WILDLIFE -- RIchland law enforcement officials on Friday killed a cougar after workers found the six-foot-long cat in the basement of a south Richland home that’s under construction.

Richland police said they were called at 9:15 a.m, according to the Tri-City Herald. An officer from the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department also responded.

The home is in the framing stage and when workers arrived they discovered the cougar hiding in a basement nook, police said.

Because of the location, the number of people in the area, and other safety concerns, officers determined there was no other option but to shoot the cougar.

A similar incident occured earlier in the week in Wenatchee.