As we move our way through another new year, the elusive cougar crawls its way through the province of Ontario, and the number of sightings continues to rise.
With few resources at our disposal and a wildlife agency whom all but refuses to admit the existence of big cats in this province, what are we to do with all this cougar data?
A quick glance at the Ontario Puma Foundation’s map entitled; Puma Sightings in Ontario, paints a clear picture that cougars/pumas have, at time, been spotted in almost every corner of the province!
To give you an idea of the magnitude, here are the cougar sighting reports I have personally received in the last 4 weeks alone:
I was driving back to Ottawa from the cottage on Hwy 12 near Perth after the first winter storm of 2015 & big snowfall, a large all black cat that was thick and muscular darted across the road. Never seen anything like it in 40 years.
A few weeks back in the middle of December along the Thames River just East of London we were almost at my daughters house that backs along the banks of the Thames River .. This large animal came up from the river , went across the road into a field . I have never seen anything like it before and I’ve lived here for many years. It reminded me of our large yellow lab but a whole lot bigger and ran lean and long ..I said to my daughter, that’s a Cougar! Then I come to find out that just west of us along the river area of the golf course there were some officers checking out a shredded deer carcass and paw prints . There was someone else or others that seen the same cougar and the police were checking it out. I’ve searched for anything online that I can find but nothing pops up about the recent London sighting ? I called the MNR but never received a call back .. There are plenty of deer in our area that could support a cougar but I also hear they do not stay put for long?
A friend of mine got 3 pictures on his trail cam of a cougar, I will get those pictures and post them, the cougar was near his backyard, he lives just outside Brentwood which is located just NW of Angus and close to the Minnising swamp. The pics are quite clear, in color and in the daytime.
Spotted what I am sure was a cougar in Mallorytown Ontario this past June 2014. I couldn’t believe it. It was probably a bit smaller than my 100pound dog, was dark coloured, and had a long tail, and was creeping away from our back compost pile at dawn. We have a lot of coyotes here, so I first thought it was a coyote. But the tail/face/ears/movement were not coyote. Tried to get back inside to grab the camera, but the cat had moved back into the wooded area that borders our property. No sign since.
Bought a camp on L. Superior on Whitefish Bay about 4 yrs ago. Came from the interior of B.C. (near Kamloops) and have lived in Alta and B.C. most of my life. Had 2 camps in the wilderness of B.C. where I hunted and fished – seeing cougars on occasion so I know what they are vs Lynx etc. 2 yrs ago a cougar ripped across the front of our L. Superior camp running close to the water. Love the way these guys use that long tail to balance themselves on the run.
Two sightings in the Glanbrook area of southern Ontario. The most recent was this week which has me researching but I will start with the first in early spring 1987. We bought the house 2 months earlier. Having breakfast one morning, I saw a very large black cat straight back behind our property which opens to a field and woods to the immediate right. My husband and I watched it trying to figure out what it was -tall, black with a long drooping tail near to the ground and tipping upwards. Nothing like a dog. It moved like a cat and was much larger than a dog. We were sure it was a wild black cat of some sort and called a local private zoo to see if they lost a cat – puma, jaguar or whatever. They said no but asked where we live (?) A few hours later we went out to the woods and as the ground was soft from recent melting we looked for tracks and found them. I took photographs and placed my hand in the paw print bending my fingers inwards at the middle knuckles was the size of the print. There were no claw marks as there would be if it was a black coyote and way too big. We then thought it wise to get out of there as it could be in the trees. A few weeks later we met our neighbours for the first time who told us about an odd sighting of a row of about 10 people, dressed in white going across the field looking downwards. The very next day after we saw the cat!
Some 20 years later i was talking to colleagues about it when one of them said hey…when was that? I answered that it was years ago….she said she lived with her parents about 2km from us in Haldimand and in the spring of 1987 they saw a large black cat! We assume it escaped from somewhere.
Fast forward to this week. My son is down for the holidays and just before noon on Dec 23 he saw a very large beige cat come down the side of our property along the treeline, hugging the ground. We had a large blonde lab and he estimated it about that size but hard to tell as it slunk so low. He said it was beige, black around the ears, not a house cat type of face, long tail that had blackish rings starting about half way up. It came all the way up…disappeared at the back of the pool and he doesn’t know where it went. He said it was muscular, very short hair. Unfortunately he didn’t get a picture. So looking online I thought for sure it must be a bobcat. He says no way – doesn’t match at all – not the face and the tail was way longer and thinner..not furry. I found that young cougars have stripped black tails. I convinced myself last night it was a bobcat until my son got up today and said no way…not what he saw…no matter how many images i showed him of ages and species that could be in our area. No idea what he saw but I would love to know! (btw..our lab was 80-90 pounds in terms of my son’s estimation of size) (My son has perfect eye sight at 22 yrs old lol and the cat was seen from 200 feet walking towards him/the house – so he got a good look)
You would think with all the trail cameras out there that someone would have got a picture.
Hunting mom, one of those people who reported a sighting actually claims to have trailcam images, which I’m really hoping to see!
Unlike Bigfoot, there is more than enough evidence to show that cougars do exist in Ontario.
