Community Corner

Connecticut Mountain Lion Traveled from South Dakota

The cougar's 1,100-mile journey is the longest ever recorded.

In what’s being called the longest journey a mountain lion has ever taken in the United States, a cougar , Conn. six weeks ago—believed by some to be the same cougar , Conn.—traveled 1,100 miles from Minnesota to get to New England, Connecticut officials said Tuesday.

According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, analysts' data show that the feline known in South Dakota known as the “St. Croix Cougar” journeyed from that state’s Black Hills, through Minnesota and Wisconsin (see attached map) and across the Midwest—probably through southern Ontario, Canada—eventually to Greenwich, where it met its end in a collision with an SUV on the Wilbur Cross parkway in Milford.

“This is an incredible journey, nearly double that of any mountain lion [ever recorded],” Connecticut DEEP Commissioner Dan Esty said during a press briefing.

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Though the first confirmed sighting occurred in Minnesota, officials believe the mountain lion probably was born in South Dakota, meaning a total distance traveled of closer to 1,800 miles is possible.

Scat samples, including those found in Greenwich, as well as sightings across the nation dating back as far as December 2009, snow tracks, photos from trail cameras, tissue collected for genetic testing and the young male’s unmanicured condition, led analysts—including in a lab in Rocky Hill, Conn.—to the conclusion that the mountain lion had not been held in captivity, according to Paul Rego, a supervising wildlife biologist with the DEEP.

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Esty touted the cougar's ability to traverse so far in the wild as a testament to efforts from conservationists and environmental protection groups.

“Although this is the story of the first recorded example of a mountain lion sighting in Connecticut in more than 100 years, there is no evidence of a mountain lion [in Connecticut] beyond this single individual,” Esty said.

The findings mark the latest chapter in a story that’s captured the attention and imagination of residents throughout Fairfield County and Connecticut—the gregarious “” on Facebook last week notched her 3,000th friend—as a species in the Nutmeg State appeared to have re-emerged.

Within days of the mountain lion’s death on a highway in Milford, state DEEP officials launched an investigation into whether that cougar had been .

In Greenwich and throughout the state, the dual sightings sparked debate over whether mountain lions were present in greater numbers than state officials had acknowledged. In Fairfield, police were given the green light to that couldn’t be contained.

As investigators searched for answers, including in , residents in Greenwich and other Connecticut towns, , began reporting , was found to be inaccurate.

[Editor's Note: This story was updated to reflect distances traveled from confirmed sightings versus scientifically believed points of origin.]


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here