Trail Cam Shows Mountain Lion Near Cape Girardeau, Missouri

We have been told by state authorities that mountain lions are not native to Missouri, but that doesn't mean these big cats don't travel across our state. There's a new video that's just been shared that appears to show a mountain lion strolling through a wooded area near Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

North American Wildlife and Habitat just shared a video of what they say was a mountain lion in the Cape Girardeau County, Missouri area. They say it was shared with them by a trail cam owner who says the time stamp on the video is incorrect which shows June of 2026 when they say it was August of 2026 instead.

I have so many questions. First is the issue of the time stamp. Why is that off two months from the time of the reported sighting? It's also important to remember that this video was shared with a national site and the individual who shared it has not provided their name or exact location. I'm not saying that's a bad thing or I disagree with it, but my point is that we're a couple times removed from the original source. I'm not saying it's not a legitimate mountain lion sighting near Cape Girardeau. It's just worth being cautious before we accept it as proven fact.

It will be interesting to see if the Missouri Department of Conservation adds this to their confirmed mountain lion sightings list at some point. The video would need to be reported to them and they would need to investigate and confirm with possible tracks in the area which would be difficult since this is a sighting that is now at least two months old.