3 Cougar Kittens, Mother Captured on Trail Camera Video in Northern Minnesota
Trail cameras recorded a female cougar with kittens feeding on a deer carcass, giving researchers the first proof of reproduction in more than 100 years.
- The Voyageurs Wolf Project captured trail camera footage of a female cougar and three kittens near Voyageurs National Park, confirming the first evidence of cougar reproduction in Minnesota in over 100 years.
- After discovering a GPS-collared deer buried under leaves, researchers installed cameras near the carcass to investigate. They captured approximately four hours of cougar interactions instead of the wolves they typically monitor.
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources scientists estimate the kittens are between 7 and 9 months old. Thomas Gable, project lead of the Voyageurs Wolf Project, said, "We never anticipated seeing four cougars together in northern Minnesota."
- While the kittens face threats from wolves, male cougars, and vehicles, DNR research biologist John Erb said the probability of a self-sustaining population has increased. "Time will tell," he noted.
- Unlike previous sightings of lone male cougars wandering from the Dakotas and Nebraska, this footage confirms Minnesota's first sustained, breeding population in a century. Similar kitten sightings occurred in Michigan's Upper Peninsula last year.
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Pine Journal
Cougar cubs found near Voyageurs National Park
DULUTH— Researchers captured video of cougar cubs in northern Minnesota last fall, confirming the first evidence of reproducing mountain lions in the state in more than 100 years. The Voyageurs Wolf Project recorded trail camera footage of a female cougar with three large kittens feeding on a deer carcass south of Voyageurs National Park in late March and shared it with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The researchers' wide network…
'Our best trail camera capture yet': Researchers capture footage of cougar with kittens in Minnesota
It's an exciting time to be a fan of the Minnesota Wild, and we're not just talking about the hockey team. There is video proof that wild cougars are reproducing in the Land of 10,000 Lakes for the first time in over 100 years. The amazing video was captured by the University of Minnesota's Voyageurs Wolf Project, which noted it is "without a doubt, our best trail camera capture yet." While their cameras are typically searching for wolves, they…
Family Caught on Camera Shows Hope for Wild Cougars
This trail cam footage shows a mother cougar with three half-grown cubs visiting a stash of deer meat. And purring and squeaking. They look healthy and well-fed. But the surprise is where this happened. It was near Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota! We think of cougars as residents of the American West, but they once roamed the entire country. Over the last couple of decades, there have been sightings in Minnesota, mostly on trail cams, of so…
Trail Cam Footage Shows Minnesota’s First Wild Cougar Kittens in More Than a Century
Most Minnesota cougar news involves one wide-ranging cat moving through the state. This one involves four. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday, April 30, that video from the University of Minnesota’s Voyageurs Wolf Project shows a female cougar with three large kittens in northern Minnesota. The footage marks the first evidence of cougars reproducing in Minnesota in more than 100 years. It also gives wildlife officia…
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