Cougar struck, killed in Minneapolis will live on in new park display

The cougar that traversed Minneapolis neighborhoods before being struck and killed on a freeway earlier this month will live on — in a new park educational display.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board announced Wednesday that it’s partnering with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and community members to preserve and display the animal.

“Many of us were captivated by the prospect of such a majestic animal living among us and were saddened to hear how it met its end,” Park Board Superintendent Al Bangoura said in a news release. “Now, there is an opportunity to give the story a happier ending. I’m appreciative of the DNR and community members coming together to help educate future generations on the wonderful variety of wildlife that can be found in our city.”

The cougar was spotted on home surveillance video in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis early on Dec. 4, and was struck and killed less than a mile away, along Interstate 394, two days later.

The cougar had been tagged, and that tag revealed the animal had journeyed several hundred miles from northwest Nebraska. Experts said cougar sightings in Minnesota remain relatively rare but do happen a few times in the state each year.

They’re often young male cougars who have been pushed out of territory in their natural habitats out west, forcing them to move east.

After the cougar was killed in Minneapolis, the DNR took custody of the remains and is now working with the Park Board to get them to a taxidermist.

The Park Board said the cougar will be mounted “as part of an educational display, which will be available at program facilities for all residents to see.” Final details are still being worked out.

The Park Board is collecting donations to support the display; find details on how to donate on the Park Board’s website.