Cougar sighting in Champlin

[jwhawkridge]

As Champlin Police Sgt. Bob Penney was finishing up his overnight shift Saturday, the dog watch shift's routine was broken by a stray cat.

A cougar, actually.

Penney and Officer Jeff Martin spotted the wildcat as it loped across Hwy. 169, east toward the Mississippi River.

The cat, about 6 feet from head to rump, evaded their headlights and crossed into a residential area along East River Parkway. Traffic was very light, and there were no walkers or runners about; however, a car did slow for the cat on Hwy. 169.

Penney warned residents to keep an especially close eye on their small children and pets for awhile.

http://www.startribune.com/local/north/78660892.html

Only a few miles from Andover....hmmm...

Now we have cops seeing cougars, not just your average Joes.

This is just great: "and crossed into a residential area". Wonderful.

I love that last part: "keep an especially close eye on their small children and pets for awhile". Instead of taking care or the problem we're going to wait until someone dies.

[thedanimalkmk]

There is dash cam video of it on WCCO's HSOforum

Dan

[T&KK]

I just saw that this mornign on wcco also. Plain as day and is pretty impressive to have the video. Too often people show paw prints in the snow or something along that line, but don't have the photographic evidence that the cats are in the area. I have to imagine the stray kitties in the area aren't to excited to have a cougar roaming around.

[InTheNorthwoods]

Oh COME ON!!!! If you watch the video you can clearly see it is a golden retriever....

[heavy sarcasm intended]

[T&KK]

A golden retiever running for the hills. It probably thought that the cat it picked on yesterday was amped up on red bull and looking for revenge!

[jwhawkridge]

Here's the link.

http://wcco.com/pets/cougar.roaming.champlin.2.1353704.html

DNR Press Release: Uhhhhhhhhh.......

[Muthagoose]

Quote:

Oh COME ON!!!! If you watch the video you can clearly see it is a golden retriever....

Whatever,,,,,,,,,,,,

Not a happy looking cat the tails is real low.,..

[BobT]

I love that last part: "keep an especially close eye on their small children and pets for awhile". Instead of taking care or the problem we're going to wait until someone dies.

This is the kind of panic-stricken response that is to be avoided.

If it's a wild cat, chances are it was just wandering through and probably won't be seen in the area again. If it's an escaped or released captive cat, there might be more cause for concern because it won't be as interested to get away from the human domain. That doesn't mean we have to form a posse and go on a cougar killing spree. Good grief. There are more cougars in the western part of the US per county that we have in the entire state and they don't have problems depsite the the fact that the human population is many times more dense than here.

[big drift]

This is the kind of panic-stricken response that is to be avoided.

If it's a wild cat, chances are it was just wandering through and probably won't be seen in the area again. If it's an escaped or released captive cat, there might be more cause for concern because it won't be as interested to get away from the human domain. That doesn't mean we have to form a posse and go on a cougar killing spree. Good grief. There are more cougars in the western part of the US per county that we have in the entire state and they don't have problems depsite the the fact that the human population is many times more dense than here.

[CJH]

Its not like this is the first siting in the Cities this year either.

If its staying around the urban center of the Twin Cities, it should be relocated, just like a bear, moose, etc... would be.

[Bigbartguy]

I LOVED this guy's response on the Star Tribune HSOforum:

"MN DNR Response:

After reviewing the video, we have come to the conclusion that the animal recorded by the Champlin police officers dash cam is just a large stray dog which slightly resembles a cat in the dark. Cougars do not exist in MN. Move along, there is nothing to see here."

[thatoneguy]

Just up the road a ways, I've seen NUMEROUS cougars, usually headed for POVS on a Friday night.

[MarkAlm]

Being happily married I have not been to Povs , but I have seen many along 1st street in Anoka, Serums, Billys and River City Saloon .

[paul pachowicz]

I saw that clip here in Rapid City, SD. That's pretty much how our cat population started acting a few years ago, moving around urban areas. Probably from getting run-off from another cats territory which can be pretty wide ranged. We don't mess with em here, if they are in the city or around houses, live stock or threatening humans they get a one way trip. You wait, one of these days one of em is gonna nail someone and see how fast the lawyers come out and scream "the state did not take enough action to protect the public". At the end of the clip there was a quote "mountain lions are RARE in Minn and are protected. If they are being seen in the urban areas they are not rare.

