Mountain Lions or Cougars, Omaha's got 'em

There was another big cat sighting in Omaha Monday, the World Herald reports. It was seen along the Big Papillion Creek, around 114th and Davenport in the early afternoon. The Omaha World Herald article went on: "Humane Society workers searched the area for a short time, but found no paw prints, droppings or smaller dead animals that would indicate that a mountain lion is in the area, said spokeswoman Pam Wiese." She might add that, since no kids are missing, these sightings must be mass hysteria.

It is time we found some new cat trackers to follow up on these sightings. And we shouldn't wait until someone's kid gets dragged into the bushes. An old National Geographic article I saw mentioned a group called the Eastern Cougar Network. The ECN website is informative and extensive, and covers Nebraska. Concerned citizens like Omaha blogger Michelle Shonka, who saw a mountain lion in her yard, could ask the folks at ECN if our Humane Society trackers know what they are doing or not.