video » Feedback (0)



Hide Video

We have an update to pass along on a story we reported Thursday on our newscast about a private conservancy group claiming it had confirmed the sighting of a cougar in Leelanau County.

Friday, the Department of Natural Resources spoke out and adamantly denies the claim.

A team of state conservation officers and biologists spent hours investigating the alleged sighting and says this so called "cougar" is actually a harmless house cat.

"We would absolutely notify people if there were cougars in this area," says Sgt. Michael Borkovich, who works with the DNR in Leelanau County.

Borkovich says the department has been bombarded with phone calls ever since talk of a cougar sighting began a couple weeks ago. 

To make matters worse, this was around the same time an e-mail with several pictures was being sent around in the area that claimed a Mesick business owner had shot a cougar in Wexford County.

The DNR found out that was practical joke. 

The cougar in the pictures was actually shot in New Mexico earlier this year.

"We have literally received hundreds of phone calls at our Cadillac district office, our local field offices, and especially here at our TC field office of people who are concerned the fact that they think cougars are out there," he says.

Although the DNR has done a thorough analysis to refute the claim of a sighting in Leelanau County, the private conservancy group is still not convinced.

"I still feel strongly it's a cougar," says Patrick Rusz, Director of Wildlife Programs for the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy. "I used an analysis method that's tried and true... And I see an animal that looks much bigger than a house cat, and I stand by my analysis."

The state experts disagree, and say they're frustrated with the concern and fear this situation has created.

They say there's nothing to be concerned about.

9&10's Ryan Raiche and Photojournalist Josh Strand have more on the alleged sighting.


----------



## the roofer

tgafish said:


> House cat


people are blind sighted!!!!And most probably couldnt tell ya what a raccoon looked like:lol::lol::lol: and last pics house cats


----------



## GIDEON

MEL said:


> MWC is a bunch of nuts who have been confirning all the cougars sightings over the past few years. Notice i said "confirming".
> 
> What are you right about???


 Actually you said confirning. :lol:


----------



## JBIV

I love cougar threads.:lol::lol::lol:


----------



## Linda G.

Steve must really be tired of all the bandwidth wasted to these cougar threads...that never seem to go away, along with all the stray tabby cats, yellow labradors, and foggy eyeglasses steamed up from alcohol...:lol:

I am increasingly amazed at how naiive the human race has become. What happened to survival of the fittest when it came to the human race...


----------



## MEL

GIDEON said:


> :lol::lol::lol: I love it because of all the people that will be eating crow now. This thread will be really interesting come the morning.


 
Yes, this thread did get interesting... Now lets hope that this foolishness will stop. Cougars in Michigan? Please!!! 

No dead cougars in Alpena
No dead cougars in Mesic
No cougars in Leeaneau.
No cougars in Michigan
(ok, ill give you a very slight chance of one in the western UP. VERY SLIGHT)


----------



## PaleRider

Ok should I bring out the Wahoo picture now? Just Kidding! :lol:


----------



## GIDEON

MEL said:


> Yes, this thread did get interesting... Now lets hope that this foolishness will stop. Cougars in Michigan? Please!!!
> 
> No dead cougars in Alpena
> No dead cougars in Mesic
> No cougars in Leeaneau.
> No cougars in Michigan
> (ok, ill give you a very slight chance of one in the western UP. VERY SLIGHT)


 Yeah, the say-sayers said that there weren't any Wolverines in Michigan either. 

Remember how that one turned out.?


----------



## MEL

GIDEON said:


> *Yeah, the say-sayers said that there weren't any Wolverines in Michigan either. *
> 
> Remember how that one turned out.?


 
This isnt about wolverines. Its about the cougar. And the people who 
"think" we have them


----------



## Tracker83

Anybody from Leelanau county hearing/seeing any advertisements for local "town hall" Living With Cougars meetings? This fits the pattern for the MWC: 1) Release a press release documenting a local cougar discovery, 2) Schedule several Living with Cougars seminars in small communities near the discovery area, 3) Collect fundraising dollars, 4) Wait 6 months and start again at step 1 (in a new area of the state).


----------



## GIDEON

Swamp Monster said:


> And do you remember where the DNA from it claimed it was from? I'll give you a hint...a long long way from Michigan! How'd it get here? Not on it's own!


 I have no idea as to where it came from. I just think that it is great that it is here now. The possibility that he migrated here on his own, is no more far fetched as the possibility of arriving in a garabage truck. I highly dbout that there is a breeding pair here, but now that there is defiently one, maybe the state could help out a little. 

The same holds true for cougars. Now that one has been defiently verified in a neighboring state, shouldn't that add some validity to other sightings. True there will be many prank, and mistaken sightings, but to totally discount the possibility makes no sense at all.


----------



## GIDEON

Swamp Monster said:


> Gideon, many of us feel that the possiblility exists in the LP. (the UP, I don't question, I feel we likely have them in the the NW part of the UP). The problem is a lot of the BS stories that get thrown around and the MWC doesn't help their cause, at least with anyone somewhat informed about who they are. Are their some cats here? Maybe. But again, are they wild or were they captive? Many of us won't be that surprised but so far, the majority of reports have been a joke.


 The truth is out there.:16suspect


----------



## Swamp Monster

GIDEON said:


> The truth is out there.:16suspect


It might be....but right now, the truth is muddied with bogus claims and intentionaly falsified reports. Like I said, western UP that actually borders Wisconsin, highly likely, not to mention the human the population density difference. Last I checked, NW Lower Michigan is a long hike....not entirely impossible yes, but really how probable? Atleast on their own accord? I know about ice bridges etc, but again how probable? 
If they are their, the probability they had "help" is very likely.


