Community Corner

Mountain Lion Killed in Connecticut Passed Through Wisconsin

The cougar's 1,100-mile journey is the longest ever recorded.

In what’s being called the longest journey a mountain lion has ever taken in the United States, a cougar , Conn. six weeks ago—believed by some to be the same cougar , Conn.—traveled 1,100 miles from Minnesota to get to New England, Connecticut officials said Tuesday.

According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, analysts' data show that the feline known in South Dakota known as the “St. Croix Cougar” journeyed from that state’s Black Hills, through Minnesota and Wisconsin (see attached map) and across the Midwest—likely southern Ontario, Canada—eventually to Greenwich, where it met its end after colliding with a SUV on the Wilbur Cross parkway in Milford.

“This is an incredible journey, nearly double that of any mountain lion [ever recorded],” Connecticut DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty said during a press briefing.

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Though the first confirmed sighting occurred in Minnesota, officials believe the mountain lion likely was born in South Dakota, meaning a total distance traveled of closer to 1,800 miles is possible.

Scat samples, including those found in Greenwich, as well as sightings across the nation dating back as far as December 2009, snow tracks, photos from trail cameras, tissue collected for genetic testing and the young male’s unmanicured condition, led analysts—including in a lab in Rocky Hill, Conn.—to the conclusion that the mountain lion had not been held in captivity, according to Paul Rego, a supervising wildlife biologist with the DEEP.

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Esty touted the cougar's ability to traverse so far in the wild as a testament to efforts from conservationists and environmental protection groups.

“Although this is the story of the first recorded example of a mountain lion sighting in Connecticut in more than 100 years, there is no evidence of a mountain lion [in Connecticut] beyond this single individual,” Esty said.

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This cougar likely stayed well toward the north of Wisconsin on its travels, but cougars have been sighted in Southeast Wisconsin.

A Caledonia woman reported seeing a big cat near here home in March 2009, as The Journal Times reported at the time.

Big cat tracks and feces were also seen near Union Grove, as reported by The Journal Times in April 2009.

Also in April 2009, the Kenosha County website West of the I carried a story about big cat sightings in western Kenosha County. 


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