What's More Rare Than A Cougar Sighting in Tennessee? A Photograph of One, Says TWRA

WPLN | By Emil Moffatt

Published October 7, 2015 at 4:42 AM CDT

A trail cam in Obion County spotted what appears to be a cougar late last month.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says there’s been a possible cougar sighting in the northwest part of the state.

“We occasionally get reports of sightings. But very rarely, if ever, do we get any photographic evidence or find any remains or anything like that,” said TWRA spokesman Don King.

He says someone on private property in Obion County snapped a picture of the creature with a trail camera on Sept. 20.

King notes that cougars are most commonly found in the upper Midwest, the Dakotas or in Texas, but there have also been sightings as far east as Connecticut. As for the cougar photographed in Tennessee, King says he’s likely roaming alone.

“The young males will travel hundreds of miles away from their native ranges in search of new territory,” said King.

The TWRA issued a reminder that cougars are a protected species in Tennessee and it’s illegal to hunt them.