Cougar killed in Round Lake Township
November 29, 2011 at 2:34 pm in Worthington Daily Globe
ROUND LAKE Many people have heard about catching a tiger by the tail, but not many get to experience catching a cougar in their headlights. Continue Reading
I really hope that the DNR files charges against these “men”. After all they did kill an animal that is protected in the state of MN, and as was quoted in the article the animal was headed away from him, meaning there was no emanate threat to any ones safety.
Per the Minnesota DNR page “The cougar is a protected species in Minnesota, meaning that it cannot be hunted or trapped. It is unknown how many cougar sightings are of escaped or released pet cougars.”
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This animal was out of his element and a danger to everyone around. I have young kids and am happy to see this cat gone. I wonder if A Marie Erick would change her tune if she came face to face with this cat in the wild?
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Doubt it…. prove it Jack Hanna.
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Obviously you don’t know much about North American wildlife. Mountain Lions are solitarie animals, only coming together to mate or females with their off spring for up to two years. Male mountain lions do indeed hunt, they are not like Africian Lions. Charges should be filed as this animal was doing nothing wrong but seeking some place to hide from the man. They had no reason to shoot it. This male was probably chased out of his local area by a doiminant male, or took off and has been wandering in search of a mate.
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A quick google search of the MN DNR proves A Marie Erick correct.
COUGARS ARE PROTECTED in the state of Minnesota and no one is supposed to kill them except public safety officials if they deem the cat a threat.
This should of been reported to the DNR Wildlife Office or the Conservation Office.
THERE IS NO evidence that Minnesota has a self-sustaining breeding population.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN a reported incident of cougars attacking humans in Minnesota AND NO PREDATION of livestock has been conclusively confirmed by DNR staff.
Get your FACTS from the source.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/cougar/index.html
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I should make one small correction here.
I said it should of been reported to the DNR Wildlife Office or the Conservation Office.
THE SIGHTING of the cougar should been reported to the DNR or the Conservation Office.
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Likely the one sighted near Lakefield this summer. I believe at that time said could be shot if endangering livestock or humans. Being this was a farm, think livestock would fit.
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A Marie Erick. My feelings remain the same. Do we need to wait for this animal to start killing livestock; which it will, or even worse the family pet or the small child riding his bike down a gravel road. Yes, I know that there have been very few incidents of attacks on humans, but livestock are easy prey for these predators, and there is an abundance of evidence that shows they will take livestock. Livestock farming is hard enough without having to raise one for me one for the lions! Don’t get me wrong, I think this animal is awesome. But just like nuclear waste “Not in My Back Yard”. We have vast areas of land in this country that are well suited and sparsely populated that make an ideal home for these predators. This is not one of them.
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Nope not a single attack on livestock reported anywhere in the state of Minnesota. Nope not a single attack on humans in Minnesota. So perhaps your argument should be raise 10,000 for me and maybe 1 for all predatory animals.
As far as it goes, more livestock are killed by weather then by other animals, so do you bundle all your livestock up in barns, or do you leave them in the pasture and pray they make it thru the 4 day blizzard?
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A Marie Erick, maybe you need to understand livestock operations a little better. At a retail store do they just let people take items off the shelf and steal them or do they take actions to prevent this? I hope you know the answer! Is it not my responsibility to protect my livestock just as the retailer protects their property from theft? I have never lost an animal to predators but have heard numerous accounts of farmers loosing livestock to what was believed to be Coyotes. This lion was shot only a few miles from a farm that I personally know to have lost animals to predators. (Coyote, Mountain Lion, stray pack of dogs) Who knows? Did this farmer call the DNR to report his dead sheep? No. As I’m sure most farmers do not, unless it happening frequently. Do you think that this lion is just going to sit and wait for the DNR to show up and shoot it? If they had called the DNR and the cat just sat and waited for him, what do you think the DNR officer would have done? I can’t answer for them but I’m willing to bet he/she would have shot it as well. With wild animals you may only get one chance to protect your investment. If you have 20 sheep and 1 gets killed that’s a 5% lose. Would you not take measures to prevent your paycheck from being reduced by 5%, or even 1%? A million retailers across the country would beg to differ with you if you answered anything but yes.
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do you shoot and kill shoplifters? Or people that might look like they will shop lift? Are you a rancher?
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Bjack, did you read the same article that I did? Where was it said that there were children in danger? Had it been said that “he and his child exited the truck and the cougar attacked” then that IS emanate danger and the killing of the animal would have been justified (still illegal but understandable). Instead he saw the cat in his head lights, watched it hide(animals hide when they are afraid), *as per the article* “Ihlen had his vehicle lights trained on the spot where the cougar had entered the culvert. He called a neighbor and the two of them chased the big cat out of hiding.
