Fish and Game release final mountain lion kitten found in Johnny Creek area
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POCATELLO — The fourth mountain lion kitten that was captured from the Johnny Creek area at the end of January has been released, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced Wednesday.
During the week of Jan. 16, Fish and Game learned of a mountain lion family that had settled near residents of Johnny Creek.
“Mama mountain lion and what was originally thought to be just three kittens were continually hunting deer, storing kills, and finding shelter amongst the homes and structures on properties in the area,” Fish and Game said in a news release. “These factors made removal of the mountain lions necessary.”
Officials transported and released the female and her other three kittens to a more remote location in southeast Idaho on the afternoon of Jan. 20. They didn’t capture the fourth kitten until Jan. 26.
Fish and Game used signals from a radio collar attached to the mother mountain lion to determine her location and waited until she and her kittens had settled into their new habitat before they released the fourth kitten.
This is the first capture and release of an entire mountain lion family by Idaho Fish and Game in the southeast region, according to the news release.