----------



## GIDEON

Swamp Monster said:


> It might be....but right now, the truth is muddied with bogus claims and intentionaly falsified reports. Like I said, western UP that actually borders Wisconsin, highly likely, not to mention the human the population density difference. Last I checked, NW Lower Michigan is a long hike....not entirely impossible yes, but really how probable? Atleast on their own accord? I know about ice bridges etc, but again how probable?
> If they are their, the probability they had "help" is very likely.


 There are also reported sightings in some states just south, of Mi. One even had a segment on Monster-Quest. There determination was that it was a highly probable true sighting.

I am not preaching about monsters or the booger man. Only that maybe we shouldnt be so quick to critize, and bash all sightings.


----------



## the roofer

http://www.savethecougar.org/michigancougarsightings.htm

hmmm...


----------



## wartfroggy

GIDEON said:


> One even had a segment on Monster-Quest.


 I wouldn't throw "Monster Quest" around as a reputable source! But then again, I saw in the Weekly World News that they found Bat Boy....again.....in a different cave than last time. So, my thinking is that if Bat Boy could have travelled that far, then you're right. Maybe it isn't out of the question for a cougar to travel that far either!?


----------



## DeerManager

hahaha, there is no way that that pic is a cougar!!!:lol::lol::lol::lol:
Look at how short it is compared to their legs while sanding in a ditch! HAHAHAHAHHA


----------



## the roofer

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/mammals/cougar/media.htm

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=6587140

them photos may be fake but how about these?


----------



## Freestone

That settles it. With a good dutch name like Van Den Berg he has to be telling the truth.:lol:. I don't know about that picture though. They always seem to be just out of focus enough to create alot of uncertainty. I'll patiently wait for a good photo to come from the UP somewhere. These pics and stories (hoaxes) from southern MI are getting out of hand.


----------



## MEL

The Lapeer cougar (the BLACK cougar) was proven false.

Here kitty...kitty...kitty


----------



## MEL

RDS-1025 said:


> GIDEOT. You will never win an intelligent argument as long as you continue to spew your "garabage" all over the place. And 4 or 5 times 50 is a little more than your 150 days afield.


 
Wow, what brought that on!!! Have anything constructive to add?


----------



## the roofer

Linda G. said:


> "How many have seen an Eagle, badger, a lampree, a baby squirrel, a baby pidgeon, a baby grouse, a snake under 8" long. No.."
> 
> I think anybody who spends any amount of time outdoors has seen all of the above, many of us all the time...LOL


but finally found that badger 2 weeks ago well the kids actually found it and I didnt believe so i locked the dogs up and went with them and there it was we watched it for about 10 minutes within spitting distance...but that was pretty cool..only fault on me was that I left camcorder at the cabin...I thought it was gonna be a ground hog:lol:


----------



## Swamp Monster

the roofer said:


> http://www.savethecougar.org/michigancougarsightings.htm
> 
> hmmm...


If there is a website, it must be true! Enjoy this real link
http://savebigfoot.org/


----------



## GIDEON

Swamp Monster said:


> If there is a website, it must be true! Enjoy this real link
> http://savebigfoot.org/


 That explains a lot, all those weird noises at night. Who knew it was bigfoot. I always thought it was a cougar


----------



## thill

Quick quesiton: Doesn't the dnr have signs posted around sleeping bear dunes warning people about cougars? 

I haven't seen them and this is a serious question. I have a friend who visits the area a lot and told me about the signs.


----------



## Swamp Monster

I'm not sure if those signs are from the DNR, can't remember but they are there. The DNR does have info on their website about Cougars. I tend to believe it is to passify those that think we are surrounded by these things.


----------



## Linda G.

The signs, if they're still there, were posted by the National Park Service, which manages all National Parks. 

They were posted several years ago after a volunteer naturalist (with no real scientific training, and very little outdoor experience other than an appreciation of birds, butterflies, etc.) reported seeing a cougar in that end of the park. I believe it was a one time sighting. The media picked it up and went nuts with it, leading the Park Service to post the signs in an effort to "protect" the public...

Now, at the same time, the Park Service was desperate to figure out a way to get their "wilderness" initiative past the public and the people who live in that area who DID NOT want to see large portions of the park literally shut off from the public, with roads closed, or to see coho salmon removed from the Platte River or the whitetailed deer removed from the Fox Islands...both of which were just a small part of that initiative, which is something the NPS has been implementing in all of their parks since a federal mandate in 1982.

Isn't it a coincidence that posting signs warning the public of cougars significantly dropped traffic through that area??? LOL

Btw, several longtime Sleeping Bear employees decided to go elsewhere for work about that time...

After much debate, the initiative was dropped, but recently has come around again, this time without mention of coho, whitetailed deer, and cougars. 

A camera study the NPS began right after the cougar sighting revealed bobcats, a lot of raccoons, a few coyotes, and far more stray dogs than the NPS ever thought possible. A standard scientific research study usually comprises 2-3 years, but the camera study was pulled after just six months, and no cougar sightings, with the NPS citing a lack of funds. 

Not too long after that, administration at the top of the Sleeping Bear food chain was shuffled, and although the wilderness initiative is back on, there's been no further mention of cougars from representatives of our federal government...

LOL


----------



## the roofer

Swamp Monster said:


> If there is a website, it must be true! Enjoy this real link
> http://savebigfoot.org/


great now I'm gonna start believing that...:lol::lol::lol:

but I started as a none believer and now hell I dont no...
but all the reports cant be false can they?
check out this link and look at the macomb video especially and let me know what you think...plus there is also a picture of the 2 house cats in the previous post that has a different conclusion...

http://www.michigancougar.com/kittens.htm


----------



## Freestone

Not to sidetrack this thread but I found some youtube video on that site that may be proof that bigfoot exists. They call it a gorrilla but you be the judge.:lol:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVAP5qWnBek


----------

