Deputy kills cougar lurking near home

REXBURG, Idaho – An eastern Idaho sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a cougar that was lying in bushes near a home where children were playing outside.

Fish and Game Senior Conservation Officer Bruce Penske said the 2-year-old female, which weighed about 75 pounds, was killed because of time constraints when the animal was discovered Saturday evening.

It was getting dark, it would have been too dangerous to attempt tranquilizing the cat and leaving it in a populated area wasn’t an option, Penske said.

“I don’t want to start a panic and I don’t want people to think we will shoot every lion,” Penske said. “This animal was in a bad spot at a bad time.”

Madison County sheriff’s Deputy Will Davis shot the cat with a shotgun from about 15 yards away as it lay in the bushes near a home. Penske said the animal would likely have stayed in the neighborhood and could have endangered the family or their dog.