Multiple sightings of mountain lion reported in southern Illinois

A mountain lion may have made a temporary home in southern Illinois this summer.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says it has gotten multiple reports of sightings of a mountain lion in Union and Jackson counties.

The IDNR believes it's the same animal being reported in the various sightings. 

Mountain lions are rare in the state, with no native permanent population. Mountain lions were common in the Midwest until the mid-to-late 19th century, when human hunting and habitat loss wiped them out from most of the region by 1900. The Illinois population was entirely eliminated before 1870, according to records from Wildlife Illinois.

This is only the 12th confirmed mountain lion sighting in Illinois since 2002.

Previous mountain lions documented in Illinois have been young males between 2 and 3 years old. According to IDNR, DNA analysis suggests those animals came from western populations, likely in Nebraska and the Dakotas. The origin of the current mountain lion has not been confirmed. 

Anyone who encounters the mountain lion should leave it alone, the IDNR said. Sightings can be reported to wildlife biologists through the Wildlife Illinois reporting page. 


Photo Wildlife Illinois (not a photo of a current sighting)