MORGAN HILL
– Morgan Hill Police found themselves under fire from some
quarters this week after officers shot and killed a 6-month-old
mountain lion hiding in a back yard. People from as far away as San
Francisco phoned or e-mailed the MHPD and the Morgan Hill Times,
calling police
”
animal killers
”
and worse.
MORGAN HILL – Morgan Hill Police found themselves under fire from some quarters this week after officers shot and killed a 6-month-old mountain lion hiding in a back yard. People from as far away as San Francisco phoned or e-mailed the MHPD and the Morgan Hill Times, calling police “animal killers” and worse.
One other lion was tranquilized and captured for later release in the hills west of the city; a third escaped onto Llagas Road at Hale Avenue and was hit by a car and killed.
Police said they were justified in shooting the cat because it had turned aggressive and was threatening the public. They were fully backed by officials from California Fish and Game, the state’s wildlife protection and management agency.
Fish and Game warden John Norris said he had debriefed the officers involved and absolutely agreed that they had followed the required protocol. It has been against the law for the public to hunt the lions in California since Jan. 1, 1990; law enforcement officers operate under different, though real, rules.
“Determining public safety is up to the individual officer,” Norris said. “Any threat on any level is justified, though every situation is different. This cat was between two occupied houses, it was near the school and there were three lions, not just one that is more usual.”
Norris said he is convinced officers exercised the best judgment they could given the circumstances.
MHPD Lt. Joe Sampson said most people who called were satisfied once it was explained that the lions were large enough to cause damage.
“Once they understood these were not cute, cuddly kittens but teenagers they agreed it was a reasonable action,” Sampson said.
The state rules for legally killing mountain lions are strict.
Lt. Dave Fox of the state Department of Fish and Game arrived from Monterey to offer what help he could.
“In order to kill, it must be declared a public safety threat,” Fox said. “These officers made an attempt to tranquilize the animal first.”
Fox, who was on the scene early and handled the release that night of the one surviving mountain lion, said education is a big part of his job, allaying the public’s fears that the lions pose a huge threat.
“Mountain lions are not man eaters,” Fox said, “but they do have to kill to eat.”
Usually, the lions dine on deer, rabbits, raccoons and the smaller animals, like house cats that are allowed out. Seldom, he said, do they become aggressive around people.
