Female Mountain Lion Found In Iowa For The First Time Ever
Well, this is slightly unsettling- the Iowa Department of Natural Resources killed a female mountain lion on a farm in Ida County on Tuesday, according to the Des Moines Register. The lion was first suspected last week after a farmer discovered a dead calf on his property. The farmer's neighbors reported spotting the lion to 911 on Monday.
The DNR found the lion in a tree upon responding to the calls, and the decision was made to euthanize the animal. Officials said that the mountain lion's close proximity to livestock and people were the determining factors in their decision since lethal action is typically a last resort for the DNR. It is suspected that the animal made it's way from Nebraska or South Dakota, as a mountain lion has never before been spotted in Iowa.
I can definitely understand the DNR's decision to kill the lion since it appears that the calf was brutally attacked. I can only imagine what a mountain lion is capable of doing to someone's pet if it wandered into their backyard or God forbid, a child. Let's just hope wild animals never make the trek all the way to the QC. I'm a lot more comfortable seeing them at Niabi Zoo than I am spotting one in my backyard.
Read more about the Iowa mountain lion here.