Authorities Kill 3 Mountain Lions That Ate Human Remains At Trail

TUCSON, AZ — The Pima County Sheriff’s Department reported the discovery Monday of human remains in the Pima Canyon Trail near Tucson. It was also reported that one full-grown mountain lion and two yearlings that ate the remains were shot and killed by authorities Tuesday.

Authorities are working to determine how the person's death occurred, while Arizona Game and Fish Department officials are defending the decision to kill the mountain lions that ate some of the remains.

The identity of the person whose remains were discovered on the Pima Canyon Trail, near Magee Road and First Avenue, is still unknown. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office located the remains after receiving a call reporting suspicious activity at the trail Monday night, according to KOLD.

Meanwhile, the three mountain lions that ate the human remains were killed Tuesday by the Arizona Game and Fish Department after confirming the cats’ droppings contained the remains. Mark Hart, an Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman, told KGUN, “We do not believe the lions attacked the individual who died there. An autopsy will tell us more. But our belief is they were eating the human remains after the fact.”

While the details and cause of the human death remain unclear, Game and Fish Regional Supervisor Raul Vega said in a news release that the mountain lions’ deaths were because “they were a clear and present danger to public safety” because they were “50 yards from a popular hiking trail and within sight of homes, and repeatedly showed no fear of responding officers.”

Additionally, Vega told KGUN, “Mountain lions are not routinely scavengers. A mountain lion eating human remains is abnormal behavior. Those that do are more likely to attack a human being in the future.”

Meanwhile, with the autopsy on the human remains scheduled for Thursday, the three mountain lions’ bodies are also in the possession of authorities as possible evidence in the case.

Lisa Lange, PETA’s senior vice president, told NBC News that this is a “tragic story all around, ending in the killing of three animals who were just trying to survive in a warming world with increasing chokeholds on their existence, including habitat loss, human encroachment and more.”

Vega additionally told KGUN that relocating the lions was never an option because of mountain lions’ territorial nature, which pits them against each other in deadly fights over habitat.

The Pima Canyon Trail will remain closed until Jan. 14, as the Game and Fish Department attempts to trap other lions recently having human interactions.

KOLD reported that people ignoring the trail’s closure might be fined anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 and face a six-month jail sentence.

To learn more about mountain lions and what to do if you see one, visit the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s website.