US EditionCougar Cubs Spotted Once Again on UP Trail Camera
Trail-camera photos confirm cougar reproduction in Michigan's Upper Peninsula for the first time in over a century, with 25% of verified sightings in 2024 from DNR cameras.
- On Dec. 16, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirmed footage of two juvenile cougars and one adult cougar matched the kittens first photographed on March 6, 2025, marking the first confirmed cougar reproduction in Michigan in over 100 years.
- A private landowner sent the trail-camera photo to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on Dec. 14, and Roell verified the site Monday with the cougar team confirming Tuesday.
- So far in 2025 there have been 29 confirmed cougar sightings in the Upper Peninsula, while since 2008 the DNR has confirmed about 168 sightings and photos accounted for over 25% of verified sightings in 2024.
- Because cougars are listed as endangered mammals in Michigan, officials reminded public and residents near cougar habitat that hunting or harassing them, including locating dens, is illegal and urged respecting mothers with cubs.
- Brian Roell, DNR large carnivore specialist, said the cougar kittens look about a year old and typically stay with their mother for about two years, likely surviving through this winter and next winter.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Update: Michigan’s Elusive Cougar Cubs Have Survived - The Sun Times News
Photo: An adult cougar walks down a trail in the Upper Peninsula followed by two cougar cubs on Dec. 6, 2025. The DNR verified this photo from a private trail camera by enhancing the image to verify the existence of the three cougars, including the cub bringing up the rear ( Look for the two tiny reflective eyes in the middle toward the top). Photo courtesy of private landowner. What began as a tantalizing peek into Michigan’s wildlife has now t…
Cougar family spotted in Michigan for first time in a century
SALEM, Ohio — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has confirmed a rare and historic sighting: an adult cougar traveling with two kittens in the Upper Peninsula, marking the first verified case of cougar reproduction in Michigan in more than 100 years and possibly the first east of the Mississippi River. A trail camera photo taken Dec. 6 in central Ontonagon County shows an adult cougar walking down a snowy trail followed closely by two …
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