Many states still deny their existance . Some have introduced them ,NJ,some may always have had them, PA ?,some have them from natural extension of territory.

Another article. This one an interview with the hunter.
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Cougars creeping into Illinois


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Tuesday, December 7, 2004



Kenny Tharp routinely treks all the way out West to hunt mountain lions.
He didn't have to go that far. He found one Saturday just a half-mile from his west-central Illinois home.

"I never even dreamed they'd be here," says Tharp, who lives near New Boston, a Mississippi River burg 75 miles northwest of Peoria.

While deer hunting in thick woods, Tharp and several friends came across the lifeless mountain lion, which apparently had been killed a day or two earlier by an arrow or slug. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is examining the cougar to determine if it had escaped from a private preserve or if it was a wild animal.

Some biologists say big cats could be migrating to the Midwest in search of game. Recently, deer and other prey have become plentiful in central Illinois.

For years, central Illinois residents have reported sightings of big cats, especially mountain lions, otherwise known as cougars, pumas or panthers. Three years ago, witnesses purported to have spotted a cougar in Springdale Cemetery, a claim that was never proved - or disproved. Further, southeastern Iowa has had several such unsubstantiated reports in recent years.

Earlier this year, following big-cat sightings in northern Illinois, the DNR stood by its long-held assertion: mountain lions, which dwelt in the state before the Civil War, were officially considered extinct.

However, after Saturday's discovery, DNR spokesman Joe Bauer said with a chuckle, "Never say never with nature."

He'll get no argument from Tharp, 39, who works for the family business, Tharp Bros. excavation company in Oquawka. An avid hunter, Tharp has bagged mountain lions in Utah.

He also enjoys hunting in the area around New Boston, home to 650 residents and a smattering of shops. Nearby sits the Port Louis National Wildlife Refuge.

Saturday, Tharp and six others went deer hunting just a half-mile behind Tharp's home, on property owned by his father-in-law. One of Tharp's friends spotted the cougar slumped under a pine tree.

At first, the friend thought the beast might be alive. He stepped back, pulled up his rifle and took aim.

But the animal didn't stir. Tharp went to investigate and realized the cougar was dead. A through-and-through wound - either from an arrow or slug - punctured the animal's lower abdomen.

The friend, apparently fearing repercussions from the DNR, blurted, "I don't want nothing to do with it."

However, as Tharp knows, state law does not prohibit the bagging of big cats.

"I'll take it home with me," Tharp declared. "I'll mount it as a trophy."

So, he and the others dragged it to his truck. At home, he reported his find to the Mercer County's Sheriff's Department, which in turn contacted the DNR.

Tharp took measurements of the male cat: 84 inches long and 98 pounds.

He called over a friend, Aledo veterinarian Jeremy Joy. Aside from the wound, the cat looked in good health, Joy says.

But the cat's sunken eyes and abdomen indicated extreme dehydration. The lack of water could have reduced the beast's weight by 20 pounds or more, Joy says.

Joy says the cougar likely had been shot a day or two earlier. It probably had sought refuge in or under the pine tree.


"It probably found a place ... to lay down and die," Joy says.

Joy has heard of no reports of a cougar missing from a zoo or private preserve. On the cat, he found no markings, such as ear tattoos, to indicate the animal had been in captivity.

Also, Joy noticed the cat had not been neutered. Zoos, public and private, usually neuter male cats to keep them calm.

The DNR will further examine the cat. First, it will look for an implanted microchip. Absent that, the agency will examine the paws, which could indicate wear in the wild or in captivity. Also, its teeth could show whether the animal ate wild pet food or wild game.

Within the past year, veterinarian Joy had heard scuttlebutt of a Mercer County farmer missing a calf. Coyotes are known to attack small cattle but usually devour their prey on the site. However, the calf had been dragged off, as common with a big cat, Joy says.

"It's possible there's a small cougar population moving in," Joy says. "It does give you pause about letting the kids play in the woods, especially at nighttime."

Tharp - who is married with daughters ages 14 and 19 - also admits uneasiness about his find.

"It's kind of weird thinking that thing would be a half-mile from my house," he says.

Elsewhere in New Boston, Tharp's discovery has not exactly caused panic in the streets.

Homemaker Ann Comer says friends in Iowa have heard cougars howling at night for years, without incident.

"I don't think there's going to be a lot" of cougars in New Boston, Comer says. "I think they're going to be more afraid of people than we'd be afraid of them."

Agreeing is Barbara O'Hearn, but only because she lives in town.

"If I lived in the country, I'd be scared," she says.

Despite the mortal injury, Tharp's cougar will get around. He has given the carcass to the DNR, but he sent the hide to a taxidermist for mounting.

Later, when the state finishes its tests, Tharp plans to bleach the bones and restructure the skeleton. He would like to display the skeleton, perhaps at the county courthouse or as a traveling state exhibit.

"I don't want to horde the thing," Tharp says. "I don't want it in the basement where I'm the only one to get enjoyment out of it."

PHIL LUCIANO is a columnist with the Journal Star. He can be reached at pluciano@pjstar.com, 686-3155 or (800) 225-5757, Ext. 3155.