Although rumours of sightings have abounded for years, they had never been confirmed. Until now. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recently completed a four year study that has led it to conclude that eastern cougars do exist in Ontario. The findings were based on evidence ranging from DNA, to track photos and samples of scat.

Motion sensor cameras were set up in 30 different locations throughout the province, with six cameras in Peterborough as a result of frequent sightings. The latest sightings, between March and September 2009, were near Kenora, Sault Ste. Marie and Lindsay. Despite the many efforts to capture photos of cougars, so far none have been successful. This may be due to the large distances that a cougar travels – up to 50 km a night in search of prey – and their territories that expand between 500-1000 km². “The odds of getting a cougar photo is very slim, because they travel so much,” said Rick Rosatte, a senior research scientist with MNR in Peterborough.

Stuart Ken, president of the Ontario Puma Foundation, believes 95% of reported sightings are misidentifications as people mistake house cats, dogs, coyotes, wolves and even squirrels (hmmm) for cougars – what he calls ‘puma mania’, which is triggered by some individuals who believe they saw a cougar.

Although it is confirmed that cougars exist in Ontario, their exact numbers are still unknown. However, the Ontario Puma Foundation estimates that there are about 550 cougars. According to Rosatte, the cougars may be the remains of a native cougar population that was in Ontario, cougars coming from the west, those that have escaped or were released from captivity or a blend of all of the above.