PARK CITY, Utah (ABC4) – On Tuesday night, wildlife officials euthanized a mountain lion in a Deer Valley neighborhood.
On Monday night, and again on Tuesday night, the young female mountain lion appeared in a backyard and seemed unfazed by humans — even though banging pots and pans is usually enough to scare one away.
That’s according to Scott Root, conservation outreach manager with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
“This one was not showing fear of humans,” said Root.
“It didn’t want to leave, and eventually after all the pots and pans it still didn’t want to leave,” added Root.
That was Monday night, Root says, when the lion did end up retreating into the woods. But it was back again on Tuesday. Residents called police.
“It lunged at an officer and actually kind of followed him,” said Root.
“If the mountain lion is aggressive or doesn’t show fear of humans, we get very concerned,” added Root.
Wildlife officers, who typically try to push the animal into its habitat or even use a tranquilizer gun, opted to euthanize the mountain lion over public safety concerns.
“Since there’s little children around and a lot of other people, we made the decision and it was relatively easily made even though we don’t like to put animals down,” said Root.
A biologist noticed visible ribs on the mountain lion, but it’s too early to determine possible disease or malnutrition. Root says test results are pending.
For tips on what you should do when you see a mountain lion or other wildlife, you can click here.