For the People in the Back, There Are No Mountain Lions in KY

In just one day about a decade ago, I encountered a lion and a Siberian tiger. It was quite something. Don't tell me you won't find big cats in Kentucky. (You just have to visit the Louisville Zoo, wink wink.)

Mountain Lions in Kentucky

There has been debate about whether or not there really are mountain lions living in Kentucky. But it's really a debate that can end, but with an asterisk, and that asterisk comes to us courtesy of this sad story from 2015.

It's clear that putting the animal down was not what anyone wanted, but left with no choice, under the circumstances, I get it. But that's the kind of story that will people, if they don't dig deep enough, to believe we still have them roaming about. And don't let a page dedicated to mountain lions at the Kentucky Department for Fish & Wildlife Resources lead you to believe otherwise.

Were There Ever Cougars in Kentucky?

The Commonwealth was once home to the eastern cougar, but it was declared extinct in 2011, explaining that the species was gone from our midst by the 1930s. Essentially, the page is there to dispel any rumors about the presence of these big cats. It even shows us a comparison between lion tracks and big dog tracks in case someone witnesses the latter and reports it as the former.

So, no matter how many posts you see like this...

...just know that there are no lions native to Kentucky. There's a nearly 100% chance that if you do see something like that, you are walking in a bobcat's footsteps.