POLL: A mountain lion in northwestern Ontario?

News Polls — 15 September 2011

The latest in the ongoing search to confirm the existence of the eastern mountain lion in Northwestern Ontario comes from Ear Falls area resident David Beaudry who captured this image on a trail cam, Aug. 31. The infra-red photograph was triggered with a motion sensor near Beaudry’s shop and shows an animal with a distinctly cat-like tail.

However, local MNR officials were unable to confirm with any level of certainty whether the image is in fact that of a cougar. What do you think? Weigh in on the matter in the poll below. Photo courtesy David Beaudry
A larger version of the picture here.

[Show as slideshow]

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

About Author

chrismarchand

Chris Marchand is a native of Dryden, Ontario. He served his first newspaper internship at The Dryden Observer in 1998 while attending journalism studies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops B.C. He's worked desks as both reporter and editor at the Fernie Free Press as well as filled the role of sports editor at the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. Marchand was named editor of the Dryden Observer in Aug. 2009.

(8) Readers Comments

mike
January 3, 2012 at 11:30 am

i would say this might be a cougar….looking at the back hauches…yep they are around…years ago when i worked out at mattabi one ran across the road on the way to work…one leap and it was gone….also last winter seen one on the highway south of dryden near rattlesnake road.

Reply
Del
December 9, 2011 at 1:19 pm

This picture looks like a wolf with mange. The body style is wrong for cat, as well the tail is not nearly long enough for a cougar. When wolves get mainge one of the first sign is that their tail looks differently than normal.

Reply
Bill
October 21, 2011 at 10:48 am

I saw one about 10 years back behind the Dryden Mill, with the long thick tail there was no doubt it was a cougar…I was less than 100 yards from it when I stopped on my snowmachine to look at it. It looked back at me for 15 seconds before scooting off into the bush. My daughter saw one up at Amesdale 2 years ago at ‘Cell phone rock’ as they call it, it was circling her in the bush and hissing at her. They are here, no doubt.

Reply
Amy
September 23, 2011 at 3:27 pm

I saw it is a mountain lion. There have been sitings of them out at Bob’s Outpost and even at the Ear Falls Cemetary

Reply
Stephen
September 19, 2011 at 6:08 am

That is a picture of a dog.

Reply
Collin
September 16, 2011 at 5:47 pm

I have never seen one myself in Ontario (live in Alberta now and sitings here are pretty common), but I have seen tracks in the sandbank between Ignace and Dryden (about 8-9k East of Basket Lake Road) that I was sure were cougar, too large for a lynx. I had an employee working for me (who is probably the most honest person I know) see one at that time on the rock cut just across from Peggy Lake on HWY 17. Another time, I had two crews working for me north of Thunder Bay see a cougar in the same spot two days in a row. So they are definitely out there. Didn’t a biologist in Kenora confirm with DNA from scat?

Reply
Vern
September 15, 2011 at 2:26 pm

Have have seen 3 or 4 already. First one was east and North of the
tree Nursery on the Ghost Lake Road. Warren May from the Ministry
followed tracks and found Scat. Also Mike Szell and his daughter
saw on on the Turkey trail (I think). Two years ago we were coming
from fishing down Basket Lake and saw one on the bush trail just
why a fellow from Dinorwic was setting up a bear bait and we warned
him we saw a cougar about 1/2 mile from him. They are around
here.

Reply
- Carl Bleich
  September 19, 2011 at 9:02 am
  
  A cougar crossed the road ahead of me a few miles East of Ignace some years ago. No doubt in my mind due to the size in relation to the lane width and that long tail.
  
  Reply