STONE COUNTY, Ark. — A mountain lion carcass was found in northern Stone County at the Sylamore Wildlife Management Area, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) confirmed.
On Feb. 9, Keith Stephens with AGFC said after an autopsy was performed on the adult male mountain lion, it was discovered his stomach was "empty."
“An adult, male mountain lion weighing 118 pounds and measuring approximately 85 inches in length was examined Thursday at the AGFC Calico Rock regional office,” AGFC State Wildlife Veterinarian Jenn Ballard said.
There wasn't evidence that the mountain lion died of a bullet wound.
“The carcass was moderately decomposed and was extremely thin. It had severely worn, broken and missing teeth, and the stomach was empty,” Ballard said.
The mountain lion was found by a U.S. Forest Service employee, Stephens said.
There will be further testing for viruses and toxins and tissue will be sent to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia and the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory at the University of California – Davis.
This is only the second mountain lion carcass found in the state in the last ten years. The last time was in November 2014, when a deer hunter shot and killed a 148-pound mountain lion in Bradley County. According to Stephens, this was the first time a mountain lion had been killed in Arkansas since 1975.
Lab results from the mountain lion killed in 2014 likely originated in the Black Hills breeding population of Wyoming and South Dakota.
The last known sighting of a mountain lion was November 2023 in the small town of Amity in Clark County. The sighting was confirmed by AGFC, who heard of the sighting from a game camera and biologists confirmed the report was credible.
Since 2010, there have been 23 confirmed sightings of a mountain lion in Arkansas.
"Mountain lions are solitary cats native to North America. They are typically shy and reclusive, and they rarely attack humans. In fact, mountain lions are more likely to be afraid of humans. They have learned to avoid people, and they usually run away if they hear or see humans," Stephens noted in the AGFC announcement.
It's encouraged to contact your nearest AGFC office with any sightings of mountain lions along with verifiable evidence.
For any questions concerning this sighting, contact Keith Stephens at (501) 951-3562 or keith.stephens@agfc.ar.gov.
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