An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
No evidence suggests that Kentucky is home to wild mountain lions. Any mountain lion appearing in the state would likely be an escaped (or released) captive animal. In Kentucky, a ban on the possession of mountain lions as pets has been in place since 2005.
Photo Credit: Justin Shoemaker, USFWS
Few large mammals generate more intrigue, folklore and misinformation than the mountain lion. While this predator once roamed much of the U.S., their numbers plummeted from predator eradication campaigns, hunting and habitat loss.
In 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern cougar extinct. Based on its extensive research, the Service concluded this subspecies of big cats had disappeared from the east by the 1930s. While mountain lions were once common in Kentucky, research shows the state has not supported a wild population of mountain lions for more than a century. In the landmark 1974 book “Mammals of Kentucky,” authors Roger W. Barbour and Wayne H. Davis noted no valid records of mountain lions after 1899.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources receives reports each year of mountain lions roaming the state. However, there have been only two confirmations: a female kitten struck by a car in Floyd County in June 1997 and an adult male mountain lion dispatched by a Kentucky Fish and Wildlife conservation officer in Bourbon County on December 15, 2014. DNA testing revealed the kitten had South American ancestry, concluding it was of captive origin. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife biologists rely on physical, verifiable evidence to assess mountain lion sightings in the state.
Download the 2014 Mountain Lion Investigation Reports below:
Report a suspected mountain lion to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife by calling the department’s Information Center during weekday working hours at 1-800-858-1549 or by emailing info.center@ky.gov.
Note: Tracks may be preserved for inspection by securely covering with a 5-gallon bucket.
Good evidence is the best way to determine the presence of a mountain lion. By following the suggested guidelines, reports of mountain lions can be better evaluated for authenticity. If the physical evidence supports the possibility of a mountain lion, a Kentucky Fish and Wildlife biologist may wish to visit the site for an evaluation.
The increasing number of big cat reports in the state coincides with the return of the bobcat to Kentucky’s landscape. Bobcats, considered rare as late as 1974, have increased in range and abundance throughout Kentucky. They are now found in every county in the state. Bobcats may have solid brown coats, which can cause people to misidentify them when glimpsed in low light. In addition, it is no coincidence that reports of mountain lions have increased with the popularity of the internet- which enables the unintentional and intentional sharing of inaccurate information.
Radio-collared bobcat captured on remote camera, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Mountain lion captured on a remote camera in Lincoln County, MO Photo courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation
A good indicator of the presence of mountain lions is the number of animals killed on the road. In Florida, with its small population of panthers, about two dozen big cats are killed on the road each year. Kentucky’s tally is the one female kitten struck by a vehicle in Floyd County in 1997, and that animal was of captive origin.
Photo Courtesy Bill Lea
Mountain Lion Quick Facts:
The rising popularity of motion-activated trail cameras deployed year-round throughout Kentucky’s woods and fields has yet to produce a confirmed image of a mountain lion in the state. Likewise, more than a quarter million hunters take to the state’s woods and fields each year for deer season and no one has taken a mountain lion. Several years ago, a hunter shot what he said was a mountain lion with his bow. DNA tests on the recovered arrow revealed that he had shot a bobcat.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife biologists monitor the expansion of cougar populations from the western U.S. To help protect the public from escaped captive animals, the department has banned the possession of mountain lions as pets since 2005.
Female mountain lion treed by researchers in Washington state. Photo courtesy of Rich Beausoleil, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Treed mountain lion in Platte County, MO Photo courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation
Click on the links below for additional information regarding mountain lions:
Mountain lions occupy only a fraction of their former range in the western United States and Florida. However, the number of mountain lions in the west is increasing. As a result, dispersing males wandering from their home territories occasionally show up further east. Currently, the nearest wild population of mountain lions is in Nebraska, more than 900 miles from Kentucky. A small population of panthers—fewer than 200 animals—also lives in southwestern Florida.
