Photo ‘indisputable proof’ that mountain lions live in Kansas

SUMNER COUNTY, Kan. _ At the age of 51, and working long hours out of town, it’s been a while since Danny Holden did much dancing.tmpplchld But Wednesday he was cutting up the sand near a creek bottom when he found the image of what appears to be a mountain lion on a trail camera on a wide path used by Holden’s family and a variety of wildlife.tmpplchld “I’ve been waiting a long time for this photo,” Holden said recently, as he showed the photo. “I’ve thought we had him down here for several years. My son saw one, and I’ve seen the tracks. This photo, right here, is indisputable proof.”tmpplchld If approved by biologists from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, who have contacted the Holden family about visiting the site, it would be about the 13th verified mountain lion in Kansas since 2007. Prior to that, mountain lions had not been documented in the state for more than 100 years.tmpplchld The first cat verified was shot by a landowner near Medicine Lodge that winter. Most, since, have been photographed by remote cameras placed to photograph deer and other animals.tmpplchld Prior to the Medicine Lodge cat, state officials had long stated they had no proof of mountain lions in Kansas, but said it was probably only a matter of time.tmpplchld Biologists in Kansas and surrounding states say most appear to be young males, probably pushed from high mountain lion densities in the Rocky Mountains or the Black Hills.tmpplchld With the exception of northwestern Nebraska, near the Black Hills, no evidence of mountain lion reproduction has been documented in the Midwest.tmpplchld Holden said he thinks the 160 acres his family owns, and surrounding properties, along the Chikaskia River could make an ideal home for a mountain lion.tmpplchld “Look at this,” he said as he drove a doorless four-wheel-drive down sandy paths that passed beneath a canopy of cottonwood, walnut, elm, Osage orange and other trees. “This is deer central down here. There’s so much wildlife down here.”tmpplchld Holden said he thinks mountain lions like to eat armadillos, a species of wildlife uncommon in Sumner County 30 years ago.tmpplchld “Sometimes you just find the empty shell, like it’s just been scooped out,” he said.tmpplchld An avid family of hunters, the Holdens said they have no fear of venturing into the woods, often in the dark as they head to deer stands, with a mountain lion possibly nearby.tmpplchld “I think it’s just awesome,” said Abbi Holden, an avid deer hunter for nearly half of her 18 years. “I’m excited that we know they’re here. I’m not afraid at all; there’s no reason to be.”tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.)tmpplchld Visit The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.) at www.kansas.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld