Mountain Lion Killed Near Missoula Homes

Another mountain lion was caught dangerously close to Missoula homes yesterday, this time in the Rattlesnake.

"On Thursday, we received a report on a mountain lion that had come out from under a deck at the Brookside town homes," Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks spokeswoman Vivica Crowser said. "We were able to get on site within five minutes and when we responded with a dog, it was able to track the lion up a tree. We had to remove and kill the lion."

FWP often traps and releases bears that are caught near town, but Crowser says that technique doesn't work well with mountain lions.

"It doesn't work well for the lions and they end up not making it, or they come back to the same places where they were," Crwoser said. "Having lions hanging out that close to neighborhoods is just not a good idea."

A recent study revealed that the number of Mountain lions in the Bitterroot valley was far higher than previously expected. Mountain lions have also been reported in the South Hills of Missoula in recent months.