GILLESPIE, Ill. — Leaders in the Macoupin County community of Gillespie are asking you to beware after multiple big cat sightings outside of town.
Many of the sightings have occurred near Gillespie Lakes.
The summer months are typically the peak of travel season at Gillespie Lakes.
“The campground is usually full,” said Gillespie Lakes superintendent Gary Thornhill. “The beach we have several hundred during the week.”
However, Thornhill says for months the lake has had an unexpected visitor.
“The past couple of months there’s been sightings of a cougar up here,” said Thornhill. “It’s been spotted on the west side of the lake and the east side. It’s been on the Lake Road, Corey Road, Pump House Road, Spanish Needle Road, so it’s just moving around.”
Thornhill said the Illinois Department of Natural Resources was notified of the sightings, but an IDNR spokesperson was unable to confirm receiving the tip.
Multiple trail cameras were setup around Gillespie Lake, but Thornhill has yet to get a picture of a cougar, which isn’t unusual since they can travel 50-80 miles in a single day.
“I’m not saying that they’ll travel those 80 miles but they’ll stick to where there’s food,” said Thornhill. “Once the food is gone more than likely they’ll leave. Right now there’s a lot of fawns and rabbits, so they do have an ample amount of food.”
At this time it’s believed the big cat, or possibly big cats, don’t pose a threat to the area but hikers are asked to travel in pairs and asking anyone who heads out on the trailheads should check in at the front office at Gillespie Lakes.
“Pepper spray works,” said Thornhill. “What we were told by DNR is to make yourself bigger than what that cougar is and normally it will just run off. The cougar poses no threat as long as there are people around and noise. They’ll stay away.”
The public can report large carnivore sightings at the following link: https://www.wildlifeillinois.org/sightings/report/.
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