News of the Week
For Immediate Release: WEEK OF NOVEMBER 3, 2011
Mountain lion killed by vehicle near Minco provides research opportunity for Wildlife Department
A mountain lion was found dead Nov. 1 along HWY 81
north of Minco after having been hit by a vehicle, according to
Erik Bartholomew, furbearer biologist for the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The young, 130-lb. male mountain lion will provide
an important research opportunity for the Department since the
animals are rare and elusive and because biologists have had few
opportunities to study them up close in Oklahoma. Bartholomew
and a team of Wildlife Department biologists have already
collected data on the cat to determine its age and condition,
and the animal itself will be used for educational purposes by
the Department.
“We took general measurements of the body of the
animal,” Bartholomew said, which included the cat’s weight and
measurements of its body, head, tail and paws. Additionally, a
tissue sample was collected for DNA analysis to try and
determine the origin of the lion, and a tooth was also pulled so
that it could be sectioned and stained to more precisely
determine the age of the animal.”
“His fur did have some faint spotting, and based on
that, he would be a sub-adult between 12-20 months old,”
Bartholomew said.
Bartholomew said the mountain lion might have been
following the South Canadian River corridor in search of new
territory, as young males are sometimes pushed out of the
territories of older, dominant males.
“These young males tend to have very large home
ranges and can have movements of over 200 square miles. They go
out, they look for new territory, and this one unfortunately ran
into a car.”
River corridors are major travel passageways for all
types of wildlife. Bartholomew said since humans build cities
and towns along rivers, close encounters with wildlife will
occur, but a mountain lions basic instinct is to avoid people.
Bartholomew said the Wildlife Department receives
scattered reports of mountain lions “all the time,” but only
three have been confirmed this year, including one in the Tulsa
area and another whose photograph was captured by a trail camera
near Sand Springs.
Also called “panthers,” “cougars” and “pumas,”
mountain lions are native to Oklahoma, and Bartholomew said it
is a common misconception that the Wildlife Department denies
their existence in the state. Another common but false rumor is
that the Wildlife Department has released mountain lions in
Oklahoma.
“There is no doubt from the Wildlife Department’s
standpoint that mountain lions occur in Oklahoma, but the
Wildlife Department has never released them here,” Bartholomew
said. “Additionally, we have never confirmed reproduction of
mountain lions within the state. Without reproduction, we do not
have a population. What we have are transient animals moving
through the state looking for new territory.
Many wildlife species and domestic animals can be
and often are mistaken for mountain lions, so getting confirmed,
verifiable sightings can be challenging.
“As scientists, we can only rely on those sightings
that are verifiable and confirmed, and fortunately we have had
the evidence in recent years to confirm several sightings,”
Bartholomew said.
Still, Bartholomew said the cats are rare in the
state and that few people will ever have the opportunity to see
one in the wild.
“Mountain lions are very secretive,” he said. “Even
in states like New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado where there’s
lots of mountain lions, very rarely are they seen. In fact most
of the ones that are seen are the ones that are hit on the
road.”
One of the state’s most elusive species, mountain
lions were originally found throughout Oklahoma and were thought
to have been eradicated in the state during the 19th century.
There have been few documented cases since the late 1900s, but
in the last decade, the Department has documented several
confirmations. In addition to those this year, an adult male was
killed illegally in Cimarron County in February of 2010. In
April of 2010, a young radio-collared male from Colorado
traveled through Texas County in the Panhandle and is now living
in New Mexico. In the fall of 2009, trail cameras from Tillman
and Atoka counties recorded mountain lions. In 2006, a mountain
lion in Cimarron County was killing a landowner’s goats and was
shot, and in 2004, a young radio-collared male from the Black
Hills of South Dakota was hit by a train near the town of Red
Rock.
Several characteristics distinguish mountain lions
from other wildlife and domestic animals. Its tail is more than
half the length of its body, and it has black tips on the tail
and ears. Their coat is primarily tan in color. Males average
seven feet long and weigh about 140 pounds, while females
average six feet in length and weigh about 95 pounds.
There is not a mountain lion hunting season in
Oklahoma. However, the law allows mountain lions to be taken by
licensed hunters, but only when a mountain lion is committing or
about to commit depredation on any domesticated animal or when
deemed an immediate safety hazard. Individuals who kill a
mountain lion must immediately call a game warden or other
Wildlife Department employee.
Officials with the Wildlife Department rely on the
public to report verifiable sightings, photos and reports of
mountain lions to help document the species in Oklahoma.
“The only way we get information is when people
report it,” Bartholomew said. “If people send us trail camera
photos and we can confirm the location, that’s great information
for us. Likewise this one was hit on the road, and somebody
turned it into us. That’s the only way we can get data on these
animals because they’re so secretive. There’s so few in this
state that we rely on the public in order to gather information
on them.”
To submit photographs and report sightings of
mountain lions in Oklahoma, call Bartholomew at (405) 385-1791.
High
res:
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/newsrelease/110311/mlion2_large.jpg
Low res:
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/newsrelease/110311/mlion2_small.jpg
Caption:
Erik Bartholomew, furbearer biologist for the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation, and Mike O’Meilia, program
supervisor for the Wildlife Department, take conduct research on
a mountain lion that was killed by vehicle Nov. 1 near Minco.
Credit: wildlifedepartment.com
High res:
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/newsrelease/110311/mlion_large.jpg
Low res:
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/newsrelease/110311/mlion_small.jpg
Caption: Erik Bartholomew, furbearer biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, takes measurements while conducting research on a mountain lion that was killed by vehicle Nov. 1 near Minco.
-30-