Mountain lion killed in traffic crash

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- For the second time in 10 months, a Missouri motorist has struck a mountain lion on a major highway -- growing proof that wild cougars may be making a comeback in Missouri, state officials said Tuesday.

The 105-pound adult male mountain lion was hit late Monday on a four-lane stretch of U.S. 54 near Fulton by an unidentified motorist who left the scene but later called the Callaway County sheriff's office saying she thought she had hit a dog that might still be alive.

Law officers arrived to find a dead cougar on the southbound shoulder of the highway. Last October, another male mountain lion was struck on Interstate 35 in north Kansas City.

Mountain lions, once indigenous to Missouri, were killed off by settlers in the 1800s and early 1900s. From 1927 to 1994, there were no confirmed mountain lion sightings in the state.

But in the past nine years, the Missouri Department of Conservation has confirmed eight sightings of at least seven different mountain lions, including the one killed Monday night.

All indications are that the mountain lion killed Monday night had been living in the wild for some time, although it's unclear if it migrated to Missouri or was released or escaped from captivity. There are 41 people licensed to own mountain lions in the state.

Dave Hamilton, a biologist with the Conservation Department, believes the wild mountain lions may be migrating from South Dakota, Colorado or Texas.

A western origination seems most likely, because mountain lion populations are strong there and young males have been known to travel hundreds of miles -- often along waterways such as the Missouri River -- to stake out their own territory, Hamilton said.

"We can say we have mountain lions roaming in Missouri without a doubt," he said. "Right now, we don't believe we have a breeding population in the state of Missouri. There's no evidence that's happening ... But I suspect it will."

Conservation officials seemed excited about the latest proof of a re-emerging mountain lion population -- proudly displaying the iced-down carcass on the bed of a pickup truck at Conservation Department headquarters. They also pointed out oddities such as the absence of several claws on the animal's left front paw. Officials had no explanation for that but noted the animal appeared to be muscular and surviving despite the disability.

The 2-to-3-year-old cougar was about 4-feet long and 2 1/2 feet tall and likely died of a broken neck and internal injuries when it was struck by the vehicle, Conservation Department officials said.

Conservation agents said there were several indications the animal had lived in the wild for some time. It had no calluses on its elbows, its paws were not hardened and its claws were not dulled -- all things that occur when animals pace on concrete or hard surfaces in captivity. Also, there was no plaque build up on its teeth, which occurs when cougars eat soft food in captivity instead of chomping on the bones of wild catches.

Deer are a common food for wild mountain lions, although some also have been known to eat livestock or pets such as dogs.

Conservation officials said the likelihood of a mountain lion attacking a person is small.

"Many more people are killed each year by dog attacks, struck by lightening or even by bee stings than by mountain lion attacks," said Jim Braithwait, a wildlife damage biologist for the Conservation Department.

Although cougars are considered endangered in Missouri, it is legal to kill them if they are attacking people, livestock or pets, so long as it is reported quickly to the Conservation Department.

Tests conducted on the mountain lion killed last year in Kansas City showed that it was a North American type -- significant because many captive cougars are of South American origin. Tests also found hair in the animal's digestive track, showing it had fed on deer and raccoon.

Similar tests will be conducted on the mountain lion killed near Fulton.

Conservation Department spokesman Jim Low said it wasn't too odd for the motorist to mistake the cougar for a dog.

"What's ironic is we get an awful lot of calls from people who honestly think they've seen a mountain lion and it turns out to be a dog, and here's a woman who thinks she hit a dog, and it turns out to be a mountain lion," Low said.

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On the Net:

Conservation Department: http://www.mdc.state.mo.us