Jogger says there’s a mountain lion in southwest IL. What does state officer think?

It’s not likely a mountain lion that a jogger in Madison County said he saw Tuesday morning, according to an officer with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

According to the Bethalto Police Department, a man was running early Tuesday morning and claimed he saw the animal run towards the public works complex near the intersection of Albers Lane and Whispering Oaks Drive, a report from KMOX stated.

However, IDNR Police Officer Don Schachner on Tuesday afternoon called it an “unverified spotting” at this point.

“I don’t know of any verification of it,” Schachner told the BND. “I can’t say it’s verified. I can’t say that it’s not. From what I understand it was a jogger who saw it from across the road. There’s a very good chance it could be a bobcat or any number of other things.

“Unless somebody has tracks or a blurry cell phone picture ... I’d be surprised if it was (a mountain lion).”

According to KMOX, police searched for paw prints and video surveillance that may have captured the animal, but nothing has been confirmed.

Mountain lions, also known as cougars, are known to travel long distances and police believe this one was just exploring the edges of its territory, KMOX noted.

This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 4:05 PM.