Trail Cameras Capture First Cougar Kittens in Minnesota in Over 100 Years
Trail cameras operated by the University of Minnesota’s Voyageurs Wolf Project have captured the first documented evidence of cougar kittens in Minnesota in over 100 years, indicating possible reproduction of cougars in the state. The footage, recorded near Voyageurs National Park, shows a female cougar with three kittens feeding at a kill site. While cougars were once native to Minnesota and have been seen occasionally as transient individuals, this sighting marks a significant development in the potential reestablishment of a breeding population.
- ▪Remote trail cameras near Voyageurs National Park captured video of a female cougar with three kittens in late March 2026.
- ▪This is the first confirmed evidence of cougar reproduction in Minnesota in more than a century.
- ▪The footage was collected by the Voyageurs Wolf Project using cameras set up near a GPS-collared deer believed to have been killed by a cougar.
- ▪Biologist John Erb estimates the kittens are 7–9 months old, born in the fall of 2025, and likely the offspring of a transient female from western states.
- ▪Although cougars have been sighted in Minnesota before, previous kitten sightings were attributed to captive animals, not wild reproduction.
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Trail Cameras Capture First Cougar Kittens in Minnesota in Over 100 Years May 01, 2026 Pesala Bandara Trail cameras captured incredibly rare footage of cougar kittens in Minnesota — the first confirmed evidence in more than a century that cougars are reproducing in the state. freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: "PetaPixel_728x90_ATF_Desktop", slotId: "PetaPixel_728x90_ATF_Desktop" }); freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: "PetaPixel_300x600_300x250_320x50_Mobile", slotId: "PetaPixel_300x600_300x250_320x50_Mobile" }); In late March, remote cameras placed near Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota recorded a female cougar with three large kittens.
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