State wildlife officials say they have confirmed two cougar cubs in the Upper Peninsula.
It’s the first such sighting in the wild in more than a century.
“It’s pretty exciting, considering this could be the first known cougar reproduction in modern times in the western Great Lakes states,” said Brian Roell, large carnivore specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says the big cats were hunted out of existence in Michigan in the early 1900s.
Wildlife biologists say cougars in Michigan tend to be transient visitors from western states. DNA testing confirmed only male cougars in recent years.
The two cougar cubs confirmed in the western U.P. are believed to be between seven and nine weeks old, an age where the cubs are highly dependent on their mother.
The cubs were spotted and photographed without their mother.
The cougar cubs have not been seen since March 6.
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