Cougar cubs spotted in Michigan wild for first time in more than 100 years

Max Reinhart, The Detroit News on Mar 13, 2025

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A Michigan resident in the western part of the Upper Peninsula recently discovered something not seen in Michigan for more than a century — cougar cubs in the wild.

State biologists on Wednesday confirmed the sighting of two spotted cubs, believed to be 7 to 9 weeks old. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said a resident, who wished to remain anonymous, found and photographed the cubs on private land in Ontonagon County.

Cougars were hunted out of existence in Michigan in the early 1900s, said Brian Roell, a large carnivore specialist for the Department of Natural Resources who led the team the identified the cubs.

“It’s pretty exciting, considering this could be the first known cougar reproduction in modern times in the western Great Lakes states,” said Roell, referring to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. “It really shows that we have a unique place in Michigan where someone has a chance to see a wolf, a moose and a cougar in the wild. It’s something that should be celebrated, that we have the habitat to support an elusive animal like this.”

The cubs were seen without their mother on March 6 and haven't been spotted since. Cougar cubs are highly dependent on their mothers and generally stay with them for the first two years of life, Roell said.

“Those young cougars are very vulnerable right now,” Roell said. “We don’t know where they are or if they’re even alive. Mother Nature can be very cruel.”

Cougars are native to Michigan, and there have been 132 verified sightings of adult cougars in the state, according to the DNR. Most are believed to be "transient," having dispersed into Michigan from western states. All cougars found in Michigan and tested by the DNR have been males.

Cougars are on Michigan's list of endangered mammals, so it's illegal to hunt or harass them, including trying to locate their den, Roell said. It's also illegal to trespass on private property, such as where the cubs were found.

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