Cougar Cubs Confirmed in Michigan for First Time in Over a Century

Though we hear tales and see pictures of cougar sightings in Michigan, it's always adult cats - until now.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says that for the first time in more than 100 years, cougar cubs have been spotted in the wild.

👇BELOW: CONFIRMED COUGAR SIGHTINGS - CHECK OUT 43 PHOTOS👇

Cougars are native to Michigan but were hunted out of existence in the 1900s.

Now they seem to migrating to Michigan from Western States. So far the DNR has verified 132 cougar reports - but they've all been adults and they've all been male.

So the existence of cubs is remarkable!

DNR large carnivore specialist Brian Roell say,

It’s pretty exciting, considering this could be the first known cougar reproduction in modern times in the western Great Lakes states. It really shows that we have a unique place in Michigan where someone has a chance to see a wolf, a moose and a cougar in the wild. It’s something that should be celebrated, that we have the habitat to support an elusive animal like this.

Roell lead the team that verified the cubs.

The spotted cougar cubs were found on private land in Ontonagon County in the western U.P.  They are thought to be 7 to 9 weeks old. A local resident witnessed them and took the photos.

Last seen on March 6, the cubs were without their mother.

Roell shares,

Those young cougars are very vulnerable right now. We don’t know where they are or if they’re even alive. Mother Nature can be very cruel.

It is illegal to hunt or harass cougars in Michigan, which includes trying to locate their den.

Residents are encouraged to log any cougar sightings in the DNR Eyes in the Field reporting system. Find out more on Michigan cougars here.