Overview
- The Voyageurs Wolf Project, which recorded the cats on March 25, documented a mother cougar with three kittens south of Voyageurs National Park.
- After a GPS-collared deer sent a mortality alert, researchers found a cached carcass, set two trail cameras, and the cougar family returned to feed.
- The Minnesota DNR said this is the first documented evidence of cougar reproduction in the state in over 100 years, with the kittens estimated at 7 to 9 months old and likely born last fall.
- Biologists note that most recent cougars seen in Minnesota have been lone wanderers from the Dakotas or Nebraska, so confirmed young with a female signals a new step that could precede a slow recolonization.
- Officials warn the kittens face risks from wolves, adult male cougars, and vehicles, and they remind the public that cougars are protected with no hunting and lethal action only for immediate threats.