First confirmed female mountain lion in Missouri since 1994

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- State conservation officials reported the first confirmed presence of a female mountain lion in the state since 1994.

Tests on saliva found on a partially eaten elk in Shannon County in February 2016 confirmed the female cat was in the area, the Missouri Conservation Department said in a news release Friday.

The elk had brain worms, and evidence suggests the mountain lion killed it, said Laura Conlee, furbearer biologist with the conservation department.

DNA from the saliva indicated the cat originated from Wyoming, South Dakota or northwest Nebraska, which is significant because female lions, unlike males, typically don't travel long distances, Conlee said.

All previous confirmed mountain lions in Missouri have been males.

No evidence exists to indicate the female stayed in Shannon County or the state has a breeding population of lions, Conlee said.

The last confirmed female mountain lion came when a cat was shot in 1994.

Since then, the department has recorded 68 confirmed mountain lion sightings in the state, with more confirmations in recent years.

The department established a specially-trained team in 1996 to investigate reports of mountain lions in the state.

Several factors likely contributed to the increased sightings in recent years, including an expanding mountain-lion population in western states, better technology for finding the animals and more efficient means of reporting and investigating sightings, the conservation department said.

No mountain lion attacks on humans have been recorded in Missouri, and the risk remains small, the department said.