Classification: Mountain lions are carnivores classified within the Family Felidae. Its closest cousins are the jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) and cheetah (Acinonyx jubatas). Biologists continue to debate the taxonomy of mountain lions, particularly whether North American mountain lions comprise single or multiple subspecies.
General Description: Mountain lions are easily distinguished from other large cats in North America by their large body and long tail. The short, tawny brown fur that covers most of their body easily blends with most surroundings. Short black fur covers the backs of the ears, the tip of the tail, and the sides of the muzzle. Mountain lions have sharp, curved claws to help them climb and bring down prey. Mountain lions usually retract their claws when walking.
Body length: 5 – 8 ½ feet Ear length: 3 – 4 inches Tail length: 21 – 35 inches Weight: 90 – 160 pounds
Behavior: Mountain lions are solitary animals except during breeding or when females raise kittens. The young typically remain with their mother for 2 years. During this time, the young animals learn how to hunt and survive from their mother. Once the family breaks up, subadult males may travel (disperse) hundreds of miles in search of a new home range.
Diet: Mountain lions are strict carnivores; their primary prey is deer. If no deer are available, they will eat small to medium-sized mammals and sometimes livestock.
Breeding Cycle: Females can breed at 3 years old. The mother typically produces a litter of two to three kittens every other year. Lions give birth in a den; sites may include rocky outcrops or crevices, caves and brushy areas. Newborn kittens are blind at birth. Kittens have buff-colored fur spotted with black. Young animals accompany their mother on hunting trips when they reach two months old.
Movements and Dispersal: Mountain lions are wide-ranging animals. Males have home ranges (territories) that cover 50 – 150 square miles. Female home ranges are roughly half that of males. Young female mountain lions may incorporate part of their mother’s home range into their own range. Young males may travel hundreds of miles searching for a permanent home range.
Follow these recommendations in the rare event you see or encounter a mountain lion:
Per KRS 150.172, a person may kill any wildlife in self-defense or defense of another person. Any mountain lion killed or found dead in Kentucky must be surrendered to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife within 24 hours for genetic testing and physical examination.
Currently, no evidence suggests that Kentucky is home to wild mountain lions. Any mountain lion appearing in the state would likely be an escaped (or released) captive animal. Kentucky has banned the possession of mountain lions as pets since 2005. While western mountain lion populations continue to grow and their occurrence has been confirmed in the Midwest, young wandering males from those areas have not been documented in Kentucky.
Biologists at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources are interested in documenting any credible evidence of mountain lions in the state. The following information will help avoid misidentification of an animal.
Photographs:
Tracks
Over the last 10 years, the Internet has made generating mountain lion hoaxes exceptionally easy. A hoaxster typically uses a legitimate mountain lion photograph taken in another state and then claims the image was taken in Kentucky.
Some hoaxsters find it amusing to scare people with false claims backed by photo “evidence.” Others believe the information is accurate and spread without questioning whether it’s real. Following are photos used in Kentucky's most widespread mountain lion Internet hoaxes. Before forwarding a mountain lion “report” to your friends, scroll down and see if any photos match.
HOAX:
This is one of the most widely circulated momountain lion hoax photographs. This image was claimed in Kentucky or several other states in the eastern U.S.
FACT:
This is an actual photo—but it was taken in South Texas on Feb. 15, 2009.
Several people contacted the KDFWR's Information Center after seeing these photographs that claimed this mountain lion was killed around Cadiz in western Kentucky.
This is a photo of a mountain lion struck and killed by a vehicle in northern Arizona in the winter of 2007.
The KDFWR Information Center received many emails about this 2011 photo, which is believed to have been taken in Eastern Kentucky.
FACT:This is a photo of a mountain lion in western Montana, taken by a remote camera in the summer of 2010.
HOAX:The KDFWR has received many emails of the above image with repeated claims that the image was captured by a remote trail camera in Pendleton County, KY, in December 2013 and Whitley County, KY, in February 2015.
FACT:This image is of a melanistic (black phase) leopard photographed on a remote camera within a captive facility in South Africa.