ONTONAGON COUNTY, Mich,. (WPBN/WGTU) — Nine months after two cougar kittens were first spotted in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for the first time in over 100 years, new trail camera photos confirm the young animals are alive and still traveling with their mother, according to the Michigan DNR.
The DNR verified a December 6, 2025, image from central Ontonagon County showing an adult cougar followed by two juveniles now believed to be about a year old.
The sighting marks the first confirmed instance of cougar reproduction east of the Mississippi River in more than a century, according to the DNR.
Cougars are extremely rare in Michigan, and past genetic testing has only identified adult males.
“The kittens’ chances of survival are actually pretty high because just like bears, cougars invest a lot of their energy into their young,” DNR Large Carnivore Specialist Brian Roell said. “So these kittens will stay with their mom through this winter and possibly even into next winter. They already have a leg up, seeing as how they’ve been with her for a year now.”
Despite the agency operating more than 1,300 trail cameras in the U.P., the family went undocumented since March, a gap Roell calls “a mystery.”
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Cougars remain endangered in Michigan, and it is illegal to hunt or harass them. The DNR urges the public to respect wildlife habitat and avoid disturbing the animals.