Scientists tracking cougars' eastward migration

Like most young outdoorsmen, he seems to be seeking the simple things in life: A quiet, out-of-the-way place to call home, great deer hunting grounds and a soul mate with whom to start a family.

No wonder he's looking in the agricultural Midwest, what with its remaining forests and abundant venison.

However, he's not your average kind of guy -- he's a cougar.

"There have been 21 confirmed cougars in nine Midwestern states and one Canadian province in the past 18 months. In the 10 years before that, we had one or two a year," says Clayton K. Nielsen, an SIUC wildlife ecologist and director of scientific research for the Cougar Network, a non-profit research group that tracks "hard evidence" of cougar movements and networks with federal, state and other wildlife agencies.

"The phenomenon of cougars showing up in the Midwest is a relatively new one. It's the acceleration that's got people really interested right now," says Nielsen, a scientist with the SIUC Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory.

Keeping track of cougars - SIUC wildlife ecologist Clayton K. Nielsen is helping plot verifiable cougar movements in the eastern United States to create a credible "big picture map." Also scientific director for the non-profit Cougar Network, Nielsen says the number of cougars moving into the Midwest is on the rise. There have been 21 confirmed cougar appearances in the Midwest and Canada in the last year-and-a-half.

Nielsen and the Network are tracking scientifically confirmed cougar appearances on a "big picture map" that's yielding a comprehensive view of the cats' movements outside their contemporary ranges.

Mere sightings don't count. Carcasses, cougar DNA and verifiable photos are better measures.

These data, says Nielsen, are the most credible to date on cougars' eastward migration. With the information, scientists may begin to make educated predictions on how cougars may fare if and when they get here.

As a species, cougars, also known as mountain lions, panthers or pumas, were extirpated from the eastern half of the United States -- with the exception of Florida -- about 150 years ago.

Today, our continent's biggest cats usually occupy secluded tracts of land out West.

But rising cougar populations and habitat loss there appear to be major factors in the felines' recent forays east, says Nielsen.

In some cases, these cougars may be released pets, he adds.

Still, there's no reason to lock and load.

"The likelihood of a human getting attacked by a cougar here in Illinois is lower than death by vending machine," Nielsen says. "There are much more dangerous risks out there to worry about."

It remains uncertain whether cougars can re-establish themselves outside the West.

"There's no fear we're going to be overrun anytime soon. But I do think this is a naturally occurring phenomenon. And whether you're in favor of it or not, it appears to be happening. As scientists, we'd like to help people plan for their possible arrival and to figure out whether or not we can co-exist."

- Paula M. Davenport