Outdoorsguy
Cougar is back near Mcleod Road and Stanley….Niagara Falls. Two years ago i saw it, and last week it i heard it growl.
niagara falls stanley mcleod cougar is now two cougars..(big and small). two crossed stanley at 5:30 this morning….
Hello Paul and sorry for the delay, your message ended up in spam folder. Try to get a pic of these two big cats! Thanks for sharing.
I have a very close call almost hitting a cougar back in February 2010 outside of Ottawa. It ran out in front of me as I was driving from my moms in Constance bay back to Kanata around 6pm and I slammed my brakes and its tail brushed my front right light. I knew immediately it was not a coyote or wolf as it was so muscular and its tail was just like a cats when running fast. I contacted the authorities as the sighting was close to enough to a school, and no one really took me serious. The next day my mom went to the exact spot this happened, climbed the fence to the farmers field and got pictures of the cougars foot prints in the snow, which confirmed 100% it was a cougar.
Is there any way someone could send me some pics of the cougar tracks or trail cam pics ? If you can I’ll get my email to you
Cheers
Matt, I have been sent pics etc by diff people over past few months, do you want to see some?
Outdoorsguy
What is the chance of seeing a cougar twice in the same area ?
My son was driving just east of London last night and had to slow down to let an animal cross the rd. ((So did a second car in the opposite direction)) about 1/2km ft from where I seen a cougar cross Middle of December. .. He came running into the house saying ” Mom I believe you know , I seen the cougar for myself” as it crossed the road in front of the car. This is twice for the same Cougar in less then 3 months.
I can show him where we can find cougars if intersted dream of mine im serious
Matt
You asked about what cougar tracks looked like – same as a house cat but much larger – about the same size a the breadth of your hand and larger for huge cats. Steps between tracks (when walking) about 16″ to 24″ generally. Lynx slightly smaller and shorter, bobcat, a bit less….. but for sightings, the latter two have short tails and different markings and color., with black tipped ears. The hairs on the tip of a lynx’s ears is longer and appears more prominent, and their under belly fur is more snow-white and spotted more than a bobcat. Cat tracks are usually in more of a straight line, with the rear foot stepping into the track of the front foot.
If seeing a large cat crouched in the stalking posture and eyeballing you or a child, be cononcered and prepare for a possible attack. Wave your arms and beller out loud to try to scare or ward it off, If attacked, they will try for the back of the neck…. the common kill-zone. If finding yourself in that position, though you’d likely get severely clawed by the back feet, try to grab it by the mouth with one hand then the other arm around the bac k of its neck, then thrust to snap its neck.
Saw a smaller Puma (black panther) back around ’59 in the Perth Road area.
My close friend was running yesterday morning in Port Severn Ontario, very close to several resorts and a populated area. She saw a Cougar and was badly shaken by the time she got back to the resort which was only a 3 minute run away…no mistake it was a Cougar
Cougar sighting 10:20 a.m. Sept. 2nd on the Bayfield Rd. Approx 2 kms east of Highway 21.
Tks Doug I assume this is in the Goderich area? Have there been any other big cat sightings in this area, that you know of?
Outdoorsguy
I just saw a cougar in Rouge River Valley system in the forest beside the highway going west on the 407 from 9th line to Kennedy Road.Sept. 16th, 2015 at 5:30 PM.
My mother in law thought she saw a cougar this morning in their soya bean fields behind the house in Oxford county between Embro and Stratford. She said it was light brown with a long tail and too big to be cat.
Watford Ontario. . April 27th 2013.. my brother and I while out quading just before Sun down spotted a cougar in the middle of a field about 250 yards away. We could see it clearly. We stopped and stared at it for about thirty seconds. It crouched down and stayed perfectly still. So we decided to chase it. I drove directly at it at full speed. About 55kms/hr. We got about 50 yards from it when it jumped up and bolted. We chased it at full speed but it was gone. This field was about 600 yards long and we didn’t stand a chance it was so fast. We eventually lost it when it made it to the forest. We back tracked and found it’s tracks. It’s strides were about 10 feet apart. .. huge leaps. There are cougars out there. .
I’m a landscape contractor in Douro Dummer just east of Peterborough On. Yesterday which was Dec 2 2015 I went to see a client in Hastings just south of here. Both he and his daughter mentioned that their friend had trail cam footage of a Cougar from near Warkworth. They know that I love nature so I found the story to be pretty cool. Having lived on Vancouver Island for 11 years I find Cougars to be very interesting animals. Van Isle has the largest numbers of Cougars in North America yet few ever see these elusive generally shy animals.
My wife and I saw what we thought was a Black Lab in the ditch of the side of the road on evening on Kerwood Road near #22 (Strathroy/Watford area). When we past it we both looked at each other and said that was no dog. I cannot say for sure but we are both confident it was a black cat about the size of a Lab. After reading this I suspect it was a cougar.
Back in the summer of 2004 while hiking through a large wooded area between fields just off Kerwood Rd to get to our outdoor Cannabis crops just before sunrise, my cousin and our friend Jake and his rottweiler Jasper came across a completely mutilated deer dragged about 11 feet up in the tree and Jasper was acting very strange. At the moment we thought that it had something to do with Aliens or some chupicabra type cryptiod creature ( we were high on weed and super paranoid and scared )… Although we didn’t see a black panther ourselves it seems more plausible that it was a cougar’s meal than an alien cattle mutilation type theory. We never took that route to our crops ever again and went armed every other time we had to go gardening.