“Then Daniel (Hamman) shot him,” Ihlen said.
He had time to call a neighbor, chase the animal out of it’s hiding spot and have his brother in law shoot it, but didn’t have time to call the proper authorities? Why? Is it because it makes a much better story to tell their friends? These men did NOT fear for their lives or the lives of their kids, but that animal feared for it’s life and for good reason!
bpars. Cougars do not form groups, the females do not do the hunting for the males, they are solitary animals who only come together to mate and then the male is off again, while the female dens and awaits the birth of it’s kits. You can find this and more information about these animals at The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife here http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/cougars.html. I can understand your confusion since cougars are also called mountain LIONS, you are obviously thinking of African Lions.
Naughtydog , thank you it’s amazing just what you can learn with a little checking.
Shannon, you said “I believe at that time said could be shot if endangering livestock or humans”, it was hiding in a culvert, where was the danger to humans or livestock? Had they left it alone as they SHOULD HAVE it would have been miles away before the night was over.
I stand by my statement, they deserve to be charged for the killing of a protected species!
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Way to go hill billy’s. Shoot a rare animal to the area with your $1000 gun must have been a rough hunt, did you you tag it? Is it considered a small game kill? Or a man covered in denim with a gun, missing a tooth, and has a 10 foot CB antenna on his 1985 Chevy kill? Congratulations, your getting reported to the DNR and anyone else that will listen. Your probably in therapy now. PS I think SHOPKO has a all day special on denim and carhart….. GET ER DUN IDIOTS!
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I guess that the way I look at it is it would probably have gone after the livestock. I do agree that the DNR should probably have been called though for advice first.
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You said that you thought this might be the same cougar seen this summer, have there been reports of livestock being lost to a cougar? I do not understand killing something based on “it might have”, my neighbors pit bull “might” attack someone should I go kill it now just in case? The guy getting out of prison tomorrow “might” commit another crime, do we lock him up forever just in case?
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Along with this though is the fact that ranchers are allowed to kills wolves in the rockies on their land and wolves are considered endangered.
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This is off topic and has nothing to do with cougars but I did a little checking with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture http://www.mda.state.mn.us/grants/disaster/wolf.aspx and of special interest to this topic in regards to MN pay attention to this line:
CAUTION : Wolves are protected under federal law. It is illegal to harm or kill a wolf, except in defense of human life. Any attempt to frighten away wolves returning to kill other animals or to feed on dead livestock must be done without harming the wolf.
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So basically, Marie, it would need it to either kill a person or livestock, before you agree something needed to be done? sorry i wouldn’t be willing to wait and find out. Do you realize that there HAS been many reports for the last few years ranging from Worthington area clear down to Spencer? As a matter of fact one was just spotted on a trail cam 2 weeks ago by Spencer. There are more around than the DNR is willing to admit. There HAS been many reports of dissapearing livestock. check.
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OK all you tree huggers and animal rights activitsts.. This is ridiculous.. This is not someone’s pet runaway pit bull and its likely not some Zoo-escaping cat. It is a large carnivorous wild cat large enough to kill any human being.
Those of you who are against what these people did in killing it what would you do if you encountered one in the wild and it was hungry? What if your child was Cougar lunch? HUH??? Those of you who make the argument of what if this and what if that need to get a grip. A neighbor’s pit bull is not roaming around the wilderness looking for food -its a pet, its tame, and it is likely well-fed by its owners. We have a police department and a system in place for murderers who are released from prison. Plain and simple this Cat is a danger to human beings and to the interests of humans (livestock) Over the past few years there have been more and more sightings of these cougars and if someone flushed one out of my grove where my family lives I would thank them sincerely..
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bpars, you asked “So basically, Marie, it would need it to either kill a person or livestock, before you agree something needed to be done? ” ***** YES that is exactly what I am saying, this cat was a PROTECTED species, that means it’s ILLEGAL to shoot it period, and since it is illegal that means shooting it is punishable by the laws of MN, don’t like it, go to St. Paul and get it changed but don’t try to make it sound like you’re being rational about this. Your post is designed to do nothing but provoke a knee-jerk reaction to a hypothetical situation.
