Conservation department confirms Boone County mountain lion sighting
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Missouri Department of Conservation team confirmed Tuesday a report of a mountain lion sighting in northern Boone County.
Department regional spokeswoman Maddie Est said the Large Carnivore Response Team visited the property owner in Sturgeon and confirmed the legitimacy of game camera video that showed a mountain lion in the area last week. Est said the animal has likely moved on from the area.
Mountain lions were once indigenous to Missouri but the conservation department believes these days they're just passing through the state.
A Missouri Department of Conservation website lists 99 confirmed mountain lion sightings in Missouri since 1994. Est said some more recent sightings have yet to be added to the list.
The list includes reports from Callaway, Montgomery, Boone, Cole, Gasconade, Macon and Pulaski counties in Mid-Missouri. The most recent Boone County sighting on the list was in 2015 when an animal was recorded on a game camera.
A YouTube account under the name "BrokenMonkey" posted a video last week of the mountain lion he caught walking in the woods on a game camera.
Male mountain lions can weigh up to 265 pounds.
If you do encounter a mountain lion stay 100 yards away, the Department of Conservation says. Remain calm, do not approach the lion, avoid rapid movements or running, make your presence known then slowly back away and leave the area.
