Mary,

Interesting that you brought up this subject.  I just saw an article on aol the other day about a jaguar that was photographed at a research station on an island in the middle of the Panama Canal.  Here's the link from the local news down there:  http://www.panamanewsbriefs.com/?p=82521 or you can also go to aol where they actually showed a picture of it. 

South Jersey and PA have had several credible cougar sightings as well including one or two by police officers.  There was a lot of evidence but they never found it (or them).  I believe it to be true.  I cannot claim to have seen any wild animals like that but I certainly would not put Bigfoot or a UFO in comparison to a cougar.

I can, however, understand someone mistaking a pet as a wild animal from stories told to me while I was out searching for a lost greyhound.  The dog was a tall, nicely fed (not fat) red brindle greyhound that had bolted it's owner's yard.  Many miles away in a heavily wooded park bordered by a local college with a housing development on the other side, a number of people ran into the college office claiming there was a tiger loose.  The college called the police and a search ensued and it was all over the papers.  Unfortunately they never found the "tiger" but, when I showed them pictures of the dog, they all agreed that is what they saw.  I don't know…. tiger …. greyhound?  Sadly, the dog was never found and, no matter how much searching we did, we knew she was so scared (she was already very shy) she never would allowed herself to be taken in by someone or located.  Even knowing this, the owner and I searched for over 4 months until it was well into winter when we finally were resigned that the search was over.  So it does happen.

Revenant,

"Super rats"?  I just can't imagine having to run into one.  A very definite monster in my mind whether you are young or old, most especially when you don't expect them to pop up.

As far as people having exotic pets, I agree.  No one ever wants to own up when an exotic pet is discovered roaming wild.  I think that some time ago someone had exotic big cats in an apartment in NYC.  Just a week ago two men were arrested at LAX for smuggling exotic birds from Vietnam.  I saw it on the news and couldn't believe it.  How very sad for these animals.  Check it out http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519166,00.html

I also think the reason we have seen so many sightings of animals that are thought to no longer be in a particular area is that we have pushed these animals out of their natural habitat by building more and more housing developments, etc.  I'll stop here because I don't want to rant about that.

Mary said:

I happen to believe there are cougars because a very nice (and sane) lady I know says she saw one, and it left large prints behind.  The DNR refused to come out and look at them, and she tried to do a plaster cast, but because it wasn't anything she'd done before, it failed to take.   It really annoys me that skeptics put the cougar in the same category as Bigfoot and UFO's. 

---

I meant to address this but forgot to in my original post.  Mary, I think it's pretty cool that your friend actually tried to do a plaster cast on her own.  If she finds any tracks in the future, this website might help.  It's a pretty easy "how to do" a plaster cast for tracks:

http://www.bear-tracker.com/plastertracks.html

Alicat and Stephen-  Yes, the "super rats" were HUGE!  I'd say maybe 5 feet in length, maybe 200 lbs.  They were…  …not quite that big.  Maybe a few inches larger than they normally got.  Still, for a ten year old kid…very scary.  I remember one evening, I saw a rather large one sitting on top of the can (the "trash cans" back then were like industrial drums).  Usually, they run when someone comes.  This one just stared at me.  Defying me.  Daring me to get close.  As I look back, it probably didn't move because it was either injured or ill.  Yet at the moment…terrifying.  Needless to say…the trash went back into the house.  There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity.  I didn't learn to cross over to stupidity until much later.  I live there now.  Perfect view of bravery from here…

Mary,

Everytime someone is having a dispute, union or not, there it is.  For some unknown reason, each time I'm surprised when I see it.  You would think once, but everytime?  Sometimes there aren't even protesters at the site, just the giant rat with a message.  That being said, I just can't imagine even going toe to toe with a regular or even larger real life rat.  I'd have dreams forever from that.  I think that's why when Revenant posted about them I blocked the "protest" rat from my memory until today.

I have no doubt you have a cougar or two in Michigan.  I truly believe we have a few in South Jersey but with all the overbuilding, we have pushed them from their habitats and into the open.  My guess is that around here the Pine Barrens are a good choice and much further south of where I live, is a very large and rural portion of the state.  Are you in the UP area?  If so, you've got the environment for them to survive.