On December 11, 2015, at 8:00PM, I was travelling West on the Hwy 17, trans Canada hiway, at approximately 2 miles East of the Manitoba/Ontario border, a cougar ran across the highway about 200 feet in front of my vehicle. It was a huge cat, approx. 8 feet long and had a black tipped tail. I am 67 years old, and this was the first time I have ever seen a cougar in the wild.
I watched an couger walk through a field in Angus just outside Orangevill summer do 2013
I now where cougars are and skulls
Notice cougar tracks a week ago in Combermere Ont,last night as we were walking the dog heard it growling and puring then it jumped the fence and was gone and this is right in our small village
Fresh cougar tracks in Munster hamlet local coyote hunter’s dogs were chasing it through the brush near jock river this morning
February 28 2016 I saw a cougar beside snowmobile trailer near vars ontario at night around 830 pm it was trying to dig in snow then I came within 20 feet from it and when I realized what I saw I turned around and saw it running across field into woods bigger than a coyote
I saw a cougar in my backyard in Vars about 2.5 years ago. My husband doesn’t believe me though lol
I believe you Aimee! I know for a fact there has been more than 1 cougar sighting in your area, in recent years. One was spotted in Cumberland
about that time period as well..two summers ago. What month did you see your cat?
Outdoorsguy
Yup saw a black cat with long tail before entering Perth from Carleton Place. It crossed the road real fast. Ran like a cougar didn’t run like an otter or Fisher which I’ve seen times before. Beginning to think it was a PumaCougar. Mar 2016.
Cougar seen at Shangrila Beach Rd subdivison, between St. Joseph and Bayfield on May 5th 2016, came out of bushes edge of neighbour’s lot, walked along the crest of the cliff and then headed down some stairs towards the beach. It was early in the morning. Neighbour across the lane saw one the week before in the evening. His property butts up against the ravine between Shangrila and LaPorte subdivisions.
Heard cougar mating calls twice this week on my property (Elora area west of Alma close to Waterloo Region) in the evening after dark. Very distinct sound could be heard even with windows closed in house. No mistaken after listening to sound on youtube. Like loud and intense baby screaming. Our house was obviously in path and she went around it. Dogs (German Sheppard and retriever) went out to investigate, but returned very shortly and stayed in garage. Kids saw huge paw print in snow after the last snowfall, but weren’t sure what it was. Now we know.
Wild cougar captured in Grafton Ontario June 10, 2016 http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=397274
After searching the Internet I’m glad to find these posts regarding Couger sightings, I’m a lawn maintenance contractor in Bradford, Ontario. While servicing one of my clients properties last week I spotted at first what looked like a coyote at a glance, but after a closer look and my wife as my witness it turned out to be a larger cat, I’m guessing about between 20 to 30 kilos, it was sitting in the long grass about two feet high and it was in clear view well above the height of grass starring right at us, we were about 60 yards away , as an avid hunter I always have my binoculars on hand in the truck so I took a look and wow, holy #*+^~. It’s a blackish greyish coat with piercing green bluefish eyes fixed on me. I was able to get a few pictures with my iPhone , not the best of pictures but reveals clearly what it was. Black rings on the long tail, the head was huge with rounded ears. Was hanging around a few large willow trees on the none used portion of the property. Was back to the property today and no sightings
Dundas, Ontario: On the evening of July 9 or 10, I was sitting on our backporch when our neighbour’s motion light lit up our yard. Out from behind the end of our garage came an animal, and it just kept coming and coming. It appeared to be beige in colour (in the poor lighting) and at least 7-feet long including its tail. It had a cat-like walk, a very short snout (cat-like) and very small ears. It walked straight across our yard and into the trees at the edge of our property. All I could think of was that it looked like a small lioness! I did not realize at the time that there were cougar sitings in Ontario. Now I know better.
No one believed me but in the summer of 2013 near Waterdown on Concession 8 west around 9pm (Spencer Creek area in Antrim Glen), I saw a large sleek animal, golden color walking like a cat and with a long tail curled up at the end. It moved in complete silence, not like a dog, with head down and in straight line with its back, moving quickly but not running. About the size of a German Sheppard in stature.
I called African Lion Safari to see if possible a cat had gone missing but they told me that they counted the animals every night and that all were accounted for.
Earlier today on the old dirt section of Nottman Road, off of Sand Dam Road, 20 kms north of North Bay, Ontario.
Saw something strange on the way home from Calabogie last night. It was about 7:15 p.m., just dusk, when we turned onto Hwy 12/County Rd 12 off of Hwy 511 in Lanark County.. Atop a rock cut was the hugest, jet black (wild) cat we have ever seen! We guessed it to be about the size of a lioness. It was sitting vigilantly (as a cat does) watching us pass by, head moving ever so slightly tracking our movement. I spotted it first and Dave saw it in the side mirror. It would have been hard to stop and back up with the trailer and we were well past it by the time we’d confirmed with each other what we’d seen. We googled wildcat sightings in the area and did find a few affirmative, but more skeptical, remarks. We’re still in a little disbelief but we did both see it…honestly!!
