Mountain lion captured in Pleasant Grove

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources captured and euthanized a mountain lion Friday that had been wandering around Pleasant Grove. The animal had been spotted in the area as early as Monday. 

Conservation Outreach Manager for DWR Scott Root said the agency became aware of the mountain lion on Monday. The DWR received a phone call saying it had killed two chickens from a Pleasant Grove chicken coop.

The agency placed a live trap in the area to try to bait the animal, but the effort was unsuccessful.

Root said the DWR kept receiving calls about the mountain lion. 

On Thursday the agency placed another trap in a second location. The homeowner in the area of the second trap called the DWR at 6 a.m. Friday to say the mountain lion had successfully been trapped.

According to Root, the animal had visited at least four chicken coops within a half-mile radius. He added that people in the community had posted to social media about missing cats, which concerned the agency.

“We knew that this was a public safety issue — when a mountain lion is taking up residence in a residential area,” Root said.

Safety concerns were raised because the animal had essentially been rewarded with food for being in town.

The DWR does not like to euthanize animals, Root said, but the agency decided to euthanize the mountain lion out of concern for public safety.

The decision was the “right thing to do” according to the DWR’s mountain lion policy. 

“Public safety is our number one priority,” Root said.

Related: Utah drought making encounters with black bears more likely

Follow @samanthagherr