‘Extremely rare’ animal is struck and killed on Illinois road, wildlife officials say
Over 150 years ago, hunting and habitat loss eliminated this animal from Illinois; this week, a driver hit one on the interstate, according to wildlife officials.
A mountain lion was struck and killed by a vehicle driving along I-88 in DeKalb County on Sunday, Oct. 16, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said in a news release.
Officials believe this is the same mountain lion that was seen on trail cameras in Whiteside County in late September. This sighting was the first confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in Illinois since 2014, according to wildlife officials,
The mountain lion’s carcass – the fifth found in Illinois since 2002 – was taken to the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana for further analysis, officials said. Researchers want to understand where the animal came from and how it came to be in the Midwest.
Mountain lions, also called cougars, are “extremely rare” in Illinois after the species was eliminated from the state in the 1870s, officials said. A few mountain lions have been spotted in Illinois over the past few decades, but wildlife officials say these are typically younger animals passing through from breeding populations in South Dakota.
Mountain lions are a protected species in Illinois, officials said. Hunting, killing or harassing them is illegal unless the animal poses imminent threat to a person or property.
DeKalb County is about 60 miles west of Chicago.
This story was originally published October 18, 2022 at 7:59 AM with the headline "‘Extremely rare’ animal is struck and killed on Illinois road, wildlife officials say."
