For the first time in 35 years, a mountain lion was shot in Alaska

On June 3, Alaska Wildlife Troopers received word that a mountain lion had been shot and killed on Wrangell Island, which is located in the southeastern part of the state near the border with British Columbia. This wouldn’t be all that surprising news, except for the glaring fact that mountain lions don’t technically live in Alaska. The big cats are not native to the state and are rarely seen by hunters and other outdoorsmen. In the state’s 65-year history, there have been only two other recorded cases of mountain lions being killed there.

The June incident remains under investigation, police said Alaska Department of Public Safety, and a DPS spokesperson says no further information is immediately available. It is therefore unclear who killed the cat and the events that led to its death. The lion was found on US Forest Service land, so the USFS is involved in the investigation and has possession of the animal. The agency’s Wrangell Ranger District Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Riley Woodford, a public information officer for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, could not share further details about the latest incident (he says the agency was only made aware of the incident Living outsideit is asked). However, he did refer to some information about the two other lions killed within state lines more than 20 years ago. In 1989, a mountain lion was shot near the town of Wrangell, Woodford explained an ADFG article. And in 1998, a mountain lion was captured and killed in a wolf hunter’s snare on South Kupreanof Island.

South Kupreanof Island is located northwest of Wrangell Island, but in the same proximity to the mainland. Both are part of the Alexander Archipelago, a 300-mile stretch of islands in southeastern Alaska.

“We receive reports sporadically, maybe two or three a year. Usually there is one report, then the news gets out and there is a wave of observations that are unsubstantiated,” ADFG wildlife biologist Rich Lowell explains in that article. “It almost looks like Sasquatch.”

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Due to Wrangell Island’s proximity to British Columbia, which is estimated to be home to between 5,000 and 7,000 mountain lions, it is likely that the mountain lion roamed from there. As the crow flies, it is less than 30 miles from the eastern edge of the island to the international border.

A narrow channel separates Wrangell Island from the thin strip of mainland Alaska bordering BC, meaning the lion would have had to swim to get there. This may seem like a limiting factor, but mountain lions are shockingly good swimmers. Vancouver Island, which is separated from BC’s mainland by several straits, is home to an established cougar population.

Most mountain lion sightings and kills have been recorded in BC are concentrated in the lower third of the province, well south of Wrangell Island, making the June discovery even more unusual. According to the BC Wildlife FederationHowever, the species’ range is believed to be expanding northwards,