Confirmations

Cougars are elusive animals, seldom seen even by experienced outdoorsmen. Even when a sighting occurs, it is often fleeting, e.g. a few seconds, before the subject disappears into vegetation. Sightings thought to be cougar are often misidentifications that are in actuality dogs, bobcats, house cats, deer or other wildlife. Thus, only sightings backed by tangible physical evidence can be considered confirmations.

ECN employs two classifications for confirmations:

Class I Confirmation:

    1. The body of a dead cougar, or a live captured animal.

    2. Photographs (including video) that clearly identify one or more cougars, and which can be certified as to date, time and place by the original photographer. An example of a picture taken from a wildlife camera in Minnesota in April, 2002 that provides proof of a cougar is shown on the right.

    3. Evidence which has been analyzed and identified as DNA material from Puma concolor (cougar). DNA can be extracted from scat  (the most common source of DNA evidence) or from hair collected, e.g. by a "hair snare." DNA analysis can also be used to determine sex, which is important information to determine if there is a breeding population.

Class II Confirmation:

    1. Scat verified as cougar by the thin-layer chromatography method. This technique is less accurate than DNA testing of scat.

    2. Large tracks that form a track set that are verified by a qualified professional as cougar.

    3. A kill found to be done with a cougar's technique which is verified by a qualified professional. Cougars kill prey differently than dogs or wolves.

    4. Wounds on an animal or human consistent with a cougar attack, verified as probable cougar by a qualified professional.

Note: ECN is interested in documenting evidence of wild, free-roaming cougars.  As a result, animals of known captive origin are not included as confirmations.