Wild Cougars Create ‘Special Moment in Yellowstone’

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Some wildlife photographers experienced a “special moment in Yellowstone” when they spotted a pair of cougars walking along a snowy ridge line. Yellowstone Insight, which provides private educational tours in Yellowstone National Park, says the group was near the park’s northern range when they saw the mountain lions framed against a picturesque background.

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Videos by Outdoors

“High in elevation, between craggy peaks these two sauntered on the ridge line with a backlit ‘bluebird” sky!”” wrote Yellowstone Insight in an Instagram post sharing a video of the cougars. “As the lions went out of view from one vantage point, I read the landscape and moved a few miles down the road to try a different vantage point. Our luck continued as we picked them up as one sat and peered over the edge of a large snow cornices. We had our time with them for at least 20 minutes.”

Cougars are the top predators in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, according to the National Park Service (NPS). However, there aren’t very many of them in the park, possibly only a few dozen on the northern range, and they’re seldom seen, making this a truly special moment indeed.

See the cougars in Yellowstone:

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