Wisconsin Mountain Lion Sighting
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on April 29th, 2007
Report of big cat prompts search in Franklin
A report of a mountain lion sighting caused quite a stir in the Franklin Business Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Franklin police contacted the Southeast Region of the Department of Natural Resources in Milwaukee about 2:30 p.m. with a report of a “large cat sighting, some sort of lion,” DNR warden Gervis Myles said.
Myles and another DNR warden, equipped with shotguns and tranquilizer rifles, were sent to the area between the 5100 and 5300 blocks of Franklin Drive, and a third warden was dispatched later, Myles said.
Capt. Clark Groen of the Franklin Police Department said police were called by employees from Electronic Cable Specialists who reported seeing an animal that looked like a mountain lion roaming nearby.
After officers arrived, employees from General Automotive, another business in the park, reported what they described as a cougar in the area, Groen said.
One of the first officers to respond also reported seeing a large cat, and a coyote was later spotted by the wardens and police officers, Groen said.
“The officer said the first animal he spotted was larger than the coyote that was later sighted,” Groen said.
The wooded area of the business park was searched, with the Franklin Fire Department assisting, Groen said.
The search was eventually called off after officers and the wardens found no traces of a cougar.
Franklin police, however, are asking anyone with information about anyone in the area who owns such an animal to call (414) 425-2522.jesse Garza
More on Wisconsin cougar sightings, including a trail camera photo here on Cryptomundo: Wisconsin Cougar Sighting
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
Not too surprised. I’ve seen some myself in the UP, and they aren’t supposed to be there either.
There have been sightings here in Michigan for years now, with tracks and scat aplenty, but the DNR refuses to acknowledge any of them. They write them off as the usual “escaped pet”.
The problem is that if they give the cougars a nod, they have to protect them and their money situation won’t allow them to do that.
A Morris Township resident in Shewano County sent us a picture that was confirmed to be a mountain lion filmed in August 2004.
A copy of picture was sent to Wildlife DNR Biologist Eric Erickson, who has yet to respond, although we did get a return receipt from the DNR office.
The cat was filmed by a trail camera from 50 feet at dusk. Perhaps Loren might be interested in putting the picture, copyrighted by the Eastern Puma Research Network on this Cryptomundo website in the future.
Good lord, I live near there. I may have to organize a little “hunt” to see if we can photograph the thing!