Cougars reported at University of Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich., -- Police at the University of Michigan said officers were unable to find any trace of a pair of suspected cougars reported near campus.

University police said a caller around 8:30 a.m. Thursday reported spotting a tan cougar near the North Campus along Hubbard Road and responding officers were unable to find tracks or any other sign of the animal, The Detroit News reported Friday.

Police said a second caller around 3:30 p.m. reported a black cougar-like animal in the same area, but officers were again unable to find any trace of the reported feline.

"The likelihood of these two sightings being connected is very limited," said Diane Brown, a campus police spokeswoman.

Officials with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said there have been no confirmed cougar sightings in the state's Lower Peninsula.

"We have a lot of things that have been mistaken for cougars," said Adam Bump, a wildlife biologist with the DNR's cougar team. "Some of the more common ones are coyotes, maybe bobcats or even domestic cats from a distance."

I take anything MIDNR says with a grain of salt. I've known there were cougars in MI, the UP at least, for thirty years.

My parents, my brother and I were driving way up on Labor Day (yes, we knew about the bridge, but the funeral was Tuesday) we saw one in the Seney stretch. I was driving and Dad was next to me.

He was right next to a highway reflector so there is no question about his size, he was definitely a cat and no bobcat nor lynx carries a tail like that. If it had been just me I would have questioned it, but we both saw it clear as day. And it was day, mid afternoon. MIDNR was claiming and did for years afterward that there were no cougars in MI at all.

Panther Tasered by Warren Michigan police Warren Michigan police received a 911 call reporting there was a black panther in a wooded area near Bates park. The caller said the animal was huge. Warren MI police received a 911 call Monday night a little after 8:30 p.m. The caller reported spotting a large animal inside a cement sewer pipe that was no longer in use.

The man told a dispatcher, "I'm not playing games. I went up behind it. I shined a light in there. It's huge! It's like a 150-pound cat!" The police arrived and saw the black panther sitting inside the drain pipe. It was decided that the area needed to be cordoned off immediately . Police Commissioner William Dwyer said, "Officers could see the outline of what appeared to be a panther-like animal lying in the tube, looking out at them. They backed out, for fear of it lunging at them." Dwyer told the Free Press, "There was a fear that ... it could ... endanger the community. We're out there to keep the community safe, by whatever means necessary."

A Macomb County animal official told the police that if they used a dart to tranquilise the animal it could take 10 minutes to take effect. It was feared in that amount of time the animal could run away.

With ten officers at the scene it was decided after about an hour to follow a sergeant's order and to fire a Taser at the large animal. The animal didn't move and it was noted its eyes were still. The officers then discovered it was a large stuffed black panther toy that appeared to be life size. They now believe the toy was placed in the pipe as a hoax. Even though the incident resulted in three hours of overtime for a animal control officer Dwyer believes the police showed good judgement. He said, "If in fact it was a panther and it got in the neighborhoods, we would've had a crisis on our hands. This could've been a standoff for several hours, tying up a number of personnel that could've been used for service and other patrols."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe

Thanks cripplecreek, a cryptobiology topic! Michael Smith Performs 'Panther In Michigan' [YouTube] Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.