At our cottage 10 miles north of Honey Harbour on Georgian Bay and sitting in front of a large, remote conservation area my wife and I spotted what I am starting to believe was a Cougar. We were out for a ride in the back on our Mule (side-by-side 4 wheel drive) at 8 a.m. on September 15, 2016 and turned the corner to get a good profile of an animal. It was black and cat like with a long tail but too big to be a domestic cat. It was not intimated by us giving us a good look as we stopped about 80 feet away. It wandered across our path into the bush and then came back and slunk away through the forest on the opposite side. My guess is that it weighed about 40 pounds and appeared fairly lean. I am thinking that this was a juvenile cougar but am unsure, primarily because of the dark colour.
What do you think? I have set up a wildlife cam in the hope it visits again.
WOW – great article – very interesting.
Thanks for sharing.
My husband and I saw a large all black cat in Barriefield (Kingston) spring of 2012. We’d been walking through Barriefield garden on a quiet Sunday morning when we spotted the big cat slowly walking across a parking lot. It was the size of a large dog and had a long tail and distinct shoulder movement of a cat as it walked. It’s large size was confirmed as it walked beside a car and we saw how it’s back was almost as high as the car’s wheel well!
This is fascinating, I was trying to find out if rumours of cougars in the province were true and this is great info. I do have a suggestion for sharing the photos in a place where everyone can see them, and it will provide a useful catalogues of sightings that is available to individuals and scientists (if they look). http://www.inaturalist.ca is designed to log georeferenced sightings of any animal/insect/fish etc., and I’d be happy to start an Ontario cougar project if people add sightings. The site is open to anyone and was launched by the ROM and the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
I found cougar tracks on my neighbor’s lawn on dec.28 , 2016 at the north end in st.thomas. It was chasing a deer. As it stopped and caught sight of the deer on the next lawn, it proceeded after it leaving all four paw marks slipping and the claw marks over 1 inch deep.i did not follow the tracks to see if it caught the deer. One week later one of the three deer I had been feeding was missing !
Cougar sighted in Decewsville Ontario walking down Decewsville road at 5.30 in the morning, November 9 2016, big yellow, tan cat long tail heading north
I am a predation investigator for our municipality and a trapper. Our training manuals printed in western Canada say cougars can be very hard on livestock.. Yet we do not see their kills. They do not like carrion like coyotes do and must kill frequently for their supply of fresh meat. They do not come in black .They do not put their prey in trees they cover it with leaves and grass on the ground. In the winter their tail touches the snow leaving a tail bob mark and they travel all winter, should be lots of confirmed tracks. In 20 years of sightings we should have more real evidence.
Hello Rosmiko, welcome back!
I’m sure you read about the cougar photographed recently in Grenville, QC? This is 1 hour from my house in Ottawa, the cougar was photographed on the farm of a fellow I went to High school with: Its a trail camera image showing the back what of is clearly a cougar.
I know of another cougar photographed not far from here in Fort Coulonge, QC.
Would you agree:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/photograph-taken-near-gatineau-could-be-of-a-cougar-1.3858150
Outdoorsguy
They’ve killed the closest things to my heart. People need too open their eye. I’m sooooooo sick of the MNR and their lies and BS. They’ve releasedthese horrific beasts so they’re not paying out huge claims. They could care dare less about our beloved pets😡traumatized for LIFE😡😡there’s
Hi Connie,
Thank you for your comment..
I understand the emotional side of this topic, and I am aware of the urban legend surrounding the release of cougars in this province, though I personally do not believe it.
The MNRF can certainly be accused, over the years, of ‘dismissing’ cougar sighting reports as fake, but I cannot see how large cats were intentionally released as a ‘tool of wildlife management’ as some sort of biological predator control measure. As someone with a background in Fish & Wildlife biology, that theory doesn’t make any sense.
There is ample evidence to show that cougars are present in this province and more than just a few, but I don’t think any feel any of these cats were released on purpose. Captive cougars have escaped their enclosures but it would nonsense to release them in order to keep wildlife numbers under control.
We already have tons of coyotes for that..
Thanks,
Outdoors Guy
Yes Jeff I will agree that looks like a cougar. Now the question is it wild or escaped/released. Four cougars in Ontario were known to be escaped. The Utterson cougar had its claws removed and their were privately owned cougars in the area. They knew where the Grafton cougar came from before it was even caught. I know of 10 cougars in private hands within an hour of my home. I do believe their can be cougars out there but not enough to make a wild population
Yes Jeff that looks like a cougar the question is it wild? Four of the ones in Ontario that were captured or killed were escapedreleased. We know of 10 cougars privately owned within an hour of home 6 in one place. A small number loose in the wild does not have enough genetic diversity to make a healthy population
Sorry my computer has a long delay. I am not sure if it sends
Farmers often ask if they should be concerned about their livestock if there are cougars around. The Alberta Government puts out predation literature that says “Damage is often random and unpredictable , but when it occurs, it can consist of large numbers killed in a short period of time”. Also if they are determined to get in a barnyard they can jump/climb a 8 foot fence , in other words it is hard to keep them out . The presence of cougars is a serious concern to farmers
Yes Rosmiko, I would imagine farmers and livestock are at risk in areas with large numbers of big cats.
