Possible Sighting in Streamwood
We received the following email from Jim K. on April 26th:
hi, i would like to report a “big cat” sighting in suburban Streamwood at the northwest corner of Barrington & Bode roads at approximately 1:10 am on Friday april 25th. i was traveling southbound on Barrington rd.. As i was approaching the bode rd. intersection i saw an animal moving along the side of the road. i started to slow down assuming it was a deer as i have seen many at this intersection in the past. as i got closer i saw a very large cat approximately the height of my yellow labrador retriever, the same color also, and roughly twice the length. for comparison my dog weighs about 70 lbs. and this animal was nearly twice the size. as i was driving by (i had slowed to about 25 mph) the big cat appeared to crouch and looked right at me. it was definetly a large cat of some sort that looked like it could do some damage if it were to attack anyone. the area is heavily wooded and belongs to forest preserve. mind you now this thing was only about 10-15 feet from my car as i drove by and i am surely positive of what i saw. please let me know if there is anything else i shoul do as the nearby area is heavily populated and i would hate to see this thing hurt anyone. thank you.
Hi to all people that happen to see a big cat. Fact, contrary to common belief, cougars were Illinois natives in fact they roamed all over the place from Canada to South America, unfortunately, our fear for the unknown has taken humans to exterminate rather than understand these beautiful creatures that belong here as much as we do. Fact, they are making a come back, their menu consists of medium to small mammals, they are deadly afraid of us, and with good reason. If you see one in the wild or heavily forested areas please leave it alone do not persecute it. On ly report their roaming in heavily populated areas, for their safety and ours.
Hi! I found the Streamwood sighting very interesting as about 4 years ago we saw what appeared to be a large cat on the side of Barrington Road between the AMC theatre and Mundhank Road. It was dark and snowing but our headlights light up the face quite clearly. I mentioned it to a few people as I worked in the area at the time and they thought I saw a coyote but this wasn’t a coyote. I also see coyote in our area so I am familiar with what they look like. At around the same time I also saw a large black cat about the size of a small dog walking around the same area during the day time. I don’t know if it was the same animal or not. The animal I saw at night appeared larger and more of a tan color. It was hard to tell because it was nighttime. What I saw had pointed upright ears and cat like eyes with a large face. My husband and I just kind of gasped when we saw it because it looked like a cougar but neither one of us could believe that it could possibly have been one. This happened around the same time that people were spotting a cougar in Lake County, Illinois.
Bottom line is - “understanding” these creatures is not going to save the lives of unsuspecting joggers on the trails around here. Cougars’ habitats are shrinking, and they are adapting which is putting people, their families and pets in danger. Cougars should not be in close proximity to humans. They are not domestic cats; they are wild predatory animals. We can appreciate them, but let’s not be stupid about it.
What I found incredibly chilling was the video of that 120-pound cat in Chicago, running behind that cop. That was one big cat, and they take their victims from behind.
I would suggest people become aware of how to respond to a cougar if they see one and are not in their vehicles. Environmentalists who would outlaw killing a cougar for the sake of the ‘environment’ are just creating a danger for small dogs, cats and children and unarmed adults.
I’m relieved in a way that we have this many sightings; that might have a positive effect on the deer population explosion we’ve had around here for lack of natural predators like wolves.
We have plenty of coyotes, from what I understand, but I’ve never heard of a coyote attack a human being. Cougars, on the other hand, DO and WILL attack humans when given the opportunity.
Dear Cao:
All animals have a right to live! Stop taking away from them,
what belongs to them. That is thier homes! Find some where else to jog. Or provide another area where they can live. I personally I am not afraid of wild cats, yes a coyote can attack as well! Tell me of one person who has been killed by a Cougar recently.
If given an opportunity to attack a Cougar will? Why then didn’t the Chicago Cougar attach the police officer?
P.S. Wolves are being shot and killed as well, for no reason.
