Mountain Lions 'Lethally Removed' After Being Found Eating Human Remains
Officials from the Arizona Game and Fish Department said Wednesday that they lethally removed three mountain lions after confirming the large cats had fed on human remains found earlier in the week.
The unidentified human remains were found near a hiking trail in the Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona, late Monday night, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Investigators enlisted the help of the Arizona Game and Fish Department to “assess any possible interaction between the remains we found and wildlife,” James Allerton of the Pima County Sheriff’s Office told the Arizona Republic.
During their investigation, they discovered evidence which confirmed the three mountain lions had fed on the remains.
Despite that evidence, the mountain lions are not suspected of killing the victim and the cause of death is still unknown.
An autopsy to determine how the victim died was planned for Thursday.
Mountain lions are typically elusive and rarely seen by humans, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The lions in question, however, displayed abnormal behaviors which made them dangerous to the public.
“We thought the risk was too great and we had to take action,” AZGFD Regional Supervisor Raul Vega told KOLD. “Mountain lions are not routinely scavengers. Mountain lions prefer live pray and they’re very good at killing live pray.
“And there’s abundant javalina and deer in the Catalina foothills so why it happened in this case, we’re just not sure.”
“In addition, they did so 50 yards from a popular hiking trail and within sight of homes, and repeatedly showed no fear of responding officers,” he continued. “They were a clear and present danger to public safety.”
An AZGFD team set traps for the large animals and caught them on Wednesday.
The lions — an adult female and two younger lions — each weighed over 100 pounds which is considered lethal.
The recreation area was closed during the initial stages of the investigation, but was reopened on New Year’s Day.
Mark Hart with the Arizona Game and Fish Department said formal necropsies and DNA tests haven’t been scheduled yet for the animals due to possible overlap with the sheriff’s department’s investigation.
Authorities are confident they trapped and removed the correct lions due to photographic evidence.
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