Quinn eyes protections for cougars, wolves, bears

Gov. Pat Quinn plans to sign a bill that would make gray wolves, American black bears and cougars protected species in Illinois.

While a rare sight in Illinois, these animals now can be hunted at will in the state.

A plan approved by lawmakers last month would stop residents from killing these animals in most instances, and Quinn spokesman Dave Blanchette said Wednesday the governor plans to sign it into law.

State conservation officials want these animals named as protected species so they can make the rules for how they are dealt with when they pass through Illinois while either looking for new territory or a mate.

A black bear was sighted in a resident's backyard last month near Galena, but a Department of Natural Resources spokesman said bears are spotted less frequently than cougars.

"It's a very rare occurrence that one or both would be sighted or seen in Illinois," Chris Young, the DNR spokesman, said.

There have been only eight cougar sightings in Illinois in more than 100 years.

Young said that it is unlikely that Illinois, with its large rural farmlands, would be a place these animals would look to inhabit.

However, he said the state wants to be ready in case the animals adapt to an agricultural habitat.

Last year, a DNR official killed a cougar that was lurking near a farm near Morrison. In 2012 possible sightings of cougars roaming Schaumburg and Winnetka had some residents on edge. And a cougar on Chicago's North Side in 2008, which police eventually killed, got a lot of attention.

The plan does make it legal to kill these animals if they enter a person's property in a threatening manner.

State Sen. Linda Holmes, a Aurora Democrat, said farmers wanted this protection in case their property was in danger.

"If you or your livestock is in danger (you can shoot them)," she said.

If the animal does not seem threatening, a resident can contact DNR and get employees to remove it.