Colorado wildlife officials shot and killed a mountain lion on November 21 after the animal tracked a woman to her front porch in the town of Montrose. According to the The Daily Sentinel, the wild cat wasn’t deterred by the homeowner’s large dogs, and it returned to the property even after local law enforcement agents shot it with a bean bag-loaded 12 gauge shotgun.
“The mountain lion had no fear of the three large dogs,” Montrose County Sheriff Gene Lillard told the outlet. “They also advised the mountain lion hissed … and was somewhat aggressive.”
There were five dogs on location during the cougar’s appearance, the The Daily Sentinel reports. Three of the dogs were great pyrenees, a sizable breed known for being vigilant guard dogs.
A Montrose County Sheriff Sergeant hit the cougar two times with bean bags, but it was undeterred. It eventually left the area but returned the next night. That’s when a deputy shot the cougar with a firearm as it walked up the driveway. The animal reportedly ran into bushes where it died after a second shot.
“It’s a sad deal, but it was very unusual [to see] a lion acting that way,” Lillard said. “I hate to see something like that happen, but when an animal is acting aggressive like that, it’s the best you can do—especially since she [the property owner] had five dogs and the lion was not scared.”
A CPW assessment of the dead cat determined that its carcass was in “good condition.” A final decision on whether or not to do a necropsy is still pending.
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“It’s another reminder that pretty much all of Colorado is good mountain lion habitat,” said John Livingston, a CPW spokesperson. “It’s important for people to remember that lions can always be around, especially when there are deer.”
Colorado’s mountain lion hunting season is currently underway, but activists have proposed a ballot initiative that could usher in a statewide hunting ban for mountain lions, bobcats, and lynxs. Pro-hunting groups have challenged the proposed ballot initiative in the Colorado Supreme Court.
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