Mountain Lion Shooting Saddens Neighbors

Some San Jose, Calif., residents are urging city authorities to become better prepared to deal with mountain lions by means other than deadly force.

The issue arose from the weekend shooting of a small cougar after police on the scene could not locate anyone with a tranquilizer gun.

Animal Control isn’t set up to deal with wildlife, a police spokesman told the San Jose Mercury News. Our options are limited.

Police noted that the nearest state game warden equipped with a dart gun was located some 250 miles away.

But residents of The Villages retirement community said the cat appeared ill and they did not feel there was any need to kill it.

Run-ins with mountain lions have been on the rise in California in recent years as housing developments encroach into the animals’ habitat.

Although attacks on humans are rare, they can be deadly when they do occur. That often forces police to open fire rather than allowing a potentially dangerous animal to continue running loose in a populated neighborhood.