Police shoot mountain lion in town

Whitefish police killed a mountain lion on Sunday evening after it was seen feeding on a deer in a residential neighborhood.

The 8-month-old, 80-pound male lion was first spotted at 7:30 p.m. on Marina Crest Lane.

“The lion was on a freshly killed deer and had been wandering around for a couple of hours,” Whitefish Assistant Police Chief Mike Ferda said.

Officers investigated and saw the lion at the carcass before it ducked into some nearby bushes.

Ferda said there were people walking and children playing near the area of the carcass.

He said officers were uncomfortable with the lion being so close to children.

“When cats in the city are displaying certain behaviors and are not afraid of human contact, we will put them down,” Ferda said.

“We have a lot of critters that pass through town, but lions are different predators than bears. Cats will stalk their prey and go after pets.”

Marina Crest Lane is on the east shore of Whitefish Lake off Dakota Avenue and near Bay Point.

Police notified Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials after the lion was killed.

Wildlife Management Specialist Eric Wenum said police made the right decision to kill to lion.

“If a lion is making a living in someone’s backyard, something is likely to go wrong,” Wenum said.

Cats typically hunt during dawn and dusk.

If approached by a lion, Wenum says it’s important to keep eye contact with the animal, stand upright and make yourself look big. Try to slowly back away, he said.

“Our natural response is flight, but that triggers a predatory response. The worst thing to do is run from the lion.”

He said it’s not uncommon for lions to pass through town.

“They’re everywhere,” he said. “Subdivisions on the outskirts of town can be prime habitat.”