ONTONAGON COUNTY, Mich. – Nine months after two cougar kittens were documented in the Upper Peninsula, a new trail camera photo confirms the elusive animals are still alive and living with their mother.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources verified the Dec. 6 photo, marking the first confirmed sighting of cougar reproduction in Michigan in over 100 years.
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The last sighting of the kittens was in early March when they were about two months old.
Their mother was not seen, raising concerns about their survival.
Brian Roell, the DNR’s large carnivore specialist, said the new photo shows the kittens are about a year old and likely to survive, as cougars invest heavily in raising their young.
Cougar kittens typically stay with their mother for about two years before venturing out on their own.
Despite operating more than 1,300 trail cameras in the Upper Peninsula, the DNR had not documented the kittens for nine months, leaving their whereabouts a mystery.
Cougars were hunted out of Michigan by the early 1900s, but since 2008, the DNR has confirmed about 168 sightings in the Upper Peninsula, mostly of adult males.
Sightings have increased since 2019, partly due to more trail cameras, with cougar photos accounting for over 25% of verified sightings in 2024.
Cougars require vast territories and remain rare, even in states with larger populations.
They are listed as endangered mammals in Michigan, making it illegal to hunt or harass them.
The DNR urges the public to respect cougar habitats to avoid disturbing the animals, especially mothers with cubs.
If you believe you spotted a cougar in Michigan you can use this online form to report the sighting to the DNR.
The form will ask for some of your personal information, the location you spotted the cougar, the habitat type, the day you saw the cougar, and any other details about the sighting. You are able to upload photos if you have any.