In a video that's gone viral this week, a mountain lion falls from a tree after wildlife officials and police officers shoot it with a tranquilizer dart in Pocatello, Idaho.
According to an announcement by the Idaho Fish & Game, the Pocatello Police Department contacted conservation officers after receiving a report on April 18 of a mountain lion in a tree outside a house in a residential neighborhood.
When conservation officers arrived, they found the young 90-pound male cougar still up a tree, so they worked with officers to keep it treed. Once they were ready, they darted it and caught it as it fell. Then, they tagged it and relocated it to a remote area in southeast Idaho.
In the statement, wildlife officials say they think it might be the same mountain lion spotted in the neighboring town of Chubbuck just the day before. "Though reports of lions in town are not frequent, they do happen," officials said.
Conservation officers treating the mountain lion after darting it from a tree. Credit: Idaho Fish & Game
Officials explained that both towns are built in an "urban-wildland interface," meaning the space is often shared with wildlife as wild animals may move in or pass through the towns.
"In this case, it was likely that the young adult lion was seeking prey like urban deer, marmots, or even pets," officials said.
