While eastbound on U.S. 24 at Lake Cicott last week, Joy Harrison of White County saw what she believes was a cougar — something that has not been known to live in this area in more than 150 years.

“I know it was a cougar,” she said. “It wasn’t a deer, and it wasn’t a dog, and it wasn’t a coyote.”

Harrison had been on her way to Logansport to visit family Wednesday morning when just before daybreak a large cat-like animal with a long tail darted across the road from the campground at the lake.

Cougars are agile mammals that reach up 140 pounds and eight feet in length and feed mostly on deer. In recent weeks in White County, less than 10 miles from Harrison’s encounter, reports of a large cat began filtering into the sheriff’s department and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

DNR wildlife biologist Dean Zimmerman conducted an investigation where he interviewed the owner of Great Cats of Indiana in Idaville. The rescue facility houses four cougars but none are on the loose, Zimmerman said.

While touring the grounds near Great Cats, Zimmerman found large tracks that resembled those of a large cat. He admitted he is no expert on cat prints, but after considerable research, he believes the tracks could be from a cougar or another large cat.

“Some of these tracks looked very cat-like,” Zimmerman said.

Photos of the tracks have been sent off to an expert for analysis. Dropping found nearby are also being tested.

In response to the sightings and Zimmerman’s discoveries, the DNR is continuing to collect information, something it needs the public’s assistance in doing. So far, a cougar roaming this area has not been confirmed. Zimmerman would like to talk to anyone who has seen or has evidence of a large cat in the wild.

Brian Shafer, owner of Walnut Valley Bison south of Twelve Mile, said last spring he had a two-day-old buffalo calf suffer a mysterious death. He discovered one half of the 60-pound baby was gone. In his seven years of raising buffalo, he has never had anything threaten the calves.

“Buffalo really don’t have too many predators, especially around here,” said Shafer, who is also the president and chief executive officer of the Logansport-Cass County Chamber of Commerce.

Coyotes and dogs don’t mess with the large herd animals that can weigh as much as 2,200 pounds and become fiercely protective of their young.

“So, it left me wondering what would be able to get over the fences and into their pasture and drag 30 pounds of meat away,” Shafer said. “I just think something would have to be rather powerful, rather swift to be able to put any sort of attack on one of those animals.”

The culprit remains unidentified but coupled with recent reports of large cat-like tracks and the loud screams at night of what might be a cougar, Shafer wonders if a large cat is making its home in the hundreds of acres of forest surrounding his property.

Cass County Conservation Officer Brenda Louthain took a report this year from someone who claimed to have heard the distinct cougar call, which sounds like a woman screaming. But, Louthain is not entirely convinced there is a large cat in the area. She said a screech owl also makes an unpleasant sound.

Anyone who does see what they believe to be a cougar or obtains possible evidence such as a photo from a trail camera is asked to contact authorities immediately, Louthain said. The report should include time of day, date, place and description of what the person saw. Attacks on dogs or livestock should also be reported.

Zimmerman says that a cougar could have escaped from or been turned loose by someone who did not have a permit to possess the animal. Another possibility is that one migrated from the north or northwest. Michigan and Wisonsin both have had confirmed sightings of cougars, Zimmerman said. Last year, police killed a cougar from South Dakota in a Chicago suburb.

“So, if a large cat like that can move from South Dakota to Chicago, it could certainly get down into northern Indiana,” he said.

Cougars once roamed most of the Midwest. They disappeared from Indiana about 1850, Zimmerman said. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sightings throughout the Midwest have been on the rise.

So, should the public be concerned? Both Louthain and Zimmerman say no.

Cougars rarely attack humans. They are solitary hunters who typically steer clear of people. However, livestock owners may want to closely monitor their animals, Zimmerman said.

One concern Louthain has is people creating a hazard by trying to kill the mysterious creature.

“We definitely don’t want people driving the roads with rifles looking for this thing,” she said.

Zimmerman pointed out that state statute protects exotic animals in Indiana so a cougar could not be killed unless it threatens a person or destroys property such as livestock.

In his opinion, one or two sightings of something unusual would leave room for doubt, but because so many reports have surfaced recently, he thinks there could be a large cat in the area.

“In this case, we have half a dozen pretty reputable reports. That tends to make me think that yeah there is something out there,” he said.

• Kevin Lilly is news editor of the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5117 or kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com.