So in your professional opinion, EVERY cougar sighting in Central Canada is the result of an escaped ‘formerly’ captive animal? I don’t think you realize the number of cougar sightings I have received over the past few years…in ALL regions.
Most of these I would consider to be credible. Did you read my article on the MNRF employee from Peterborough who encountered a cougar?
All I have to go on is the evidence before me and yes, there are few images to support their existence..but the sheer numbers of big cat sightings throughout the year cannot ALL be from escaped animals. There simply aren’t that many cougars kept as pets or in enclosures to account for this.
What about the West-East migration theory I have written about. That cougar killed in Connecticut would seem to support that theory, no? Or cougars photographed in Michigan with radio collars on, and the nearest cougar radio tracking program being several THOUSAND miles to the West?
Thoughts?
Outdoorsguy
I do not think of myself as a professional . I like you have an interest in wildlife. The problem is after 20 years 0f weekly sightings why do we not have livestock kills, road kill cougars, more trail camera photos , confirmed tracks in the snow. When our local trappers council is on display I volunteer to answer questions and explain the trapping business. It amazes me how little people know about wildlife. I guess I doubt most sighting otherwise we would have real proof to back it up.
More later I have livestock to check
More thoughts?
As for the MNRF employee sighting. The area has several privately owned cougars. see Toronto Sun 2009 article Many municipality are starting to pass bylaws against exotic animal ownership. This tells me there are enough exotics to be a problem. See Wild Obsession in National Geographic April 2014 More American states are passing laws to ban wild animal ownership. Cougar kittens are not that hard to get either from the wild or from captive bred stock. A few years ago a local private zoo had some for sale. Very cute.
Got to go I will comment on the west east migration later
Lots of information if you look for it
When I hear of the west east migration , I can see cougars moving into northwestern Ontario even the north shore of Superior it could be called good habitat. Even Michigan I can except having migrating cougars. But I have a hard time believing that a cougar walked to Connecticut from South Dakota. My first thought is it had help getting there. A cougar would have to be on a mission and stay on an eastern course for years. Think of the highways and rivers it would have to cross. Highways and cougars do not mix. See National Geographic December 2013 page 75. The number one killer of cougars in California is cars. The Dakota cougar crossed all those highways and then died on a highway in Connecticut. How about the cougar shot at Lake Abitibi in northern Quebec in 1992 with Chilean genetics. Did it walk from Chile?
Just some of my thoughts. What do you think Jeff?
As for cougars migrating east Jeff I can see them moving into northwestern Ontario north of Superior and Michigan. But for a cougar to walk from South Dakota to Connectict I find it hard to believe. It would have to cross highways and rivers and stay on an
eastern course for a year or two. National Geographic December 2013 page 75 shows the highest cougar fatalities in California being from vehicle collisions. The Dakota cougar would have to cross all those highways only to die on a highway in Connectict. As long as their are people wanting cougars as pets you cannot say that cougar migrated on its own. In 1992 a cougar was shot at Lake Abitibi in northern Quebec. It had Chilean genetics. Did it walk from Chile?
Just my thoughts
Another thought.
Both Alberta and British Columbia have frequent incidental cougar catches in wolf/coyote traps, mainly snares. Cougars are not trap shy like wolves/coyotes and enough are caught that they mention it on their cougar mortality report. Why do we not have incidental catches in Ontario? As of the first of January 2016 trappers and farmers can use a relaxing cable restraint (snare) in southern Ontario. Are we going to see incidental cougar catches?
What do you think Jeff?
Rosmiko, most people tell me I am more of an optimist when it comes to the existence of ‘wild cougars’ in central Canada, which I suppose is true. The lack of hard evidence I always chalked up to the fact they are an elusive and secretive beast, nothing more.
Until right now, re: the dead cougar in Connecticut, it never dawned on me that the animal could have been transported from the Black hills of Dakota by other means. I just ‘assumed’ the cat made its way across the Midwest on its own accord. I suppose we don’t know that for sure.
Until MORE hard evidence presents itself however, I remain hopeful that ONE DAY we find evidence of a wild strain in these parts.
Outdoorsguy
We have spotted a black cougar at the back of our property last year. And this Saturday we had cougar tracks around our chicken coop and around our house, they also have tracks of a younger one with it. If for some reason they are some ones lost pet now we know they are having young ones. There have been 3 spotted in Niagara-On-The-Lake only minutes from our farm by locals. As much as people don’t want to believe it there here and at this point they are just roaming eating our local Coyotes. We have set game cameras around chicken coop and the chickens don’t want to come out as they must have been spooked.
Dave
Coyotes foxes and fisher have a black phase and would have an interest in your chickens. Rick Rosatte from MNRF did not include black cougar sightings in his report, he said “there are no records of a black phase of cougar occurring in North America”. He did include a trail camera photo of a melanistic (black) jaguar from Guelph from 2010. Think of it, if you had a mature cougar in your backyard you had a large predator in your yard capable of killing a deer or a horse. Kyle Knopffs research in western Canada verified this happening often. I have never heard of cougars eating coyotes. We have lots of sightings each year and lots game cameras in our area, but no photos
Let us know what you see.
