STONE COUNTY, Ark. — Officials confirmed that a mountain lion was found dead in the Sylamore Wildlife Management Area in northern Stone County by a U.S. Forest Service employee.
A necropsy was performed on the adult male mountain lion on Thursday, which revealed no evidence that the creature died from a bullet wound and no injuries consistent with being hit by a car.
“An adult, male mountain lion weighing 118 pounds and measuring approximately 85 inches in length was examined Thursday at the AGFC Calico Rock regional office. The carcass was moderately decomposed and was extremely thin. It had severely worn, broken, and missing teeth, and the stomach was empty,” described Jenn Ballard, AGFC State Wildlife Veterinarian.
Further examination will involve testing the carcass for viruses and toxins.
Tissue from the animal also will be sent to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia and the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory at the University of California – Davis.
According to reports, this marked the second mountain lion carcass found in the state in the last 10 years. In November 2014, a deer hunter shot and killed a 148-pound male mountain lion east of Hermitage in Bradley County— the first to be killed in Arkansas since 1975.
Mountain lions, which are also known as pumas and cougars, lived throughout the Natural State until roughly 1920.
Since 2010, there have been 23 confirmed mountain lion sightings in Arkansas.
These creatures are typically shy and reclusive, and rarely attack humans— in fact, they're more likely to be afraid of people and have learned to avoid them.
If you spot a mountain lion, you're encouraged to contact the nearest Arkansas Game and Fish Commission office with verifiable evidence.
