Tests: Mountain lion killed in crash probably wild

(Kansas City-AP) -- Officials say they finally may have solved the mystery of whether a cougar that was fatally hit by a car last year in Kansas City was wild or someone's pet.<br><br>A Missouri wildlife

Friday, March 21st 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Kansas City-AP) -- Officials say they finally may have solved the mystery of whether a cougar that was fatally hit by a car last year in Kansas City was wild or someone's pet.

A Missouri wildlife biologist says tests of hair found in the 100-pound big cat's digestive tract showed it had been feeding on deer and raccoon.

Genetic tests done in Michigan also showed the cougar was a North American type. Officials say that's significant because many captive cougars are often of South American origin.

Mountain lions, also known as cougars, once were native to Missouri and Kansas. But the free-roaming animals vanished from the area in the 1800s.