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Over the last 25 years there have been 128 confirmed mountain lion sightings in Missouri. How are they confirmed? Pictures and videos from game cameras, hunters, property owners, MDC agents and lastly dead lion carcasses found in the wild or on the side of roads.

Mountain lions, also known as cougars, pumas, panthers, or catamounts, were common in Missouri and the Midwest before European settlement but were eradicated in the 19th century as settlers shot them and depleted their primary food source, deer.

The last native wild mountain lion in Missouri was killed in 1927. T\8. Though populations of mountain lions survived in remote mountainous terrain in western states, no verifiable evidence exists to suggest that they survived anywhere in the Midwest, outside of the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Missouri’s Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) tracks confirmed mountain-lion reports MDC emphasizes that they investigate hundreds of reports each year, but <1% meet the standard for confirmation.

It depends on what you mean by “sightings.”

MDC says the Large Carnivore Response Team investigates hundreds of reports each year, but most turn out to be misidentifications (bobcats, large dogs, house cats, coyotes, foxes, deer, etc.), and <1% of all reports since 1994 have enough evidence to confirm.

So, reports can increase (more trail cameras, more awareness, more viral posts), without it meaning there are suddenly lots of lions living here.

Plus, with Ai creating images and videos that are so realistic, this can make it hard to discern what is real and what is fake.

MDC’s field guide notes they’ve confirmed numerous mountain lions since they began keeping records, averaging ~8 per year since the mid‑2000s.

That pattern fits a view of regular transient visitors rather than a rapidly growing resident population.

MDC says genetic samples suggest many confirmed animals come from western states, and that young males disperse long distances.

If you are in a cage match with a mountain lion then yes, you are doomed.

But in the real world, and in Missouri, you are more likely to die from a lightning strike or a slip on a banana peel than a mountain lion.

There is no evidence of mountain lions attacking livestock, pets, or people in Missouri. People, livestock, and pets face greater risks from traffic, stray dogs, and lightning. While rare, mountain lion attacks have occurred in western states.

For example, fatal mountain lion attacks have averaged one in every seven years since 1980.

They are protected under the Wildlife Code, but section 3 CSR 10-4.130 (6) allows killing a mountain lion if it threatens livestock, domestic animals, or human safety. Such incidents must be reported to MDC immediately, and the carcass surrendered within 24 hours.

Of all the confirmations over the last 25 years, many were male. There is not a confirmation of a “breeding” population.

What really seems to be happening is male lions taking crazy adventures from western states through the ozarks looking for food and warmer weather.

So really the number is hard to say but its very low.

Zoos and other wildlife Refuge places include:

Dickerson Park Zoo — Springfield, MO
• This regional zoo specifically lists mountain lions (cougars) as part of its North America exhibits, where you can see them up close along with other native and exotic species. dickersonparkzoo.org

Saint Louis Zoo — St. Louis, MO
• The Saint Louis Zoo’s Big Cat Country exhibit features large felines including pumas, which are the same species as mountain lions/cougars. In 2023, the zoo added pumas rescued from the wild.