Man Shoots Mountain Lion That — Quite Literally — Got His Goat

NEDERLAND, CO -- A Nederland-area man shot and killed a mountain lion on Saturday morning, according to reporting from the Daily Camera. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Spokesman Jason Clay told the Camera that the property owner, who lives northeast of Nederland, told a wildlife officer that a large male mountain lion had killed one of his goats the night before.

When the property owner came out to feed his remaining goats the next morning he saw the lion about 20 yards away from where the goat was killed, he explained to wildlife officials, so he shot it.

"The land owner had lost three or four goats previously," Clay told the Camera. "It seems like mountain lions were keying in on easy meals."

Colorado statues state that agricultural producers are legally allowed to control animals that pose a threat to their agricultural products or resources. Mountain lions can only be killed when doing so is necessary to prevent them from inflicting death, damage, or injury to livestock, real property, or human life. The allowance only applies to the particular lion in question.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, other animals that may be taken to prevent damage or injury include black bears, badgers, muskrats, beavers, red foxes, bobcats, skunks, coyotes, raccoons, prairie dogs, pocket gophers, rock squirrels, Richardson’s and thirteen-lined ground squirrels, jackrabbits, marmots, porcupines, black-billed magpies, common crows, rattlesnakes, common pigeons, and starlings.

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