DNA reveals different origins for Missouri mountain lions

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Four cougars seen in Missouri came from three states.

JEFFERSON CITY–DNA test results show that four mountain lions seen in Missouri last year came from three Western states, illustrating the species’ capacity for long-distance travel.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) confirmed 14 mountain-lion sightings in 2011. That was a sharp increase from the previous 16 years, when MDC was able to document only 12 cougar sightings.

Four of the 2011 sightings yielded hair or tissue samples adequate for DNA testing. Eleven Western states maintain databases of mountain-lion DNA. Comparing the genetic makeup of cougars found in Missouri enables biologists to learn if they came from one of these states.

DNA tests tied two young male cougars to the Black Hills area of South Dakota. One was shot by a raccoon hunter in Ray County in January 2011. A Texas County homeowner shot the other one in September.

DNA from the young male mountain lion killed by coyote hunters in Macon County in January 2011was traced to central Montana. The remaining cougar, which left a tuft of hair on a barbed-wire fence after crossing the road in front of a motorist in Oregon County, was related to mountain lions from Colorado. DNA showed the Oregon County cat also was a male.

“Large carnivores have big home ranges,” says Resource Scientist Jeff Beringer, “and males disperse long distances in search of females. It seems logical that the rate of dispersal would be greater when cats have repopulated available habitat in neighboring states, but there is also an innate drive to travel.”

2011 remains a puzzling aberration in Missouri’s mountain-lion history. The largest number of sightings documented by MDC in any previous year was two, in 2006 and 2010. MDC has confirmed two sightings so far this year.

“Increased public awareness and the growing popularity of trail cameras might account for part of the increase in sightings,” says Beringer, “but last year’s spike is hard to explain. What we now know for sure is that mountain lions are traveling a long way to get here.”

All wildlife is protected under the provisions of the Wildlife Code of Missouri. However, the Code provides for the taking of wildlife during prescribed hunting and trapping seasons and under other circumstances, such as when mountain lions are attacking or killing livestock or domestic animals or threatening human safety. MDC has not stocked mountain lions in Missouri and has no plans to do so.

MDC has established a Mountain Lion Response Team to gather mountain lion reports and investigate those for which there is physical evidence. You can report sightings by email to mountain.lion@mdc.mo.gov. For information about mountain lions in Missouri, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/4168 or  mdc.mo.gov/node/3505.

Missouri Top State for Camping

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The people have spoken: Missouri is the No. 1 state for camping in the U.S.

About.com, a reference website maintained by the New York Times Company, announced Friday the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Award for Favorite State for Camping, and Missouri took top honors. Missouri took the website’s gold award, silver winner Montana and bronze winner, Colorado, in an online vote.

  “The First Lady and I are proud that Missouri has been selected as a renowned camping destination,”Gov. Nixon said. “Missouri is the perfect place to enjoy the great outdoors, so plan to experience our quiet hills, deep woodlands, wide open prairies, and clear Ozark streams on your next camping adventure, and you'll see why the readers picked Missouri as their favorite camping state."

“This is yet another solid indicator that Missouri State Parks is the ultimate destination for your next camping experience,” said Bill Bryan, director of Missouri State Parks, a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “Our parks and historic sites offer an impressive glimpse of the natural and cultural beauty throughout our state.”

Missouri Division of Tourism Director Katie Steele Danner credited Missouri’s State Parks and privately-held campgrounds for helping Missouri secure the top spot on About.com’s Readers’ Choice Awards.

“All around Missouri, our campgrounds offer unique and fun ways to reconnect with the outdoors and to create fond and long-lasting memories of trips to Missouri,” Danner said. “We’re proud of all the campgrounds in the Show-Me State and offer a collective ‘congratulations’ for this honor.”

Now in its fifth year, the About.com Readers' Choice Awards honor the best products, features and services across more than a dozen categories, ranging from technology to hobbies to parenting and more, as selected by its readers.

 “This year's Readers' Choice Awards program had a record number of nominations submitted across dozens of categories and featured hundreds of finalists,” said Margot Weiss, managing editor, About.com. “We are thankful to all our readers for their participation and congratulate Missouri on their success.”

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Upcoming Float Trip and Another Contraption

Here in a few days, we are headed on a float trip to one of Missouri's less traveled streams...so I am not talking about the Meramec or Current Rivers. There will be a party of five in a 12 foot jon boat and a 14' canoe. We are also bringing an inflatable kayak. That's about all the details I will give right now about the actual trip logistics, but I'll report all the happenings after we return.

What I will say is that I built a pretty cool rack to carry our canoe and jon boat down to the river. Since I cannot weld and am way too cheap to buy a ready made rack, it is built from wood. I will include some pics after our trip is over. I constantly am given grief by my wife and kids about the hoosier contraptions I build for these types of trips.

Several years ago, we took a trip to Montana, Wyoming, and a few other places out West. I built the most outrageous contraption to stow out gear in my crew cab Chevy S-10. My kids would not be seen in it in our home town, but admitted after the trip it was pretty cool.