# Cougar captured in Willmar neighborhood



## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

http://www.wctrib.com/articles/index.cfm?id=4340&section=homepage



Cougar captured in Willmar neighborhood
Peter Cox West Central Tribune
Published Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Police caught a cougar that was running through a residential neighborhood in southwest Willmar this morning.

Police received a call around 7:45 a.m. that a cougar was running between Rice and Grace Avenues on Sixth Street Southwest.

Officers tracked the cougar and were able to, with the help of the South 71 Vet Clinic and Robert Bolger of New London, tranquilized and trap the big cat around 9:30 a.m.

The cougar caused school officials to lock down Kennedy Elementary school, according to principal Scott Hisken.

It is still unclear whether the cougar was wild or a pet cat.

Cougar capture 
For more details and photos, read the West Central Tribune Wednesday.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

MossyMO said:


> It is still unclear whether the cougar was wild or a pet cat.


I didn't know they allowed cougars as pets???


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## adokken (Jan 28, 2003)

Dana O'Gorman out at Broadus,MT has several cougers for pets. Myself I can't stand house cats, so what would I do with a couger. To each their own.


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## Duck Commander (Oct 20, 2004)

a guy south of Arnegard, ND has a pet cougar. Neat watching the thing stalk him. It is declawed of course and he has had since it was 5 months. Now I believe it is a couple years old, not quite sure.


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

where the heck is Willmar?


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)




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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

I thought it was in MN, thanks Mossy.


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## sotaman (Apr 6, 2004)

buckseye I grew up in Litchfield witch is only four towns over from willmar. Right down highway 12. That is where a lot of you get your fine golden plump turkeys from.. I have an aunt and uncle that live there. I think the town is about the size of Minot.


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## Remington06 (Mar 7, 2005)

I live about 30 miles west of Willmar, outside the small town of Maynard, and what I heard about it is that the cougar was spotted lying in a tree outside of the elementary school before it took off.


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## DeltaBoy (Mar 4, 2004)

I grew up near Willmar too. I went to High School at Dassel Cokato - Go Chargers!


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## sotaman (Apr 6, 2004)

Chargers suck what year did you go there delta boy. It seems there wrestling team is down a ton this year. I think they still team up for hockey and swimming if I am not mistaken. I grew up in Litchfield if you didn't get that from my earlier post.


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

What are you doing up so early sota, looking for lions??


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## sotaman (Apr 6, 2004)

no porcupines..


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

:laugh: :rollin: :jammin:


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## DuckBuster (Mar 18, 2003)

Wow... Isn't this a Nodak site? It sure seems like there are alot of guys from the Litchfield, Dassel, Hutchinson area... and there aren't a whole lot of people in that area to start with! :beer:


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## maple lake duck slayer (Sep 25, 2003)

Yeah, they're the smart ones that moved to better hunting.


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## sotaman (Apr 6, 2004)

Duckbuster I grew up in litchfield and the summer I graduated I joined the air force so I am most likely taking a twenty year brake from the area.


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## NDMALLARD (Mar 9, 2002)

I am from Atwater just down Hwy 12 beween Litchfield and Willmar. Grew up on Diamond Lake - dad still lives there. Like I have said before, I moved to ND to hunt birds. Never regreted the move one bit and I haven't fired a gun in Minnesota for over 7 years and doubt I ever will hunt back there again. I had good hunting by Minnnesota standards, lots of rele's and friends who farm. Bird hunting in Minnesota just can't be compared to ND, the bad days here are still damn good


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## sotaman (Apr 6, 2004)

WILLMAR, Minn. - The cougar that was captured in Willmar earlier this week will be spending the rest of its days at a big cat facility in Tennessee. 
Tammy Quist of the Wildcat Sanctuary in Cedar picked up the cat from a veterinary clinic in Willmar just before noon Thursday. She was taking it to Chicago, where a representative from Tiger Haven of Kingston, Tenn., was to pick up the cat for the rest of the journey to its new home.

Quist said her own facility in Isanti County is full, so they contacted Tiger Haven, which agreed to take the cougar.

It's still a mystery how the cougar ended up in a Willmar neighborhood across from an elementary school, Quist said, but she's pretty sure the cougar used to be someone's pet.

Quist said it looked as if the cougar still had its summer coat, instead of its winter coat, meaning it was likely living indoors. The cougar is in good health though, she said, and appears to be well taken care of.

"We all agree it was someone's pet," she said. "It hasn't been aggressive or shown signs of distress."

Still, no one has come forward to claim the cougar.

"The vets are hoping that somebody does come forward," Quist said. "I'm assuming she got out accidentally and the person is afraid to come forward."


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