Cops Kill Cougar On The North Side

Ever since I read "The Beast In the Garden", I knew it was just a matter of time. The book was published in 2003 and now, 5 years later, we have our first cougar killed in Chicago in Roscoe Village (roughly 3100 North to 3500 North and 2000 West to 2400 West).
The cougar was male, about 3 1/2 feet long and weighed 122 lbs. No information about its age or general condition was given at the Chicago Tribune's necropsy. It was not reported if this was an Eastern Cougar, an endangered species.

Cougars are the most versatile of the big cats. They are found as far north as Canada and as far south as Patagonia in a variety of habitats from desert to swamp to mountains. They are powerful predators. After killing their prey, they drag it to a place where it is cached. Can you imagine doing that to a deer or a full grown man?

The opening paragraph of "The Beast In The Garden" began with the death of Scott Lancaster, an 18 yo who went for a run behind his school. He didn't return. Running triggers the predator/prey response. The mountain lion stalked and ambushed Scott Lancaster as he ran. His body was found eviscerated and guarded by the lion which was shot and killed.

I lived for a year in Roscoe Village from September, 1988 to September, 1989 at 3307 N. Hoyne, a block from where the cougar was cornered and killed. Roscoe Village had opossum at that time. Since then, coyotes and dwarf earred rabbits have joined the city. Add in the dogs and cats everyone has and humans who like to jog when it's dark outside or children playing in the yard, and you have a plentiful food source for a carnivore like a cougar.

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