[Muthagoose]

Where are the expert doubters they aint chiming in.

Geeeeeze one killed and now this one in less than a year..

The best part is its in the cities...LOL

[walleyeguy7]

that thing has a big ol belly on it hopefully it isnt trying to start a little family right here in the metro. im not against having a cougar or two here in the state its just when you have small children and you see a cat like that so close to home its cause for concern. hopefully its just passing through and causes noone or family pets any harm. i also heard a month or so ago that there were some cubs found abandoned here in forest lake, now i dont know if there is any truth to that ive tried to look it up but found nothing, but i think if they did find something that it would be posted on here. if anyone else has heard anything of the sort i would like to hear the story. my grandma and i leave at the same time every morning down the same road and she called me one morning shortly before i heard the story and asked me if i saw the large "cat" she said it had a big body longtail and small boxshaped head, now i never saw it and my grandma is 72 yrs old, and just had eye surgery a couple months before that so i just passed it off as nothing,who knows, maybe she did se something, really makes you wonder????

[icehousebob]

Can you think of a better hunting ground for a cougar than the metro area? We have a high population of deer that are unhunted and so used to people, dogs, traffic, etc. that they are almost tame. To an animal that lives on deer, its a target rich environment. There was one one spotted a few years ago down the street from me here in Minnetonka. We have deer, foxes, coyotes, and other wild critters that have acclimated to urban areas, cougars could be next. And when they lose their fear of people, trouble ahead.

[leech~~]

Time to get the Guns and torches out!

[nolte]

Your kidding me right? Have you followed the problems that cats are creating in CA, WA, and OR. Attacks, pets and livestock killed, stalkings, hunters having cats coming into shots.

Kind of intersting that those are the only 3 western states that don't allow hunting of cougars with hounds. I should clarify that WA does allow it in limited areas. OR allows it with calling or sitting. CA doesn't allow it at all, even though their Gov trappers kill the same amount on complaints as hunters did back when it was legal.

[zepman]

We had a possible sighting a few blocks from my house in a wooded ravine a couple of years ago. The DNR shrugged it off as a large "dog". Witnesses said no way...they are here and being sighted everywhere across the state. I wish the DNR would just say so.

[jwmiller33]

just read on the star trib HSOforum there was another cougar sighting tonight vadnais heights!!!! looks like the cat is making its way across the metro

here is the story

Another day, another cougar sighting.

Authorities were searching a Vadnais Heights neighborhood after a homeowner spotted a mountain lion about 9 p.m. Monday, said Holli Drinkwine, a spokeswoman for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.

Residents in the area, near Interstates 35E and 694, are advised to use caution into Tuesday morning. Extra patrols were in the area.

And if anyone sees a big cat, call 911, Drinkwine said.

The Vadnais Heights report comes after police in Champlin spotted a cougar on the move across Hwy. 169 toward the Mississippi River over the weekend.

[wplatehunter]

We had one in North Mankato a few years ago for a while. People would see it and call it in. It never caused any problems. After a while it was just gone.

[Dave S]

said Holli Drinkwine, a spokeswoman for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.

that explains it.

On a more serious note, it's more than likely the same cat traveling east. Once it hits the St. Croix, it will very possibly follow the river north or south.

[Dave S]

We had one in North Mankato a few years ago for a while. People would see it and call it in. It never caused any problems. After a while it was just gone.

There was also the sighting by St Clair earlier this year.

[Muthagoose]

With winter progressing on your going to see more of this sort of sighting especially with the declining deer heard to the north/up here.

Love it the DNR and the keyboard expert insults themselves again with its a dog.

Its about time someone get footage of one and no one better than a squad car dash cam just to good.No where better than in the back yards of most of the keyboard experts. Just go back and look at some of the cougar threads,the cats smack dab in the middle of most of them.

The saddest thing is if this cat does feed, then out will come the hounds and torches.

If you know predators then you know you only see a small percentage of natures stealth around you.I've hunted them in Kingman AZ without dogs and unlike a wolf these guys do like to hunt back especially the females.

Enjoying the feeling of being possibly put BACK in the food chain?