[Cluricaun]

Being that this was the city I wouldn't be totally surprised if some moron was keeping it as a pet and it escaped, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there are cougars living in the city either and nobody knew about them either........


http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=172934

 

[Musky Tyme]

Unbelievable, wow

 

[mplant1]

Yeah I read that from the Trib website. Seems like a ton of people are mad because it was killed, rather than being tranquilized. I think the cops needed to react on the spot... I wonder what others on CLF think about it...

 

[FishinMatt]

Ideally it would have been nice to tranq it, but realistically do you think CPD responds to emergency call with tranq guns. It really was a unique situation. In an urban area they could not chance that cat getting away. What if they waited for animal control to tranq it and it jumps a fence, runs a couple of blocks down, and mauls a kid? The end result is very sad, but not suprising. I think the real interesting thing is going to be if they can find out where this cat came from. I know they are extending there range, but Good Lord

 

[Nonpoint]

Those are probably the same people that would have said the city wasnt doing enough if the thing ended up hurting someone.

Put yourself in front of a 150 pound wildcat, are you going to stand there and hope it runs away or are you going to pull the trigger the second it flinches at you?

It easy for people that arent putting themselves in harms way to protect others to criticize the actions of those that are.

 

[fishingbass5]

The city did the right thing. It was jumping 6 foot fences in a single leap. Think of what would have happened if on the other side of one of those fences were kids playing in their yard.There have been sightings in Wilmette, North Chicago, and around Gurnee. The last was Wilmette, I don't know how far they will travel at a time. It is definitely a unique situation, I definately would have pulled the trigger if I was in the same place as the CPD

 

[Cluricaun]

If the thing had been living around the area for a while (no doubt loving the abundance of rats and bunnies around here) it didn't pose much danger, but once a cougar gets cornered it almost has to be shot. The responders did the right thing.

 

[fooman]

The CPD did the right thing..they've been searching for it for a while now hoping to tanquilize it..
It will be interesting to see if DNA can tell if its wild or someones pet but it didn't look like it was missing to many meals

 

[mplant1]

People on the Sun Times site were making funny comments like, "The mountain lion is ENDANGERED AND A PROTECTIVE SPECIES IN ILLINOIS!!"



Right. The cat made its way down from the Rockies which are down the block from us....

 

[Hunden]

It would look good on my wall 8

 

[TCWJoe]

There is talk that it may not be the same cougar spotted in Wilmette, Skokie and North Chicago.

Look at your map, you can follow the trail of the cat along the rivers through the forest preserves. I remember about a year or two ago talk of one in the Round Lake area. In the north burbs there is plenty of connected wooded areas that this thing could have been moving around for years without being noticed. It's probably been feeding on deer, possums, racoons and garbage for years.

I bet there's quite a few out there that just have never been spotted. It says on Wikipedia (so don't take me as an expert) their home ranges can be from about fifty to several hundred square miles. Well if you think about it, that's not that big of an area, and they don't like their teritories to overlap with other cougars, so maybe the Wilmette cougar and Chicago cougar have pushed against each others territories hard enough that this one made its way into the city without realizing that it was going so far out of nature.

Also I am sick of people at my work whining about they should have tranquilized it instead of killing it. In a perfect world yes, but once they had it, and had it contained if they could have gotten a traquilizer gun there before it became aggressive, great. I don't know why people seem to think Chicago cops are driving around with trank guns in their cars. The closest probable location of a tranq gun that could have taken it down would have been Lincoln Park Zoo, and to get their guys mobile and on location fast enough to keep the kitty contained just really isn't likely. I agree with the guy that said "those people saying they shouldn't have killed it are the same people that would say the police didn't do enough if someone got hurt".

Just my thoughts.

 

[basspike]

That thing was big enough to kill little kids easily, I have no problem with how it was taken care of personally.

 

[Joe D]

all the monday morning quarterbacks get on my nerves too!!! :evil: unless you were there how can you say "what should have been done" I think they did the right thing at the time. this is not something that happens everyday. these are the same knuckleheads that would say it should have been shot had it attacked a kid. you cant win with stupid people.

this has got me thinking.........maybe there are killer gators in the sewers????

