MICHIGAN, USA — Cougar sightings in Michigan have nearly doubled since 2020, according to data from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

There's been a total of 27 sightings in Michigan this year, all of which were in the Upper Peninsula. Since 2008, there's only been one confirmed sighting in the Lower Peninsula, according to data from the DNR.

In 2020, there were just 15 confirmed sightings, which was also an increase from five years before that, as there were just six sightings in 2015.

And since 2008, there's been a total of 161 confirmed sightings in Michigan.

According to the DNR, cougars were originally native to Michigan. However, they were wiped out from the state around the early 1900s. The last known wild cougar legally taken in the state occurred in 1906 near

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