My parents witnessed a cougar sized cat in Amherstburg Ontario on Monday Jan 2nd, it was grey, large tail, just north of Texas Road.
On our way home from London last night on the 401 heading Westbound and seen a cougar run in front of us just East of Elgin Rd/Graham Rd exit (I believe that is the name of exit). It looked beige Color and was a good size. We have travelled the 401 highway 100’s of times.. Never seen anything like this. Very cool to say the least..
I was travelling home last night from London heading westbound and seem a cougar run in front of us on the 401 highway just East of Elgin Rd/Graham Rd exit (I believe this is the exit name). It was a beige Color and was a good size. I’ve travelled the 401 highway 100’s of times and never seen anything like this. Very cool to say the least…
Hey Jeff, just wanted to say thanks for creating / maintaining this site. I also have an interest in wildlife and love spotting unique animals and / or hearing about it from others.
I live on a high bank backing onto the grand river in Kitchener and we see many deer, coyotes, coy – wolves, Turkey, hawks, Eagles, and other typical species.
Foxes, are a rare site and I am also yet to see a cougar / puma, but do believe it is possible that they are around southwestern Ontario.
A few years ago, a black bear came into our area and was spotted digging into a few dumpsters and along a couple of road ways until the ministry officials had it surrounded to a certain extent in a large park in Cambridge after a couple of days of the park being shut down and searching the surrounding area, it somehow eluded them and was never seen again.
That being said, I believe a cougar is a more clever animal and probably more capable of remaining unseen vs a black bear.
If a black bear can travel across highways and roads from northern Ontario, where they reside, down to kitchener and back again without being caught, it is not far fetched for other animals included cougars from doing their same.
I am south of Peterborough.Three weeks ago tomorrow I was up a ladder to measure some curtains something caught my eye and at the bottom of my field was a cougar. I closed my eyes and opened them again yep there it was looking up towards me. Maybe it was having the same reaction. LOL
Heck with the curtains!! I was frozen watching, I feel very grateful for those 5 minutes watching, but my darn camera and binoculars were in another room.
Back in 1996 there was alot of sighting about here, men framing a house said they saw one, I may have seen the tail of one, but that’s not much to go on. I am still a firm believer they are all over Ontario, just causious about being seen by us.
I wasn’t sure where else I should be posting or whom to contact but I just spotted a cougar on the east side of the 416 North to Ottawa, only about five minutes from the Fallowfield exit.
My parents live in the Balmy Beach area of Georgian Bay, on the water. They had a large blonde colored cougar walk right through their yard. My brother resides just up the peninsula from them. He has a neighbor with cattle who has lost a large calf to the cougars.
Back in June or July 1974, I was coming back from Lac Ste-Thérese to Hearst Ontario,with my wife and an other couple in my car, we saw a cougar jumping across the road just in front of the car, I was not aware that it was possible, I told a few people about it, they didn’t believe me, mocked me and said it was impossible, what was weird is that I was driving a yellow convertible Cougar 1971.
Don’t forget the Fish, Hunt & Ride Sportsmen’s Show this weekend!
http://blogs.canoe.com/outdoorsguy/outdoors/fish-hunt-ride-sportsmens-show-this-weekend-at-ey-centre/
Outdoorsguy
While driving this morning My son saw a cougar run across the road in front of him.
Durham 8/YorkDurham line. Just west of Uxbridge.
He said it was ‘one big ass cat,’
Watch out for your livestock.
I’ve seen coudars twice in the past two years in Niagara Fall. The most recent was lat friday just before dark.it was walking across a field beside my sisters house. At first we thought iy was a coyote until we looked in the scope of the gun. It was just a young one maybe last years baby. Of coarse you can’t tell me they aren’t here because i know what i saw. We cut the foot print out of the snow and took pics of it.
I found cougar tracks in the snow in January, west of Parry Sound. 12cm by 10cm. Followed them to a deer carcass with a broken neck and half eaten. More tracks last month leading to a pile of deer fur and a very large turd. Not bear dropping though. I took lots of pics and a sample. MNR didn’t respond. I also caught a glimpse of a large black cat last September.
I sent the following in an email to Toronto Animal Services:
I was driving in Scarborough, north on Markham Road (north of Eglinton, just south of the GO railroad track) when I saw a cougar or some other big gold-coloured cat cross Markham Road from west to east. It ducked under the metal barrier on the bridge overpass and then probably continued along the south side of the railroad tracks.
I was kind of shocked to see such a big cat. It had a curly tail. It did not look like a coyote. It was definitely a big cat, about the size of a German shepherd.
This happened at about 10:40 pm on Saturday, April 29. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else spots the same cat in the area.
Multiple cougar sightings in lasalle (neighbour town to amherstburg) in the last couple of weeks. Logically its the amherstburg one. Police attended immediately and confirmed that fresh tracks were consistent with cougar prints.
