Mountain lions are a rare sighting in the Midwest, but recently a video shows one roaming the close proximity of an Iowa hunter sitting quietly in a grove overhead.
At first, it’s hard to see a tawny figure moving low among the trees and foliage, hidden enough for skeptics to claim it’s a bobcat.
The cougar looks left and right cautiously and stops in a grassy clearing, as if hearing something in the noise of passing cars outside the forest.
It will not be displayed if you know the hunter.
“Don’t even breathe,” one person commented social media postsshared on Oct. 10 by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office
“Oh my god, he was able to get up on that wooden platform in seconds,” wrote another.
A hunter encounter is one of the most recent mountain lion sightings. Madison Countysaid the sheriff’s office.next door sheriff Warren County According to the post, it has been reported as well.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office said, “These sightings occurred in remote areas not regularly visited by the public, and we do not believe they pose a danger to the public.” He added that it was unclear if the sightings were of the same mountain lion. If you have multiple people loitering in southern Iowa.
Cougars are rare throughout the Midwest, and Iowa is no exception, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
The last historical record of Iowa mountain lions is in 1867, and the description reveals how early settlers interacted with the animals.
“Basically, human persecution brought about their demise because the pioneers saw their existence as having no value for their way of life,” the agency said.
For generations, cougars seemed to disappear from the state, but reports of big cat sightings began trickling into the DNR in the mid-1990s, the department said.Sightings have continued since then, most of which are either bogus or unsubstantiated, but departmental data show Over 30 mountain lion sightings Confirmed since 1995.
Iowa currently has no protection for mountain lions, but the DNR has in the past supported legislation to prevent the “indiscriminate slaughter” of animals. This is to make it illegal to kill mountain lions unless they are trying to attack people or livestock.
All mountain lions spotted in Iowa in recent decades are believed to have strayed from western states such as Wyoming, where populations have been established, experts say. There are no established breeding populations in Iowa.
According to DNR, “it is questionable whether mountain lions will ever have a significant presence in Iowa.” “There are some questions about whether Iowa is (actually) home to mountain lions. Human tolerance or intolerance determines whether they can gain a foothold in the nation. increase.”
Watch video of puma stalking coyotes roaming California nights
What scares grizzly bears? Guide sees ‘incredibly staggering’ spectacle at Grand Teton
How high can coyotes jump? Daring intruder’s backyard video surprises Texans
A giant rodent native to South America landed in the Illinois River.fisherman killed