After the DNR had discovered the photographers, they gained permission to confirm the area and also established connections with other private property owners who have agreed to share any more cougar pictures taken with their field cameras. 

The photographers first believed that they were looking at bobcats. However, the cougar cubs possess different features from bobcats, with the cougar cubs having longer tails and large black spots on their backs and bobcats having stubby tails and white spots on the backs of their ears.

The sighting has no immediate impact on laws and regulations regarding cougars in Michigan but still remain a fully protected species. It is illegal to harass the animals and this includes trying to track down the animals’ den, running dogs onto them or touching them. Fines for harassing cougars varies county by county in Michigan.

The last thing we would want to do is cause abandonment to the cubs,” Wildlife Biologist Brian Roell said. “We hope people leave them alone and do not trespass onto property to try and see them. It is all private property in that area.”

Cougar cubs have been spotted in Ontonagon County. This is the first time cubs have been verified in Michigan in over 100 years. (Photo courtesy of Michigan DNR)

Roell recommends that anyone who takes pictures of cougars or finds traces of cougars such as paw prints to send the evidence to the Eyes in the Field page on the DNR website. Reports can be analyzed and data collected for studies regarding the cougars’ presence in Michigan.

Cougar cubs typically are inseparable from their mothers for the first two years, and trying to get close to the cubs is dangerous. It is unknown if the two cubs were reunited with the mother, but the DNR is remaining hopeful that they will find each other in the future.

While no immediate studies are planned from the confirmation of the cubs, future studies are possible and Roell expressed enthusiasm about the presence of the cubs and the overall ecosystem of the U.P.

“It’s pretty exciting when you think about it,” he said. “Where else can you go in the country where you can see a mountain lion, wolf and moose in the same state? The ecosystem that can support a large carnivore like this is exciting and unique.”