First Cougar Sighting In Louisiana Since 2011

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has confirmed the first sighting in five years.

The department released a screen cap from a trail camera of a mountain lion in the northeastern part of the state. A cougar in the wild hasn't been seen in Louisiana in over five years, the last sighting being in August of 2011.

"It is quite possible that this animal could be photographed on other trail cameras placed at deer feeders," said Maria Davidson, the department's Large Carnivore Program manager. "It is unlikely this cougar will remain in any one area longer than it would take to consume a kill. It is impossible to determine if the animal in the photograph is a wild, free-ranging cougar or an escaped captive."

Most reports of cougars in the state are later confirmed to be bob cats, or house cats, per the department.