Mountain lion euthanized after killing woman’s dog

POCATELLO — A mountain lion was put down Wednesday night after a woman reported that her dog had been killed by the large cat.

An Idaho Fish and Game officer and USA Wildlife Services employee responded to the home on Buckskin Road just outside of Pocatello.

“This is not an unusual report we get throughout the year,” Mark Gamblin, the Regional Supervisor for the Southeast Regional Fish and Game office, told EastIdahoNews.com. “The officers tracked down the lion and determined it had been carrying a snare around its neck that had caused a wound and was infected. They determined the best course of action was to kill the cat.”

Gamblin said pets, such as dogs and cats, are easy prey for mountain lions and warned that people who live in areas with wildlife, especially deer, should be cautious about letting their animals roam free outside at night. He emphasized that attacks on humans are rare but they can happen.

“Fortunately, we’ve never had a documented case of a lion attack on a human in our area,” he said.

While this is not an uncommon situation, he said it was unfortunate that both the dog and the mountain lion died.

“We prefer, of course, that neither pets nor the lion be put down or that we lose either one but that was the outcome in this case,” Gamblin said. “It’s unfortunate and we regret that.”