Mountain lion killed after attacking, eating dog near Cascade
Idaho Fish and Game officials killed a mountain lion in Idaho after the animal attacked a dog late Friday night, the second attack in the area in recent days according to a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
On Saturday morning, a neighbor found remains of a shepherd mix dog cached behind a house a few miles south of Cascade. The neighbor alerted the homeowner and the Valley County Sheriff’s Office. Officers Marshall Haynes and Chris Rowley from the agency’s Southwest Region investigated the attack.
Rowley and Haynes were joined in their search for the lion by a houndsman and a local hunter with a mountain lion tag. The group found an adult male lion bedded down near the cached dog remains. The hounds chased the mountain lion into a tree, where the hunter shot and killed the mountain lion.
Officials said the animal was a young mountain lion with no unusual features aside from a few porcupine quills in its head and face.
The Friday attack came just days after another dog was killed by a mountain lion on New Year’s Eve. That incident occurred about a mile away from the second attack on Callendar Road east of Idaho 55.
Officials said they’re not sure if the same mountain lion attacked both dogs.
Another mountain lion was killed last month in the Wood River Valley following a series of attacks on dogs near Ketchum and Hailey. Three dogs were killed in five attacks within the space of a week.
Mountain lions aren’t unusual in either area, Fish and Game officials said, but their willingness to target domesticated animals as prey poses a threats for humans in the area. Fish and Game advises keeping pets on a leash and observing pets when they’re outside, as well as turning on lights and making noise before letting pets outside.
Humans are encouraged to keep garbage secured near their properties, avoid feeding wildlife and be aware of their surroundings. If confronted by a mountain lion, Fish and Game advises slowly backing away, maintaining eye contact with the animal and fighting back if attacked.
This story was originally published January 5, 2020 at 1:00 PM.
