lion in Des Moines, IA
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 6:17 pm
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... dyssey=tab
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Written by
Regina Zilbermints
FILED UNDER
News
Mountain lion shooting: Des Moines Police Sgt. Jeff Phillips talks about Thursday morning's mountain lion shooting.
Police shot and killed a mountain lion in a residential Des Moines neighborhood Thursday morning, officials said.
Officials believe it was the first time in the city’s more recent history that a mountain lion has been shot by a Des Moines policeman within the city limits.
Jim Egan spotted the large cat around 9:30 a.m. in the backyard of a house in the 3900 block of Columbia Street when he was taking blankets out to a greenhouse.
“I come around the corner of the greenhouse where we have benches with plants,” Egan, 65, said. “I looked down and there he was, looking up at me.”
The mountain lion didn’t move as Egan backed away while calling 911. Egan said it looked like the animal was tracking his movements.
The young male cat measured 6 feet, 3 inches from nose to tail, officials said. A weight was not yet available.
Officers said they didn’t have a choice but to shoot the animal, which was found in a residential area that includes two schools.
When the mountain lion tried to bolt, Des Moines Police Sgt. Jeff Phillips shot it.
“It started to move and unfortunately we had to put it down, due to the fact that we couldn’t let it be out in the neighborhood. It was a large cat,” Phillips said. “It’s a shame we had to put it down. It’s a beautiful creature but we couldn’t let it be loose in the neighborhood.”
A mountain lion had been spotted about two hours earlier around Madison Elementary School, 806 E. Hoffman St., about four blocks away from where it was shot.
Animal control officers at the time searched the area but were unable to find the cat.
There have been a few unconfirmed mountain lion sightings in the Des Moines area including in July near the Norwoodville Community Center. Still, police and Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials were a little shocked to find an actual mountain lion in the backyard.
“Yeah, there was a mountain lion. It was quite a surprise,” said Phillips of his thoughts when he saw the animal, later adding, “Just, wow. We were all amazed.”
Egan was surprised, too. Not only did he never expect to find a mountain lion in his backyard, “I never expected to find one period,” he said.
After the animal was shot, neighbors – some still in slippers or socks - congregated around the Department of Natural Resources pick-up truck, where the animal was laying in the back, snapping cell phone photos and shaking their heads.
The lion was likely a young male that had just been kicked out of his territory and, while searching for new land, happened into the populated area, Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Jeff Swearngin said.
“It’s very unusual, especially in Des Moines,” he said. “I had never expected something like this.”
The animals claws and teeth, as well as a lack of any tattoos or marks indicated it was likely never a pet, Swearngin said.
Chuck Corell, head of the conservation and recreation division at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said this is the time of year that mother mountain lions preparing to mate again kick their offspring out of the territory.
Many of the mountain lions in Iowa appear to come in from the Black Hills. Most aren’t seen, Corell said.
Corell said there have been several sightings near or in cities in recent years, including Clinton, near a Monona County town, in Omaha and across the Missouri River from Sioux City. He said DNR doesn’t have a policy on shooting the large cats, which aren’t legally protected, but he said police did the right thing if the was roaming near schools and homes.
“If we darted it, then what do we do with it?” Corell asked. “We can’t let it go five miles down the road to be darted again. And we can’t take it to the Black Hills, because they’ve already been kicked out of the territory.”
And while every officer at the scene called the incident “unfortunate,” they expressed similar sentiment, wondering what would have happened if the animal managed to escape back into the neighborhood.
“I wish we had that time, had the opportunity to trap it,” said Des Moines Police Sgt. Chris Scott. “But it was a big cat, roaming around, earlier it was maybe out at a school. It’s a public safety issue.”
Swearngin said there was likely no remaining public safety risk. Male mountain lions are solitary and travel up to a 100 miles a day, so it’s unlikely to find another one in the same area, he said.
click for pix, etc.
Written by
Regina Zilbermints
FILED UNDER
News
Mountain lion shooting: Des Moines Police Sgt. Jeff Phillips talks about Thursday morning's mountain lion shooting.
Police shot and killed a mountain lion in a residential Des Moines neighborhood Thursday morning, officials said.
Officials believe it was the first time in the city’s more recent history that a mountain lion has been shot by a Des Moines policeman within the city limits.
Jim Egan spotted the large cat around 9:30 a.m. in the backyard of a house in the 3900 block of Columbia Street when he was taking blankets out to a greenhouse.
“I come around the corner of the greenhouse where we have benches with plants,” Egan, 65, said. “I looked down and there he was, looking up at me.”
The mountain lion didn’t move as Egan backed away while calling 911. Egan said it looked like the animal was tracking his movements.
The young male cat measured 6 feet, 3 inches from nose to tail, officials said. A weight was not yet available.
Officers said they didn’t have a choice but to shoot the animal, which was found in a residential area that includes two schools.
When the mountain lion tried to bolt, Des Moines Police Sgt. Jeff Phillips shot it.
“It started to move and unfortunately we had to put it down, due to the fact that we couldn’t let it be out in the neighborhood. It was a large cat,” Phillips said. “It’s a shame we had to put it down. It’s a beautiful creature but we couldn’t let it be loose in the neighborhood.”
A mountain lion had been spotted about two hours earlier around Madison Elementary School, 806 E. Hoffman St., about four blocks away from where it was shot.
Animal control officers at the time searched the area but were unable to find the cat.
There have been a few unconfirmed mountain lion sightings in the Des Moines area including in July near the Norwoodville Community Center. Still, police and Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials were a little shocked to find an actual mountain lion in the backyard.
“Yeah, there was a mountain lion. It was quite a surprise,” said Phillips of his thoughts when he saw the animal, later adding, “Just, wow. We were all amazed.”
Egan was surprised, too. Not only did he never expect to find a mountain lion in his backyard, “I never expected to find one period,” he said.
After the animal was shot, neighbors – some still in slippers or socks - congregated around the Department of Natural Resources pick-up truck, where the animal was laying in the back, snapping cell phone photos and shaking their heads.
The lion was likely a young male that had just been kicked out of his territory and, while searching for new land, happened into the populated area, Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Jeff Swearngin said.
“It’s very unusual, especially in Des Moines,” he said. “I had never expected something like this.”
The animals claws and teeth, as well as a lack of any tattoos or marks indicated it was likely never a pet, Swearngin said.
Chuck Corell, head of the conservation and recreation division at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said this is the time of year that mother mountain lions preparing to mate again kick their offspring out of the territory.
Many of the mountain lions in Iowa appear to come in from the Black Hills. Most aren’t seen, Corell said.
Corell said there have been several sightings near or in cities in recent years, including Clinton, near a Monona County town, in Omaha and across the Missouri River from Sioux City. He said DNR doesn’t have a policy on shooting the large cats, which aren’t legally protected, but he said police did the right thing if the was roaming near schools and homes.
“If we darted it, then what do we do with it?” Corell asked. “We can’t let it go five miles down the road to be darted again. And we can’t take it to the Black Hills, because they’ve already been kicked out of the territory.”
And while every officer at the scene called the incident “unfortunate,” they expressed similar sentiment, wondering what would have happened if the animal managed to escape back into the neighborhood.
“I wish we had that time, had the opportunity to trap it,” said Des Moines Police Sgt. Chris Scott. “But it was a big cat, roaming around, earlier it was maybe out at a school. It’s a public safety issue.”
Swearngin said there was likely no remaining public safety risk. Male mountain lions are solitary and travel up to a 100 miles a day, so it’s unlikely to find another one in the same area, he said.