Though mountain lions once roamed the hills and forests of Wisconsin, persecution at the hands of humans has driven them locally extinct in the state. Fear and misinformation were the main forces driving this extirpation. But attitudes have changed since the early 1900s and there's hope for the future.
If we support mountain lion-friendly legislation, open space conservation, and preserve corridors connecting potential habitat, we could reverse this situation and bring mountain lions back home to Wisconsin.
The status of Puma concolor.
Though mountain lions once roamed the hills and forests of Wisconsin, persecution at the hands of humans has driven them locally extinct in the state. Fear and misinformation were the main forces driving this extirpation. But attitudes have changed since the early 1900s and there's hope for the future.
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Mountain lion law in Wisconsin.Here you will find all the governing state statutes, mountain lion legal status, state laws, information about the state legislature, initiative and referendum processes, and the state wildlife agency, mountain lion management plans, mountain lion hunting laws, depredation laws, and other regulations as appropriate. Click here to learn more about law |
The history of lions in the state.
Before European settlement, mountain lions once occurred throughout Wisconsin, and moved between Wisconsin and neighboring states. Ideal habitat would have occurred in the forests, hills, and along the timbered streams, but mountain lions could have persisted anywhere there was ample prey.
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Lion habitat in Wisconsin.
Though mountain lions once roamed the hills and forests of Wisconsin, persecution at the hands of humans drove them locally extinct. If we support open space conservation and preserve corridors connecting potential habitat, we could reverse this situation and bring mountain lions back home to Wisconsin.
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The science of lions in the state.
Though mountain lions once roamed the great state of Wisconsin, human persecution has eliminated them from its hills and forests. With no mountain lion population to study, there isn't any current research to report in Wisconsin.
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Take action for lions.While native to the state, about 100 years ago, eastern mountain lions were extripated from Wisconsin. More recently, occasional mountain lions have ventured into Wisconsin from the west. Thus far, there has been no effort to develop a cougar management plan. |