Joe

 

[TCWJoe]

all the monday morning quarterbacks get on my nerves too!!! :evil: unless you were there how can you say "what should have been done" I think they did the right thing at the time. this is not something that happens everyday. these are the same knuckleheads that would say it should have been shot had it attacked a kid. you cant win with stupid people.

this has got me thinking.........maybe there are killer gators in the sewers????

Joe

That reminds me of a quote either by my favorite wrestling anouncer (and Chicago Native) Bobby "the Brain" Heenan or another real good one Jerry "The King" Lawler "Never get in an argument with an idiot. They'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience"

 

[Denny]

This Thread is so absurd to listen to in some respects. Those of you with such an urban mentality. It's unbelievable !!! Do some research of the species. It the west where they are really at home they have a range per animal of an area as big as Cook and McHenry Co. combined. Theay are nomadic animals. They den when they are with Kittens other wise they roam. Multiple animals do roam the same crossing over territories. You might as well say there are Big-Foots in the Woods by Busse Lake too. This animal has either been let go or escape from someone. They might never know. Don't say it could kill kids.. This animal could kill grow adults in a min. I'm neither pro or con on the subject, but the police probably had to do this for the safety of the general population in Chicago. Plus they were probably scared sh..... less of the animal too. SO many people who live in an urban environment have no comprehension on how to deal with a situation like this. Is it sad? Yes !!! But it's a reality. I could go on and on, but Nor would I sway those who are so narrow in their thinking that they could comprehend outside and beyond the concrete they live on and within. It would just be fall on deaf ears. It's sad, It a freak occurence and thankfully no one got hurt. Charlie Potter this morning on WGN starts talking about how they migrate and range in the wild. He couldn't have been more ridiculous and narrow. He talked like he was reading out of a book. This is all from living out in those spaces and drawing from 45 years of outdoor experience. I'm waiting for the Black Bear, Elk or Wolverine siting next? I hear due to Global warming they are filtering into the area too.

 

[Maui Jim]

That thing was big enough to kill little kids easily, I have no problem with how it was taken care of personally.

That Cougar could have killed a 250lb man just as easily. Those fangs to the neck/jugular and it's game over. It is sad that it had to be put down but it was the right thing to do considering everything. I'm just amazed it got so far into the city/urban area without alot more sightings sooner. I can't believe that FOX camera man caught it on tape strolling right behind that guy on the sidewalk. Wonder if there were any lost/missing pets reported in the last few days around there?

 

[Ed]

Wonder if there were any lost/missing pets reported in the last few days around there?

I would imagine they'll check it's stomach contents.

Kinda like the lottery, people like to dream of what they would do if they won.

In this scenario, depending on which side of the fence you're on (hopefully the safe side ) people like to dream about the what ifs.

What if it is wild?
What if there are others?
And so on...

Unlikely but so is winning the lottery, it's something different and bigger than we can really comprehend for the moment so we dream.

Denny says...

I'm waiting for the Black Bear, Elk or Wolverine siting next?

It wasn't all that long ago and I would have thought you were goofy if you said you saw herons and eegrets along the Fox River too.
Now there's beavers in downtown and a few otters too.
Once in a while people see loons in the spring, sure they're migrating but we never saw them before.
BTW - I've seen them, pretty cool to see a loon on the river in St. Charles or Elgin.

No, I don't think the cougar was wild nor do I think we'll see bears, elk, and wolverine anytime soon but seeing new kinds of animals around gets people thinking.

 

[TCWJoe]

I'm waiting for the Black Bear, Elk or Wolverine siting next? I hear due to Global warming they are filtering into the area too.

I've seen Elk in the forest preserve at Arlington Heights Road and Higgins (yes I know those are caged).

But I did see the first Loon I've ever seen in DuPage last week at West Branch Forest Preserve.

 

[fishingbass5]

we've had loons on crystal for several years, every fall and every spring there are two that show up. As far as other animals that are showing up. It is conceivable to think they are out there. The wolves in WI are moving south, last report I heard is they are just north of Madison. With all the development the human population is doing, the animals are being pushed to urban environments. They are adapting and learning to live amongst us and we don't even know it. Now I know we would never see a wild moose or elk but coyotes have been in Chicago for many many years and if you don't believe that, you are kidding yourself. I have first hand knowledge.

 

[fishnmagician]

I could go on and on, but Nor would I sway those who are so narrow in their thinking that they could comprehend outside and beyond the concrete they live on and within. It would just be fall on deaf ears.

You did, and it is. :roll: