‘100% a mountain lion:’ After viral video, other alleged sightings occur; but ODNR disputes claims
Days after a viral Facebook video sparked debate over whether a mountain lion had been spotted in north-central Ohio, a new social media claim alleged the animal was later struck and killed by a vehicle.
The claim appears to stem from comments made by a truck driver on Facebook, who said he stopped to inspect a large dead cat along U.S. Route 30 near State Route 598 in Crawford County. In the comments, the driver also claimed the animal was later picked up by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
The comments eventually made their way to Lori Adams, the woman behind the original viral mountain lion video. Adams later connected with the driver through Facebook Messenger.
In the conversation, the driver said he and another truck driver pulled over to inspect the animal.
“I drive truck here in Galion and me and another driver stopped to see what it was. [It] was 100% a mountain lion,” the driver wrote, estimating the animal weighed roughly 125 pounds.
ODNR, however, says none of its officers recovered a mountain lion or confirmed the claim.
“I touched base with our officers in the area, and none of them picked up a roadkill cat/mountain lion, nor did they receive any calls or information about a roadkill cat/mountain lion,” an ODNR spokesperson told 614Now. “There was no ODNR officer who confirmed this.”
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The agency’s statement contradicts the truck driver’s Facebook comments suggesting ODNR had recovered the animal.
Adams continues to question ODNR’s original investigation into the property where she recorded the now-viral video.
She says that wildlife officers may have examined tracks left by one of several domestic cats that regularly roam the area rather than the larger cat she says she observed. Adams also questioned whether investigators spent enough time searching the property before concluding the animal in her video was likely a domestic cat.
The original video gained widespread attention after being shared on Facebook, prompting ODNR wildlife officers to visit the property and examine both the footage and tracks found at the scene. They ultimately concluded the animal shown in the video was most likely a domestic cat, not a mountain lion.
While the truck driver maintains the roadkill he observed was a mountain lion, ODNR says it has no record of recovering or confirming such an animal.
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