150 lb Cougar shot and killed in Roscoe Village (Chicago, Des Plaines: buying, moving)

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by jimbo13

ahh, illegal snakes. my roommate and i had a pygmy rattler back in florida and he got careless handling it after a while. it bit him on the finger and by the time i got him over to the hospital his legs had already started going numb. he was in the hospital for eight days and received ten bags of antivenom, they almost had to chop the finger off it rotted so bad. we told the dr that our cat got out and when he reached into the bushes to get it something bit him.

Pygmys rock, gorgeous little rattlers they are. No need to handle them though. Good thing they got the necrosis under control.

[dragoro]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Sorry, didnt know they were in PA.

Yes, I know what a Taipan is. And while very dangerous, they wont kill you in a minute. Well, unless youre severely allergic to the venom that is. And many people out here in the US keep and handle cobras, taipans, corals, mambas, etc. The guy in Lake Forest (Rob Carmichael) has several cobras, some mambas, etc. Really neat place to go visit. He'll show you the "hot room" upon request. Ive been back in there several times and its awesome. I spend alot of time out in the AZ desert and MO glades herpin for venomous snakes. Havent had too much luck, but have run across western diamondbacks (Crotalus atrox), copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix), etc. I mainly hunt for scorpions and tarantulas, but snakes are sweet to find too.

Woo hoo! A fellow herper in chicago. Aint it a rush when ya come across them hots. Don't know why but they always have the most beautifull markings. Only thing that compares was my brb. Those are gorgeous too.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by dragoro

Woo hoo! A fellow herper in chicago. Aint it a rush when ya come across them hots. Don't know why but they always have the most beautifull markings. Only thing that compares was my brb. Those are gorgeous too.

Yeah, we herp all the time during spring, summer and fall. Havent seen a hot up here yet, but I know there are some massasaugas and timbers up here, just gotta find em dammit. I always run across water snakes (Nerodia), brown snakes (Storeria), garters, queens (Regina), etc, etc. You should join up on Field Herp Forum and check it out sometime.

As for the cougars around here, its kinda creepy knowing that theyre becoming more common in parts of the region.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

Ha. Atta boy.

Someone had to do it.

[dragoro]

Awesome ill definitely check it out. As for moccasins, when I lived in mich, I only found them in the very nothern part of lower peninsula for some reason. Not sure if that coorelates on this side of the lake.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by dragoro

Awesome ill definitely check it out. As for moccasins, when I lived in mich, I only found them in the very nothern part of lower peninsula for some reason. Not sure if that coorelates on this side of the lake.

Im almost 100% sure that cottonmouths (aka water moccasins) dont range further north than southern Illinois. You might have seen harmless northern water snakes?

[Tex?Il?]

I'm still thinking the cougar USED to be a pet. Lots of people keep wild animals, ignorant of the fact that it will grow up. It may have been just wandering feral. Two years ago I believe there was an alligator sighted on the Des Plaines River.

Its possible cougars might be making there way back. They DO cover a lot of ground. I've read that an adult can move 50 miles a night. Their comeback could easily be fueled by deer overpopulation all over the country (50-60 years ago white-tailed deer were very rare!!).

Still though, I'm still thinking it was a pet at one time.

[Avengerfire]

For all the doubters-here is something to chew on.

Cougar killed on North Side may have wandered from Black Hills -- chicagotribune.com

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

It may have been just wandering feral. Two years ago I believe there was an alligator sighted on the Des Plaines River.

It wasn't a feral cat, it was a fricken' 150 pound COUGAR. They shot and killed it, and video of it has been all over the TV news.

Cougars are native to this part of the country (or just north of here anyway), so it's not that hard to believe that this happened. They are examining the contents of its stomach to see what it has been eating. That should be interesting to hear.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

It wasn't a feral cat, it was a fricken' 150 pound COUGAR. They shot and killed it, and video of it has been all over the TV news.

Cougars are native to this part of the country (or just north of here anyway), so it's not that hard to believe that this happened. They are examining the contents of its stomach to see what it has been eating. That should be interesting to hear.

I'm not talking about a feral HOUSE cat, I'm talking about a cougar that someone might have kept as a young one, and then let it go after it got too big. This kind of thing happens all the time with exotic animals.

Also, I've heard something in regards to how zoos can't take in animals that are donated by people who raised exotic animals and have grown into something that one can't handle. Due to liability or something. So that might make it more likely to be a former pet.

Anyways, yes cougars WERE originally native to this part of the country, as were black bears, elk, wolves, and bison. These animals (although black bears to a lesser extent) HIGHLY prefer VERY remote untrammeled areas. There are a few cougars in the northwoods of the upper Great Lakes. They are still VERY rare however.

They could still be recolonizing areas they used to be native to. Animals can lose a fear of people if they aren't hunted anymore, and have abundant deer to eat. So yes it is still possible, but I still think the likelihood of it coming from the black hills, or the wilds of the northwoods is still kind of small