Cao,
Let’s not get stupid about it? ok Cao, first, Cougars have been spotted in illinois in great numbers in the last ten years and not one attack has been reported. The Roscoe village cougar was reported in the neighborhood 4 months before the prior shooting and never attacked. These creatures like any other animal when healthy, prey on their own 4 legged kind, and when rabid become dangerous, like any house cat or dog. Paranoid minds make people fear the unknown so do some research on the animal before responding. Second, we have way more things to fear while jogging in the forest, like rapists, muggers, pedophiles, etc. All of the human nature, fear those, not animals that have been displaced exactly by people like you narrow minded and full of prejudices against anything or anybody different. Dear Cao, I fear people like you more than any animal out there.
Jim and Jen
The stories of your sightings is giving me the courage to tell of what I “think” was a large cat, at sunrise, slowly walking across the lawn behind my condo in Bartlett, north side of Devon Ave. This was a cat, I know how cats move. It moved out of my sight as day was dawning. It was Spring of 2004, as I recall.
Around a year and a half later, now fall of ‘05, days before we got our first snow, driving south on Barrington Rd. around 5pm, once again, only much more light to plainly see, this tan cat “cougar” just standing on a bike or jogging path that curves around the forest preserve at the southwest corner at the Golf Rd. intersection. It seemed to be watching the traffic go by, but I’m not sure if the traffic saw it, other than me. A redlight gave people a lot of time to see the cat. No witness with me, no camera or anything but my word. I haven’t told many and those who I did mostly treat me as though I have totally lost my mind. The killing in Roscoe Park didn’t change this.
Nik,
Your sighting is in the exact same area I saw on Barrington rd between Bode & Golf. This makes 2 sightings now in the same area. Hopefully the animal nor the people who use that jogging path will get hurt.
Jim K
I am curious about the 3 or 4 years between out sightings. There could be a family that settled in that area? We seem to assume that they are always on the move. On http://www.cougarnet.org I learned that a female was also tracked for many miles from home heading east before getting killed. Did you report your story to the Forest Preserve District? I called, but was dismissed pretty quickly.
Thanks for the comment!
BarbaraBorah, what belongs to them? My backyard? They are expanding their territory bigger than it’s ever been - even before the white man came. And you think they’re entitled to it…where people live?
BarbaraBorah, where are wolves being shot and killed?
You’re making some sweeping generalizations here that you haven’t thought through.
The story of the family who scared off a cougar from killing their 3-year-old daughter here in Streamwood in his own backyard illustrates that an attack on a human is bound to happen, and soon. Humans, with their small children and small animals, are inviting something to happen, as a dog or a child in a fenced in area is easy prey, and they can jump 15 feet in the air and climb trees.
BarbaraBorah and Saul: See the site http://www.topangaonline.com/nature/lionatk.html for stats on cougar attacks on humans. Allow me to quote a little bit of it: “Mountain lion sightings have increased dramatically as well, from 59 in 1991 to over 300 in 1994 in California” Also, “Attacks are now numerous enough that there is a support group for attack victims, called California Lion Awareness”
BarbaraBorah and Saul, your posts contain 100% emotion and 0% fact. Do some research and get the facts!
How in the world can you say that they are expanding their range larger than ever before? They were native to the entire US.
OH help me. Frank…..i agree. We have taken over their area, they are not taking over ours. The poor things have no choice but to try to live amung us humans. We build out in the country to be closer to wildlife, then when wildlife comes into our yards we freak. What is a cat to do? People put up deer crossing signs, why i dont know because its not like the deer ever cross there, they cross everywhere BUT. So why should we expect anything less from cougars. Yes the sighting in chi-town was close to humans, but what drew it into town? Was it a pet? Did it escape? I havent read the whole story yet, but IF it had been prowling, it would have killed someone before it had been shot. Or at least done harm somewhere to something i believe. Or maybe it was just trying to get away from humans and got cornered in a spot it couldnt get out of. I believe they could have handled it differently by tranquilizing the animal, but like the warden said, it would have ran and they would have lost it. Plus an injured animal COULD HAVE caused someone harm just by getting in its way.
I was driving home from work the other night, and I am pretty sure that I saw a cougar. I was stopped at a light at Rt 59 and 90. It just came running across 59!! I was like, what the heck? It was big, and it moved like a cat. pointy ears. I thought I was seeing things. But now after reading this. I am sure of what I saw.