A rare Missouri mountain lion sighting was reported recently after one of the big cats was hit by a vehicle in Franklin County.
The cougar appeared injured and stunned, but eventually ran away from the scene north of Villa Ridge, which is a little less than a three-hour drive from Springfield.
Missouri Department of Conservation was notified about the incident at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 23, but could not find the animal that night or the next day. It was only the third confirmed mountain lion sighting in MDC’s St. Louis Region since 2011, according to a department's social media post.