MARQUETTE -- The votes are in and your Facebook Story of the Day for Thursday was cougars in the U.P. How many are there and where exactly can they be found?
Well, it turns out there isn't much of a cougar population in the Upper Peninsula; in fact, Department of Natural Resources experts say most of the cougars that are spotted here in the U.P. are transients from South Dakota.
Although cougars were originally native to Michigan, most of them left in the early 1900s before the state became more populated.
In the past five years, there have been six verified cougars in the U.P.: in northern Marquette County, Gulliver, the Rapid River area and Chippewa County.
Only one cougar was verified by a photograph, the rest by tracks. The DNR says cougar tracks are very distinctive.
"Cat tracks almost never leave claw marks in their tracks; occasionally in certain substrates they will, but you'll find four toes. Generally you will not find claw marks in a cat track," said Kristie Sitar of the DNR. "Canine tracks almost always will leave claw marks, and so that's one of the differences. If you can see claw marks, it's more than likely not a cat track. The heel pad of the track has a flattened top part and three lobes on the rear part of that heel pad."
If you come across cougar tracks, the DNR recommends you cover them with a tarp and contact them immediately.
If you spot what you think might be a cougar, take a picture and contact the DNR immediately.
Cougars are currently on the Michigan endangered animals list and tend to be solitary animals, but if you do come into contact with one, don't run away. Stand tall and act big.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC