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| Cougars rarely attack people; in fact, you have a better chance of being hit by lightning than attacked by cougars. In the rare event of attacks, most aggressive cougars are either ill or young just learning to survive. Children are more vulnerable than adults and unaccompanied children are at the greatest risk. According to a study of attacks from 1890-1986, all human deaths by cougars were to unaccompanied children. Because cougars stalk and pounce upon their prey, they often will hunt steep slopes using the weight of gravity to add force to their intial impact - be careful climbing in steep terrain. |
| There have been two recorded incidences of cougars stalking pedestrians in Michigan - Sleeping Bear Dunes and Delta County. Both appear to be what experts call "curiosity stalks" instead of the person being stalked as prey. |
 Sleeping Bear Dunes Stalk |
| Delta County Stalk |
| It appears that aggressive response by humans may impede or repel an attack. In a study, people who fought back with bare hands, a stick, a knife, a jacket, or a rock were usually successful in repelling the attack. Northern University Cougar Attack Study |
| COUGAR HABITATS |
| COUGAR RECOGNITION |
| MINIMIZING LIVESTOCK LOSSES |
| DNR BROCHURE ON PREDATOR KILLED LIVESTOCK |
| The link below will take you to a recently developed DNR brochure about determining if your livestock was killed by a predator. While the brochure currently does not include cougar information, the Department promised in early October to revise the brochure to include the cougar. |
| DID A PREDATOR KILL MY LIVESTOCK? |
| SAFETY |
 Michigan Wildlife Conservancy |
| Mountain Lion Foundation |