Multiple cougar sightings in lasalle ontario (next to amherstburg). Police responded and stated that fresh tracks were consistent with cougar. See windsor star article
May 19, 2017 my dog alerted me to a very large black cat with a long tail stalking in the marsh beside our cottage on Georgian bay near Honey Harbour, Ontario. We both observed this animal in two locations for several minutes. No chance to get a photo. Summer, 2015 observed 2 cougars running through our wooded yard in Cambridge, Ontario.Again, the same dog alerted me. 30 minutes later when I thought all was clear I took the dog out to relieve herself & suddenly saw a cougar straddling 2 large rocks, focusing on us .This animal was less than 12 meters away. Our only concern was to quickly get back into the house. The dog was terrified.
A call to the MNR was not returned & I did not find tracks .
Hey Jeff
Looks like a cougar was spotted in Renfrew between Dave’s Automotive & Valley Motorsports heading towards Cotieville RD , it stopped when yelled at and didn’t seem to be afraid.
I have a picture of the cougar from a friend of mine on FB if ever you are interested.
btw great job on the FHR mag. Just luv it !
Tks..I’ll add this to my Sighting List!
Outdoorsguy
I have a lot of info re black panther sightings including a picture. Would love to share my findings
Sorry Brenda, your message got lost. Please share your panther info~!! regards, OutdoorsGuy
We spotted a cougar this morning July 6/17 crossing Bloomington Rd. just outside of Uxbridge Ontario.
We have several sightings of a cougar by our riders just this weekend. Our horse farm is just west of Uxbridge on Durham Road 8.
This thread is such a relief to find, because I thought I was losing my mind (the jury’s still out, incidentally, but still). We live on a farm just outside of Elmira, ON. This morning as I was passing the window looking out onto the back field, I could swear I saw a massive, black cat lope through our soybean field and disappear into the corn in the neighbouring field. I thought at first it was one of the farm dogs in the area, but the movement wasn’t right and I was sure the tail was really long and rope-like. Unfortunately, it was running away from the house, so I couldn’t see its head, mostly its hind end and bit of its side. We have a lot of farm cats around (which, curiously enough, we haven’t seen lately). Many are black, and this animal moved similarly, but it was MUCH bigger – I’d say German Shepherd sized, based on the height of the soybeans compared to its legs. It had a rocking gate and a REALLY long stride. I also think that last weekend I heard the chirping noise cougars can make. It was Saturday night and our windows were open, and I heard what sounded like a bird chirping in the back field. It definitely wasn’t a killdeer, which are extremely common to hear at night. And when I shared the link to the sound file with my husband, he admits the chirping sound is familiar to him, too.
After two comments no action from anyone. We have now found it’s den. The main floor of an old barn located on a property just west of Uxbridge, Ont. The den has several dead domestic cats strawn all over the floor an the cougar’s fiches is everywhere. The wild animal authorities are still asking for a photo of the cougar before they will go there to remove it and of course we are told that we cannot try to kill it. Have they ever tried to take a photo of a wild cougar?
We just came from a long drive Newmarket, ON to Victoria, BC. We were on hwy. 17 on July 15, 2017 just a few kilometers west of Thunder Bay when a big black cat crossed the road in front of us and I was really surprised coz I was not expecting that in Ontario.
Last April I was driving a back road in White Lake, Ontario. It was night when a large dark colored animal crossed in front of my car too far up the road to get a good look. I saw that it had a long tail and walked like a cat too large to be a fisher. When I was talking to my dad about it he thought for sure I saw a cougar and now reading all these dark colored/black cougar sightings I am sure I did too!
There has been a family of cougars spotted in grey bruce
Many members of my family saw one near Elora On. this weekend..
Not exactly a sighting but while hiking in the NE corner of Earl Rowe Park, Alliston, two days ago, my dog began acting strange; hackles up, half crouched, darting back and forth across the trail sniffing madly. He then froze and we heard a slight rustle in the bushes then a deep, resonant growl that I can only describe as “wild” and catlike. This was no bear or coyote/coy-wolf sound, it was distinctly feline and damned large. I didn’t stick around to find out what it was nor did I go back to search for tracks. Could there seriously be one in the Alliston area?
I was driving Eastbound along Hwy 89 on my way to work one night near Shelburne, Ontario around 9:45pm. I saw something come across the road to the yellow lines. I was dumbfounded because I was sure it was a large cat but here in Ontario? It was beige in color, very large (the size of a pony) with a tail almost as long as itself. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was very sure I just saw a Cougar. When I got to work I told my coworkers what I had seen and someone said that it most likely was a Cougar as she had read or heard something about seeing them in the area. I googled if Cougars existed in Ontario and sure enough there have been several spotting’s in the area but none confirmed. I wanted to call to report it but was also hesitant that no one would believe me.
Well, I am sure I saw one. It was a magnificent site to see.
I have seen one about 10km of Arnprior, on 417, it was 2@m, 14 DEC 2019 !!! There was a deer crossing so i brake, and the cougar was chasing him, but stop after seeing my Truck light !!! He got back to the field, stop, looking back at the deer fleeing safely cuz or me, turn His face and stare at me furiously… juste before disapearing !!! Wow !!! Im thinking… have i really see a cougar attaking a deer in arnprior ??? Wait a couple a minute, and i go see the footprint, and i took pictures.