You then said “There are more around than the DNR is willing to admit. There HAS been many reports of dissapearing livestock. check.” **** and how many of those have been proven as cougar attacks? The tri-state area has a large coyote population as well as farmers who don’t tie up their dogs who then pack and kill livestock. Don’t blame the DNR for hiding facts to justify you’re conspiracy theories
Derek, you say “Those of you who are against what these people did in killing it what would you do if you encountered one in the wild and it was hungry? What if your child was Cougar lunch? HUH???” and then state “THOSE OF YOU WHO MAKE THE ARGUMENT OF WHAT IF THIS OR WHAT IF THAT NEED TO GET A GRIP” ****I couldn’t agree more, so show me where a cougar attacked A child, ANY child, yours, mine, ANYONE’S?
You ended your post with this “Over the past few years there have been more and more sightings of these cougars and if someone flushed one out of my grove where my family lives I would thank them sincerely..” *** and if you let Joe Blow come in and kill it, I would be calling for your arrest too, again ILLEGAL.
I’m not sure why the fact that this was a protected animal in the state of Minnesota is such a hard concept to grasp. What they did was illegal plan and simple, there was no emanate danger, no child being mauled or proof that any child in MN has ever been mauled by a cougar therefore once again, they deserve to be arrested and tried for their crime, just as anyone who commits any act that is against the law should be.
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Living in southern California mountain lions are never that far away. The population density of San Diego County is obviously greater then Worthington yet sightings are extremely rare and actual encounter virtually non-existent. 20 years since last encounter I heard and yes I spend time in the back county. We have had more people killed by sharks here than lions. Mountain lion hunt deer but make it a priority to stay away from people and with good reason as this male did.
The shooters were not great hunters or selfless heroes. Just chasing a scared animal and killing it for the thrill. Beyond sad, anger is more my emotion.
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Well, gee, Larry.
We just don’t have all that many sharks in Minnesota, so I guess it’d be kind of hard to make the comparison here.
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These yahoos most definitely need to be charged with shooting this cougar. It is PROTECTED!!! PERIOD!!! There is a reason animals are put on the protected list. And NO, it’s NOT gonna eat your babies. A study on cougar attacks from 1890 to 1990 revealed a whopping 53 attacks. WOW, this cat WAS dangerous, LOL. Cougars are very solitary animals and avoid human contact. There was absolutely no reason for those clowns to shoot it. They did no one any public service. I’ve heard a full grown bld eagle can pick up a child too, time for these cowboys to load up and protect our children huh?????
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“There HAS been many reports of dissapearing livestock. check.”—– Bpars, I checked and NOPE no reports of missing or mauled cattle. Where do you get your information? Making things up doesn’t constitute a fact.
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“Along with this though is the fact that ranchers are allowed to kills wolves in the rockies on their land and wolves are considered endangered.”—— PARTIALLY true. Ranchers may apply for a “Caught in The Act” permit if a wolf is actively harrassing or killing livestock. They CANNOT kill wolves willy-nilly as you seem to be suggesting. Have a bro-in-law who IS a rancher in the Rockies and he says it’s NOT worth the hassle and twenty questions if you DO get a permit and kill one. SOME even get compensated for lost livestock from wolf depredation. He’s ranched there for over twenty years, only lost 10 sheep and two head of cattle in that time… (none to a cougar)
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So it’s okay for the cops in Ohio to shoot over 50 dangerous tigers, lions, and bears when they were released by their owner but not okay for a person to shoot this cat that had been ripping up their horses? I understand that so far none of the horses had been killed luckily. I would have done the same thing if my horses or other livestock were being attacked by a predator. Children are especially vulnerable to cougars and I for one wouldn’t take chances if there was a cougar hanging around where my children are. Southwest Minnesota is not a natural area for cougars to live and we are better off without them here.
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Could you please show us were it was said that the cat was ripping up horses?? You must have pulled it out of thin air because it was never mentioned in the article, or are you friends with these men and are trying to do damage control for them?
I’m sure by now they have been getting all kinds of advice to say this or say that so you don’t get into trouble for killing a protected animal.
(following paragraph used to illustrate a point only)
***I can make inferences by reading between the imaginary lines and say that the reason they put it in the cooler is to preserve it so they could take their trophy kill to a taxidermist.***
That doesn’t make it a fact. That only makes it something I can say to whip everyone up into a false frenzy.
Not a single one of you who have said “I’d have done it too” have one iota of fact to back you up, you use emotion to try to win your argument and make yourself feel better about the killing of an innocent and protected animal. So lets list facts:
Fact, Cougars are protected
Fact, It is illegal in MN to kill a protected animal.
Fact, illegal means a crime has been committed.
Fact, killing this protected animal makes these 3 men criminals.
Fact, criminals get arrested and hopefully go to jail, or pay one hell of a fine.
So now, lets hear your facts.
