FWP defends mountain lion euthanization

The euthanization of a mountain lion found in Columbia Falls last weekend has caused a bit of a stir, as some folks claim the cat could have been saved.

But Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman John Fraley said that FWP tried to find a home for the cat that met certain accreditation standards, but to no avail.

Fraley explained that in October of 2008, FWP changed its guidelines for relocation of orphan and other animals like the mountain lion, which ended up in a tree in Columbia Falls April 23. The changes to the relocation policy require that a facility be accredited by the American Zoological Association. If a facility can't be found, then the animal will be humanely dispatched. FWP does not re-release lions into the wild because of health and safety concerns. A lion that ends up in town or around people has usually been pushed out of its habitat by another lion or by lack of food. Placing it back into the same habitat doesn't help, FWP officials claim.

The AZA requirements were written into the policy to avoid placing an animal in a facility that might later sell it, Fraley said.

With this mountain lion, FWP officials contacted The Wildcat Sanctuary and asked if they could take it, said Sanctuary Executive Director Tammy Quist. The Sanctuary does not sell animals and it did have room for this lion, Quist said. The Sanctuary actually has three cats previously from Montana.

So Quist said she made plans to take the lion. Then FWP took a closer look its own policy and decided it couldn't send her the lion.

Why?

The Sanctuary is accredited by the American Association of Sanctuaries and the American Sanctuary Association, but not by AZA, Quist explained. It has no zoo certification because it's not a zoo. It's not open to the public, she said.

In the end, FWP officials decided they had to follow the updated protocol and since a zoo couldn't be found, the lion was euthanized by a veterinarian, Region One Wildlife manager Jim Williams noted.

Quist said her frustration was that she made plans for the lion and then was later told she couldn't take it. She claimed FWP's AZA requirement means that most lions will be euthanized, since adult wild lions don't do well in zoos and many zoos don't want them. Cubs can be better acclimated to zoos, she said.

Even her facility is running out of space.

Fraley also noted that the lion incident here could portend more to come as deer populations have dropped due to harsh winters and more predation and development encroaching on elk and deer winter range. When that happens, lions end up closer to homes looking for food. Urban areas often have healthy deer populations and cats have also been known to attack and eat pets.

Williams said that the mountain lion population overall is doing well. There's about 500 lions in this region, with two adults and two subadults occupying on average per 100 square kilometers.

Williams said it folks want to protect wild lions, the best investment is in organizations that center on protecting habitat for deer and elk.