And believe if or not, 5day later, on the same Truck run, i stop for a switch near Innes road, near the petro-pass. Doing m’y inspection, i notice big footprint in the snow, behind the trailer, and im thinking, hey… i have already seen those kind of footprint before !!! Lucky as i am, again, i took some pictures.
I was stun by the fact, the proximity of the big city of Ottawa… Be careful ont There
Sorry Marc-Antoine, I just found your comment!
Marc-Antoine, I would to see the photo you took of the prints in Arnprior? Any chance you might share? Regards, Outdoors Guy
I’m pretty sure we have a cougar in Pembroke, Ontario! I made a post on December 28, 2020, about how two of my girls on 2 separate floors around 2:30 am heard a like roar, and were freaked all night long. The following morning there were tracks coming up to the basement windows of our home! Apparently the old tracks in Pembroke had sightings of a cougar in trees in late summer, early fall. I don’t go anywhere now without a knife when I walk my dog, and a few people said about a month ago, there were cougar sightings on highway 17.
The next time the cougar i saw 2 nights in a row on June 19 th and the 20 th comes onto the farm here I’ll send it to cougar heaven.
Have ou captured any images of this big cat, George?
Cougar tracks were left in condensation on my patio door a week ago, location is in Angus (right by the Notty). MNR were contacted, let’s see what happens. (Picture available)
Hi Ash, did the Ministry get back to you? any pics of those tracks you found? regards, Outdoors Guy
They did, but they didn’t answer what they thought of the picture and referred us to a separate email who never responded. Our neighbour across the street told us weeks later he saw tracks in his backyard around the same time.
CBC Kitchener reported a woman walking her dogs came across a cougar in our local park yesterday afternoon. Police couldn’t locate the animal and the MNR has been called in to investigate. Could this be the same animal seen in Elora earlier in August? Could the Grand River Valley be a corridor for migrating cats? My father in law swears he saw a cougar years ago along the Grand River here in Kitchener. Have there been other recent sightings here? I can’t find much on-line aside from a 10 year old sighting in a neighbouring region (also connected to the Grand River watershed.
Thanks.
thank you, Geordie for the report. sorry for the delay!
Hi I’m pretty sure I saw a cougar cross the road as I was driving south on Scotch Line (which is North of Alliston and Southeast of Base Borden). I saw it’s body in my headlights and as I drive past saw it’s face looking towards me from the bushes. The time was about 715 pm on November 19th. I would guess it weighed about 100-120 lb. When I saw it I thought to myself it looks like a small female lion. As soon as I got home I looked online and the images appeared exactly like what I had seen No photos unfortunately because I was driving and it entered the bush.
Great Article!
Hi Margie, we found cougar tracks in the snow, in Mountain Grove a couple weeks ago. One of our neighbours said he had actually seen it in the same area we did, just off Long Lake Road.
I am suspecting a cougar/ big cat has picked up my small dog in mississauga from my backyard as it’s fenced in well and for a coyote to jump a few fences while not impossible is unrealistic ( as my neighbours haven’t seen that happen), my suspicion is a big cat has done this, there are trees for the cat to hide, don’t have any proof yet. My dog was gone / disappeared in a snap, literally in about 10 min.
So I am asking if this has been experienced by others or a big cat caught in an act like this. I have put a backyard camera now.
Sorry Anu, for the late reply. Have their been any big cat sightings in your area?
A few years ago (2010?) I encountered big cat tracks in the snow just south of Westport, Ontario at my residence. I took pictures of the tracks and noted at the time that there was what i call a tail trail… a dragging tail line in between the tracks. It was definitively not a minx or bobcat. In 2018, I caught a glimpse of a big cat in the back field near the rocky crag at our quarry. Someone nearby posted pics of a big cat but there was a lot of discussion as to what it was… pics were fuzzy. Someone connected to the MNR said there were no cougars in Ontario. So I generally keep my big cat encounters close to the vest. That being said, I do know that there is a big cat of some kind in the back of our 100 acres between the rocks and the swamp that competes with Momma bear and her two cubs! When the bears are in hiding, there is something other than coyotes that is taking down dear… hikers saw a buck carcass killed between the rut and the shedding of antlers (not scattered like coyote) hung up in a dense bush area two weeks ago. So I am setting up tree cams to observe my bush more closely. Will keep everyone informed…
Tks Rusty, keep us informed! More than one cougar report from Westport-area over the years!
Hello Margie, sorry i missed your note, have read your column before, great work and nice to meet like-minded individuals!
Look forward to hearing more, Rusty!
I am the owner of the trail cam that took the video of the cougar on New Years eve 2020 just outside of Thunder Bay. Feel free to use a snap of the video for your paper if you wish. Ministry showed no interest to view the site or tracks. Instead they steered me to iNaturlist to report the sighting.
Oh wow, tks Chris! A fellow outdoor writer – Gord Ellis featured you story/vid! Any chance you might email the vid to me: [email protected] I will feature you and the sighting, provided full credit to you, in my next Nationally Syndicated outdoors column!
Chris, I love to feature your video and discovery in my nationally syndicated outdoors column, providing full credit to you of course. regards, Outdoors Guy
Parents just encountered one on their property between Spencerville and South Mountain.
Hello Dan, I have rec’d several cougar reports from South Mountain area over the years.
Thanks for sharing!