Milton Cougar was the same as Chicago Cougar

On January 4, 2008, a motorist driving northeast of Milton, Wisconsin saw a cougar run in front of his vehicle on his drive home on Friday evening. He returned to the scene to take photos the next day, but because of overnight snow, tracks at the site could not be confirmed as cougar by WDNR biologists.

On January 18, 2008, just 2 miles away, a trapper investigated some large tracks in an old barn, and spooked a cougar from the second floor. The cougar cut one of its toes as it jumped out of the barn. A drop of blood it left behind in one of its foot prints allowed the WDNR to determine from DNA that the cougar was a male, of North American origin, and most likely from South Dakota. This was the first confirmed wild cougar in Wisconsin in 100 years. For the next 2 months the cougar roamed portions of Rock and Walworth Counties, Wisconsin, and signs were observed in several locations.

By late March it apparently had left the state and was observed in North Chicago, Illinois. It eventually traveled south into Chicago and was killed by Chicago police in a densely populated residential area on April 14, 2008. The timeline and movements on this Midwest cougar are listed below.

Timeline

Date	Movement
1/4/08	Cougar observed by motorist 4 miles north of Milton, WI in Rock County, crossing Highway 26.
1/18/08	Cougar observed in old barn and seen running to north, 2 miles south of previous location, and northeast of Milton. Cougar cut foot leaving small patch of blood along way (GPS N 42.8003885 / W 88.9073053). DNR conservation warden and two local volunteers followed cougar tracks for about 1.5 miles. DNR conservation wardens and wildlife biologist collect urine and blood sample. Genetic analysis by USFS Genetic lab in Missoula, MT later showed this was a male cougar with North American genotypes, and most similar to genetics of cougars from South Dakota. The location was 740 miles east of the Black Hills of South Dakota.
1/19/08	Wildlife biologist photographed and measured tracks and determined that tracks were consistent with a cougar. Analysis was verified by DNR mammalian ecologist.
1/22/08 - 1/31/08	Cougar track seen on edge of Janesville, WI, 9 miles south of observation on 1/18.
1/31/08	Cougar tracks seen southwest of Clinton, WI, 19.5 miles south of the 1/18 observation.
3/7/08	Cougars tracks observed by DNR conservation warden northeast of Elkhorn in Walworth County (GPS N 42.72225970/ W88.4707698), about 23 miles southeast of location on 1/18.
3/15/08	Cougar tracks southeast of Clinton, Rock County, WI, about 1 mile west of location on 1/31, and 19.5 miles south of location on 1/18 (N 42.513023/ W 88.9091046). This was the last observation of sign of the cougar in Wisconsin.
3/28/08 & 3/30/08	Cougar observed in North Chicago, Lake County, IL, 55 miles southeast of the last location in WI (GPS N 42 19’ 57.01”/ W 87 51’ 18.21”).
4/03/08	Cougar observed in Round Lake Park, IL 11.5 miles west of location in North Chicago (GPS N 42 20’ 38.37”/ W 88 4’ 57.52”).
4/12/08	Cougar observed in Wilmette, Cook, County, IL 27 miles SE of the last location and 20 miles south of location in North Chicago (GPS 42 4’ 21.08”/ 87 41’ 21.03”).
4/14/08	Cougar shot in Roscoe Village area of Chicago, IL by police department, 9 miles south of location at Wilmette and 0.7 miles east of the Chicago River, North Hoyne Ave. & West Roscoe St. (GPS N 41 56’ 36.58” / W 87 40’ 50.41”). The location was 86 miles southeast of the observation on 1/18/08.
4/15/08	Necropsy done on cougar. It is an adult male, 122 pounds, with no evidence of having been in captivity (not declawed, no tattoos, no marks, not neutered, no microchips). A tissue sample was sent to the USFS genetic lab in Missoula, MT and was determined to be the same animal as occurred near Milton, WI on 1/18/08. The death site was about 800 miles east of cougar range in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Last Revised: April 29, 2008