http://www.miwildlife.org/c_ai_education.asp

DNA evidence of cougars in seven MI counties. Do they need to walk up and purr in your lap to believe it's at least possible?

Cougars are secretive, solitary predators and rarely seen when they don't want to be. They are undoubtedly a LOT more common out West yet I know people that live and hunt out there that have gone 30 years without seeing one that had not been first treed by dogs.

I'm not sure why the idea that cougars may be moving east is received with such hostility by individuals who have no proof that they haven't, either. Either way, I had one in my backyard only 40 miles north of Toledo in suburban Detroit when I backed up on an undeveloped area, spotted in the same timeframe as a number of sightings by others. The officer who responded to my call told me that the DNR had set up several traps in the area in an attempt to capture it. As a trained biologist who spotted the animal from less than 50 feet and observed it for a good couple minutes, I'll respectfully chuckle at the internet doubters.