MDC has never stocked or released mountain lions in Missouri and has no plans to do so. People, livestock, and pets face a much greater risk from familiar dangers we encounter including automobiles, stray dogs, and lightning strikes. No mountain lion attack on a human has ever been recorded in the state. The risk of a mountain lion attack in Missouri remains highly unlikely. These factors all likely play a role in the increased number of confirmed mountain lion sightings in our state.вЂќ

WeвЂ™ve also established more efficient methods for reporting and investigating mountain lion sightings. вЂњAs technology has advanced, weвЂ™ve seen an explosion in the numbers of game cameras across the Missouri landscape. вЂњWe know the mountain lion population has grown in western states, and that could translate to more dispersing mountain lions making their way into Missouri, but we have also gotten better at finding them,вЂќ Conlee said. 21, MDC confirmed a male mountain lion was struck and killed by a vehicle on Interstate 70 in Warren County.Д¬onfirmations have become more common in recent years, likely due to a combination of factors, according to MDC Furbearer Biologist Laura Conlee. Since 1994, MDC has recorded 68 confirmed mountain lion sightings in the state. Since then, all mountain lion sightings confirmed by the MLRT have either proven to be males, or have provided insufficient evidence to determine the animalвЂ™s sex.

In 1996, the Department established its Mountain Lion Response Team (MLRT) with specially-trained staff to investigate reports and evidence of mountain lions. вЂњThe detection of a female increases the likelihood that breeding could occur within the state, but at this point we donвЂ™t have evidence that a breeding population exists in Missouri.вЂќ вЂњMountain lions are still rare in Missouri,вЂќ said MDC Wildlife Management Coordinator Alan Leary. This is the first definitive confirmation of a female mountain lion being present in Missouri since 1994. Those results indicated the mountain lion was a female with a probable origin in the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota, and Northwest Nebraska. All mountain lion artwork ships within 48 hours and includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently received DNA results from a confirmed mountain lion in Shannon County. Shop for mountain lion wall art from the worlds greatest living artists. Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

Missouri mountain lion