WEST PLAINS, Mo. (AP) - Missouri conservation officials have confirmed that a tuft of hair found on a fence in southwest Missouri came from a mountain lion.
Conservation resource scientist Jeff Beringer says DNA from the hair showed it belonged to a mountain lion. The hair was found March 9 on a fence near the Oregon County town of Rover.
The Missouri Conservation Department says a resident said he saw a mountain lion get its hind leg caught in the fence before escaping.
The Carthage Press reported Tuesday that the hair will be sent to a genetics lab in Montana to try and determine the cat's origin.
This is the sixth verified mountain lion sighting in Missouri since late November. Beringer says the conservation has no evidence that a breeding population is living in Missouri.
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Information from: Carthage Press , http://carthagepress.com