You be the judge: Cougar or house cat? FOX6 compares photographs in Mukwonago
MUKWONAGO -- After confirmed cougar sightings in Brookfield and Menomonee Falls, officials with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources say they've been receiving multiple reports of possible additional sightings, but not all have been credible.
Menomonee Falls cougar
Brookfield cougar
The latest verified cougar sighting happened on Feb. 23 in Menomonee Falls. The DNR was in Mukwonago Monday, Feb. 26 for another investigation. Was it a cougar or a house cat caught on camera? You be the judge!
Mukwonago cougar?
Mukwonago cougar?
Mukwonago cougar?
Video showing the big cat in Brookfield follows other confirmed sightings in Fond du Lac County and Washington County.
On Wednesday, Feb. 28, school district officials in Menomonee Falls sent home a letter to parents, reinforcing the fact that there's a plan in place if it is spotted again.
Meanwhile, DNR officials have been busy.
Dianne Robinson
"We've been asking everyone that if they have any kind of sighting to submit it through the Large Mammal Form," said Dianne Robinson, DNR wildlife biologist.
Robinson said Wednesday the latest investigation took place Tuesday in Mukwonago. Photos captured by a homeowner off Mark Circle appear to show a large at. The homeowner said the animal caught a mouse and moved back into the woods.
DNR officials could not find tracks, and could not tell whether the animal was a cougar or a feral cat.
After taking a look at the photos Wednesday, FOX6 News conducted a test -- taking our own photos with a substitute house cat, and then comparing the images:
Cougar or house cat in Mukwonago?
Cougar or house cat in Mukwonago?
The couple living in the nearby home were split on what, exactly, they caught on camera after they saw our experiment. After all, there really is a cougar out there somewhere, and maybe more than one.
"This one seems a lot bigger, bigger body frame, bigger head. I would say there's multiple cats," said David Fetcher with the Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary, who owns a cougar.
Fetcher said he's convinced recent videos show different cats, but the DNR disagrees.
"I'm pretty sure it's all the same animal," said Robinson.