UPDATE 10:45a.m.:
The mountain lion’s future is uncertain. Evin Oneale is with Idaho Fish and Game. He says it will all depend on the situation. He says cougars come into the city all the time, but usually they pass through and are never seen by people.
He says this lion may be young and looking for territory. It may also have followed deer which have been pushed into the area thanks to a dry summer and fall.
Oneale says it’s up to the mountain lion at this point. If it heads back out of town, Fish and Game will leave it alone. However, if it continues to be sighted in the day time, acts in a bold manner, and doesn’t run away from people, it becomes a human safety issue. Then the lion will be destroyed. He says Fish and Game has a zero tolerance policy for habituated lions, because they are predators and could pose a risk to people.
Original story:
For the second day in a row, police officers have been dispatched to the Boise Greenbelt to look for an apparent mountain lion. The Ada County Sheriff's Department says a person reported seeing a cougar near the Veterans Memorial Parkway. The animal was on the Greenbelt on the north side of the river.
Garden City Police Sergeant Jerry Walbey told KBSX officers used thermal imaging technology to search for the animal. They found nothing. Walbey says it will ultimately be Idaho Fish and Game's decision as to what to do with the mountain lion. In the meantime, Walbey says law enforcement's top priority will be public safety. If the cougar is determined to be a threat to children or others who use the Greenbelt, he says officers have permission to kill the animal.
