GOGEBIC COUNTY, MI-- A Department of Natural Resources game camera has taken photographs of a cougar in Gogebic County.
The camera, set up about nine miles north of Ironwood, is part of a state deer movement study. The three photos were taken around 7:15 p.m. on October 1. A DNR cougar team has reviewed and verified the images.
Since 2008 the DNR has confirmed 38 cougar reports. All but one occurred in the Upper Peninsula. Officials say the reports include multiple sightings of the same animal. They say no conclusive evidence exists of a breeding population of the animals in Michigan.
Wildlife biologist Brian Roell says the latest confirmed report illustrates how rare cougars—also called mountain lions—are in the U.P. He says it’s the first time a cougar has been caught on more than three million game camera images collected since 2009.
Cougars are an endangered species in Michigan, protected by law.
