Rare mountain lion sighting confirmed by MDC near St. Joseph
BUCHANAN COUNTY, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed a rare sighting of a mountain lion this September in Northwest Missouri near St. Joseph, one of just four confirmed sightings in the last four years of the elusive and shy cat in the region.
Department officials confirmed to News-Press NOW the authenticity of trail camera footage of a mountain lion captured just before 10 p.m. on Sept. 22 in northeast Buchanan County.
"Mountain lion sightings are not very common in northwestern Missouri, but they do happen on rare occasions. Our last confirmed sighting in the region was in February, and there have only been about three in the northwest in the last four years," said Erin Woodiel, media specialist with MDC's Kansas City and Northwestern regions.
The owner of the trail camera told News-Press NOW the images were captured in Buchanan County, following earlier sightings of the large feline making its way through Andrew County, coming as close as Amazonia.
The camera was located just 15 miles northeast of St. Joseph -- just west of Clarksdale, Missouri -- when it captured footage of the mountain lion, also known as a cougar. Photos posted on Facebook earlier this week by another Northwest Missouri resident appear to show a mountain lion near Savannah on Sept. 19, a sighting unconfirmed by the department.
"Mountain lions don't tend to linger in one spot for too long, and they have a fairly large range of movement, so it is much more likely that other sightings in the area would be of the same cat moving through as opposed to multiple individuals," Woodiel said. "As with any wild animal sighting, we remind the public to Keep Wildlife Wild and to not approach or attempt to interact with or feed the animal. If it doesn't feel threatened or cornered, it won't bother the public and will continue on its way."
She said a majority of sightings statewide have been single male mountain lions likely grown up and traveling along the Missouri River corridor in search of their own territory. Genetic samples in the past from cougars found traveling through Missouri suggest many are coming from western states, according to the department's website.
Measuring up to 8 feet long and weighing between 64 and 265 pounds, depending on whether it's male or female, mountain lions are solitary animals and attacks on humans are rare. Missouri does not have an established breeding population, and no evidence has been recorded of reproduction.
"Mountain lions are naturally shy of people and seldom cause problems, even in states with thriving populations," a page on MDC's website reads. "The danger of a mountain lion attack is highly unlikely compared to many other familiar dangers we encounter every day. Fatal mountain lion attacks have averaged one every seven years since 1980."
As of late 2024, the Missouri Department of Conservation had confirmed roughly 120 mountain lion sightings and reports since 1996. More than a dozen official sightings have occurred statewide in 2025.
Each year, MDC's Large Carnivore Response Team investigates hundreds of mountain lion reports.
Of the thousands of reports received since 1994, less than 1% have yielded enough physical evidence to clearly confirm the presence of a mountain lion, although sightings have increased since 2006, in large part due to the popularity of trail cameras.
Woodiel said the public is encouraged to report sightings to a local conservation agent, particularly if physical evidence or photo/video evidence is available. Residents can also email the LCRT team at mountain.lion@mdc.mo.gov to contact the Response Team directly.
More information on mountain lions can be found on the department's website at mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/mountain-lion.
State game agencies estimate mountain lion populations in the U.S. to be between 20,000 and 40,000.
