A photo recently began circulating on social media of a mountain lion laying in a cornfield. Despite what the caption says it was not taken near the small town of Washington, Kansas.
In fact the same photo began circulating online almost exactly one year ago, saying the photo was taken near Dodge City and several other locations in Kansas and other states.
It was actually taken in Brazil, according to Matt Peek, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism furbearer biologist who tracked down the origins of the photo of the big cat last year. Mark Dowling, of the Cougar Network, which documents mountain lions east of the Rocky Mountains, also said the photo was taken in Brazil.
Earlier this year Peek said Kansas has had about 20 confirmed mountain lion sightings or photos since 2007, when one was shot by a landowner near Medicine Lodge. It was the first documented mountain lion in Kansas in more than 100 years.
Three mountain lions were documented in northeast Kansas last fall, including one videoed by raccoon hunters when their dog chased it up a tree Thanksgiving night in Wabaunsee County. The other two were clear photographs of mountain lions taken by trail cameras. Peek said it’s possible all three could have been the same mountain lion.
In 2015 one mountain lion was found dead near Dodge City. That summer five photos or videos were also taken of lions. Peek is pretty sure those were the same animal, since the photos moved southward across Kansas at a steady pace.
Dowling said most of the mountain lions documented in the Midwest are transients from places like the Black Hills or Rocky Mountains, where there are large mountain lion populations.
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