HAILEY, Idaho — Two mountain lions were captured and euthanized by Idaho Fish and Game officers after they had become habituated to living inside Hailey city limits.
According to Idaho Fish and Game (F&G), recent mountain lion activity has caused safety concerns among area residents and have been deemed a threat.
A young lion was captured and euthanized on Friday, March 17.
An adult female was captured on Tuesday, March 21 and euthanized on Wednesday, March 22.
Officers had placed mountain lion traps over a period of 10 days in a Hailey neighborhood that had reported the mountain lion activity.
F&G said the decision to trap and remove the mountain lions was a result of lion behavior that progressed from sightings to the adult female hissing and baring its teeth at a Hailey resident, and various other indications that the lions had become very comfortable living next to residential areas.
Fish and Game said they have made attempts to capture a third mountain lion over the past several days, however it has successfully evaded those efforts. Remote cameras placed near the traps did not detect the young lion in the area over the same time period.
Idaho Fish and Game said that their Magic Valley Regional office has received a steady increase in mountain lion reports since October of 2022, with over 85 calls having been recorded by late March.
F&G said that while most of the calls have regarded only sightings of the wild animals, there have been some non-fatal attacks on dogs, causing residents to become increasingly concerned about the lions taking up residence in their neighborhoods.
The department said that their initial approach to reports consisted of providing safety information to homeowners, helping homeowners mountain lion proof their homes and when necessary, non-lethal hazing.
Non-lethal hazing tactics include the use of rubber slugs and buckshot, aerial cracker shells and pepper balls shot from an air rifle. These tactics are used in an attempt to encourage the mountain lions to leave the area.
Fish and Game Conservation officers also have the responsibility of removing lion-killed deer and elk from neighborhood yards, of which F&G said there have been many.
Mountain Lion Safety:
In the event of a mountain lion encounter, wildlife managers suggest:
- NEVER run away from a mountain lion. The lion's instinct is to chase and ultimately catch what they perceive as potential prey.
- NEVER turn your back on a lion. Always face them while making yourself look as large as you can. Yell loudly, but don't scream. A high-pitched scream may mimic the sound of a wounded animal.
- SLOWLY back away while maintaining eye contact with the lion.
- Safety equipment you may choose to carry could include bear spray, a noise device, like an air-horn, and if you walk in the dark, a very bright flashlight.
- Proof your home: block mountain lion access to day bed locations in and around homes and outbuildings.
- If you are attacked, fight back!
History of Lion Removal in the Wood River Valley:
Prior to the recent removals of two mountain lions, Fish and Game said the last time a mountain lion was euthanized in the Wood River Valley was in January 2020, when a large male lion was removed for public safety as it ran throughout the Woodside Subdivision.
At the time of the incident, school children were being released from the local grade school. Fish and Game officers attempted to haze the lion out of the subdivision, but the lion began to exhibit increasing levels of aggression, ultimately leading to the mountain lion being euthanized.
In December 2019, a mountain lion was euthanized after it killed two dogs on the same morning in Ketchum near Warm Springs. The lion was tracked to an adjacent house where it was found under the deck of a home.
In January 2019, a mountain lion was euthanized after it killed a dog in Ketchum in the area of Warm Springs.
F&G on Euthanizing Wildlife:
According to Idaho Fish and Game, the most humane and responsible option when wildlife predators become a public safety issue, is often to euthanize it. A decision that Fish and Game staff said is not taken lightly.
Magic Valley Regional Supervisor Craig White said, "Fish and Game staff have ongoing discussions about wildlife and how wildlife actions can impact public safety for Wood River Valley residents and their pets."
"We will always err on the side of public safety when wildlife and people share the same space, especially when that space is in communities where families live and work," said White.
Conservation officers said they can only respond and investigate reports of mountain lions in and around Wood River Valley communities and neighborhoods if reports are made by residents.
F&G said it is crucial that residents continue to report mountain lion sightings, as well as any encounters or missing pets to the Magic Valley Regional Office at (208) 324-4359 so that officers can continue to monitor the behavior of the lions and assess potential risks to public safety.
For more information about how to stay safe around wildlife, visit the Wood River Valley Wildlife Smart Communities website.
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