Community Corner
Cougar Sightings Reported In Yorkville
It's not the first time this year that sightings of the big cat have been reported in the area.
YORKVILLE, IL — Yorkville police say officials are investigating possible cougar sightings in the area. Two sightings were reported on Thursday, one just before 5 p.m. at Fox Road and Poplar Drive, and one around 9:49 p.m. in the 200 block of West Center Street.
Yorkville Deputy Police Chief Ray Mikolasek told WSPY the first sighting was of a "large tan cat with a wide tail."
The second caller said they spotted a cougar walking towards Game Farm Road. While police who investigated the calls did not locate a cougar, it's not the first time this year cougar sightings have been reported in the area. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)
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According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, cougars, also known as mountain lions, haven't roamed Illinois since before 1870. Still, sightings of the big cat have been confirmed in recent years. Three sightings were confirmed between 2002 and 2008, and a male cougar was shot and killed on the north side of Chicago in 2008. "More recently, photos taken by trail cameras in Jo Daviess County (September 2012) and in Morgan, Pike and Calhoun counties (October and November 2012) were confirmed by IDNR as showing a live cougar," IDNR said.
In November 2013, an IDNR officer shot and killed a cougar in rural Whiteside County.
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In January of this year, a cougar sighting was reported in DuPage County's East Branch Forest Preserve in Glendale Heights. IDNR officials who arrived in the area to investigate were unable to confirm the sighting. Additional sightings were reported several days later. One report was debunked as having been a coyote, but the the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County placed wildlife cameras along trials to try to capture cougar sightings on film.
Other large cats —namely bobcats — have also been spotted in Kane County in recent years.
Photo via Shutterstock
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