Cougar shot on North Side

Steve Witmer wrote:

I live in Indiana and we have had Cougar sightings since 1964.
I've been telling people for years that they do live here, you just don't see them. We have a large number of Deer witch is their main food along with small prey.To see them show up in town is not really that strange in the last few years i have spotted Red Fox, Beaver, Predator Bird's, Wolf ,Coyote, Deer, Mink, Badgers, Owls and all of them were spotted within the city.The Indiana and Michigan DNR have called me out several times to look at kills that took out several cow's and 13 pigs and they were located just outside of town. We were going to try to trap and relocate, But the Indiana DNR said if we got it they wanted to put it in the zoo to say it was an Indiana Cougar.They do not make the scream sound you hear in the movies unless they are angry if your in the woods and happen to hear 1 it will most likely sound like a bird.I have raised them for 16+ years so i know a little about what I'm talking about. I don't claim to be an expert, just trying to inform people. Thanks for taking the time to read and i hope this may enlighten you.

Thanks for the post Steve. Would you ever want to get in an altercation with a cougar armed with a billy club and try to "bop it on the head to knock it out". What would happen if you did, is this feasible like several people suggest the police do?

John wrote:

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Thanks for the post Steve. Would you ever want to get in an altercation with a cougar armed with a billy club and try to "bop it on the head to knock it out". What would happen if you did, is this feasible like several people suggest the police do?

No not a good idea their was a girl here in my town that got attacked by 1 , she was studying to be a wildlife vet and came down with a professor anyways the cat got out cause she failed to close the door and ran. Bad mistake the cat got a hold of her by the head and the owner busted a baseball bat across his back and he never flinched they ended up shoving a water hose down his throat to get him to turn loose. Your best bet is to get a hold of their throat and cut off their wind they will drop like a rock. Best thing to do is just steer clear they really don't want contact with people unless sick or vary hungry. The 1 they killed in Chicago was about 2 years and should still be with his mother they usually stay with them till they are about 3 years old. Hope i've given you some insight on this. But i personally love cougars i have some videos posted on youtube under wdodgeboy check them out and enjoy.

Impressive videos of Brandy, Steve, which raise lots of questions. What safety precautions did you take in keeping a cougar in your household for its entire lifetime? How do you contrast Brandy's behaviors with a cougar in the wild? You've been involved in big cat rescue, so no doubt you have lots of expertise to share. Thanks.

I live in Boulder Colorado, where we pretty much live our lives watched over by cougars. Just this Saturday, animal control officers tranquilized a big cat right across the street from our house, before relocating it.

Because they face problems with bears and mountain lions frequently, animal control officers in Boulder have protocols and training in dealing with these cats. But, mountain lions are unbelievably strong, lightning fast and have a twenty foot vertical jump, so they can slip away fast. Imagine the problems if the cat ran off and hurt someone when the officers could have stopped it.

Even during the operation across the street from my house, police officers kept their rifles trained on the cat, just in case things started to get out of control. Even with the experience, training and protocols, animal control or the police end up shooting a cat who has wandered into Boulder. Also, if a cat shows little fear of humans, Boulder animal control officers kill the cat right away. It is just too dangerous to have a predator of that caliber, mingling with people. And the Chicago cat had crossed miles and miles of urbanization. That alone indicates that it was not too scared of human activity.

As well, I imagine that the Chicago police and animal control are about as well prepared to deal with big cats as the Florida department of highways is prepared to deal with blizzards. I’m a real lover of wildlife, and wouldn’t ever want to see a wild cat killed unnecessarily, but it sounds like the Chicago police acted prudently. The use of tranquilizer guns is tricky, you have to estimate the dosage accurately. Again, in Boulder we have officers trained, experienced and equipped to deal quickly with lions and bears. I doubt that there are too many officers in animal control officers in Chicago with the right equipment or training to deal with a mountain lion.

Thanks for your knowledge and personal experience, Dan. Much appreciated.

Why didn't the animal lovers just bring some Meow mix out for the cat????

Humanist wrote:

Impressive videos of Brandy, Steve, which raise lots of questions. What safety precautions did you take in keeping a cougar in your household for its entire lifetime? How do you contrast Brandy's behaviors with a cougar in the wild? You've been involved in big cat rescue, so no doubt you have lots of expertise to share. Thanks.

First off i hope you enjoyed the videos. As far as safety precautions, their the same as a house cat's as far as how they react towards different things. Strange things set all cats off you just have to learn what they are,it could be a sent or color of hair in her case she dident like people with beards or glasses.In the case with most wild animals if you look them in the eye you are unknowingly challenging them to a fight and they will meet you head on. She tested me for about 3 years to see what she could get away with. From day one i taught her that i would love her and that i was not a toy to be played with. If she ever tried to blind side me i cut her short and let her know i was not a toy. After three years each year got better and better and she had my full trust. One time a friend of mine walked behind me while i was sitting on the couch and raised his hand she thought he was going to do something to me and she laid him out, Another time i took in a 250 lbs male that the owner had a tuff time with because he never taught him that he wasn't a toy and he didn't like kids. So one day i took a friend of mine back to see him with his kid he charged at me and Brandy let him know in no uncertain terms that that i was not to be messed with he went back and stayed it the corner for 3 days and when he came back out he was a different cat, I gained his respect through her.I babysat that cat for three years and i told the owner that he wouldn't be the same cat when he returned. When him and his brother brought him over he had a leash on him and his brother had him by the tail and had him stretched tight so he couldn't get either one of them. When he came back to get him he said he couldn't find his brother and that i would need to help him. I told him to hang on as i went and got him,i walked him out on a leash and asked him where he wanted him and he couldn't believe how well mannered he was he didn't pull or try to drag me or anything.I could go on forever. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask and I'll do the best i can to answer hope I've been helpful.