Yesterday afternoon, police in Ashland, Oregon received reports of an “aggressive” mountain lion that had attacked at least one pet and several wild animals in the area. Officials determined the mountain lion was dangerous, and they shot it in a residential backyard, about 250 feet away from an elementary school.
According to a Facebook post by the Ashland Police Department, while it’s not unusual for cougars to roam parts of Ashland, the animals don’t typically venture “this deep into the community, during daylight hours, attacking domesticated animals, and not being appropriately wary of human interaction.”
After receiving the call, officers spoke with members of the community, discovered the mountain lion had attacked someone’s cat. They also found evidence the cougar had been hunting wild animals in the area.
After requesting help from the Oregon State Police Fish and Game Division and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the post says “all agencies agreed that the cougar was well beyond the statutory threshold calling for lethal removal of the animal.”
The agencies worked together to find the mountain lion, which was in a backyard very close to a school (full of children, since school was in session). Officials had instructed the school to keep everyone inside. A state trooper shot the mountain lion to eliminate the threat to innocent life.
“The APD never seeks to be put in the position of lethally removing an animal,” it says in the Facebook post. “However, given the circumstances noted above, this course was action was clearly the most prudent to safeguard human and domesticated animals’ lives.”
