We Saw A Cougar in the Park!!!

OK – this is actually a picture of my cousin Heather’s cat – Maggie Muggins. She’s standing in for the cougar that Carolyn and I saw crossing the highway at kilometer 5 at 7:30 a.m. when we were on our way to the market in Gravenhurst. I slammed on the brakes as a large cat-like animal bounded across the road in front of our car. I backed up to try and get a picture but the animal was already gone. When we stopped and described what we had seen to a couple of Park wardens, they assured us that from our description we had most definitely seen a cougar. It was about 5 feet tall with a very long tail and after it crossed the road, it leapt up the nearest hill in two long bounds. Apparently cougars have been spotted before, but since there has never been one trapped or killed in the Park, they are not considered “confirmed” as part of the wildlife population. They are however, mentioned in the “Mammals of Algonquin” guide along with lynx and bobcats as possibly present. We’re here to assure you that at least one cougar is definitely in the Park!