Oh and as far as the killing of the 50 animals in Ohio, I kept up with all of that, those animals were not killed by joe blow and every wanna be trophy hunter, they were destroyed by public safety officers and professional game wardens.
As has been stated over and over again, and posted and reposted from the Minnesota DNR website, COUGARS ARE PROTECTED in the state of Minnesota and no one is supposed to kill them except public safety officials if they deem the cat a threat.
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I must make a correction, I now know were the comment you made about horses came from, however, it did NOT state that the animal was (in your words) ” ripping up their horses” again words used to evoke an emotional response to justify an illegal act.
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I know it wasn’t in the paper. I don’t know the people but I know people who know the people whose horses were being attacked and injured. I’ve been hearing a little more about it than what is in the paper. I agree that if the cat wasn’t presenting a danger right at that time it would have been best to call the authorities. In the past the authorities have never just let a cougar remain on the loose in this area. As the paper said they always dart them and relocate them. Cougars just don’t fit well into a populated area like this with a lot of livestock and little natural habitat for things such as big cats or bears. Penned up livestock is much easier for a cougar to take than deer or other wildlife. If this cat was attacking livestock or actually threatening people right at that moment I would have shot it too then buried it and not said a word. No one would have been any the wiser. Children are especially tempting targets for cougars because of their small size and because they are often running or doing other activities that trigger an attack response in cougars. In most of the accounts of cougar attacks on humans that I’ve heard about the people weren’t even aware the cat was there until it was attacking them. Not worth the risk in an area like this that is not good big cat habitat.
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Billy, I am pleased to read that you have come at this from the other direction and with an open mind, my point has always been and will remain that, there was no imminent (i have been spelling this wrong) threat to any person or animals when they decided to trap it in a culvert then flush it out to shoot it.
While in this situation it does not in any way apply, I to would kill anything or anyone who was attacking my family, however I my first thought upon seeing any wild animal is not now nor has it ever been “grab a gun and kill it while it runs away”.
The fact that this cougar hid and then tried to run away means it was still very much afraid of humans.
I do have to take exception to your you know someone who knows someone statement, in court that is hearsay and never considered as fact, and I did a google search, nope not a single cougar attack on horses in Minnesota.
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The following link from the Minnesota DNR is informative and answers the frequently asked questions. Cougars are protected by state law. Only public safety officials are authorized to kill a cougar that proves to be an imminent threat to humans. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/cougar/index.html
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Follow the Minnesota DNR and you’ll see the lack of a grasp they have on our state’s wildlife. Admitingly, and I want to stress this here because I do agree just maybe not as emphatically, they should’ve contacted the authorities.. but in instances where a predator of any sort is that close to a farm place they have usually lost their fear of humans and therefore pose a future threat.
As far as not having reports on cougar attacks, many states refuse to admit cougars are around when they clearly are. Illinois rejected this for years until a cougar was shot in Chicago. I know firsthand of two land owners just southwest of the metro area who had clear as day pictures of a cougar on trail cams. Walked the DNR officer to the spot the camera sat to prove that was in fact where the picture was taken. They still refused to confirm it as a cougar sighting. You can’t believe everything the government tells you. Unless you still believe there wasn’t anyone on the grassy knowl…
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Here is an article about the cougar killing from the Thursday’s edition of the Pioneer Press
http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_19448348?source=rss
They went into much greater depth about everything involved.
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Why dont all of you let the DNR decide whats going to happen, whats done is done.
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So your answer to what has, for the most part, been a very civil discussion is to jump in out of nowhere and tell everyone to sit down and shut up?
I have been truly been impressed by 95% of the posters, we have managed to remain civil and avoid name calling and personal attacks on each other even when we are on opposite sides of the discussion.
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Well, I don’t know if it will make much difference, but I’ll say what I know about these cats.
Back in ’65, my uncle who farmed in Todd county, had something getting his cows all wound up at night. He saw whatever it was, in halflight at a distance, and said that at first he thought it was a wolf, but it had a long, narrow tail. We saw it that fall, early in the morning, on deer opener.
Years later, his dog had was going nuts over something it had cornered under a two wheel trailer on the north side of the house, and the uncle went out with a shotgun, while the aunt was watching out the bathroom window. The uncle didn’t see, but she said that a ‘big tan cat’ ran out and went into the grove. This would have been about 1985.
This fall, my cousin, who now owns the place, found a set of tracks consistent with a large feline.
I know the DNR says there are no cougars native to MN, but it wasn’t all that long ago that they said there were no porcupines in MN.
Anyone from north of Douglas county ever seen a roadkill porcupine?
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