IMAGES OF A MOUNTAIN LION WITH A NECK COLLAR IN NORTHWEST IOWA HAVE BEEN CIRCULATING OVER SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE PAST FEW DAYS.
VINCE EVELSIZER OF THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SAYS THE LION HAS TRAVELED A LONG WAY TO GET INTO IOWA:
MTLION1 OC……IN NORTHWEST IOWA. :15
THE MALE, ESTIMATED TO BE LESS THAN TWO YEARS OLD, WAS COLLARED AS PART OF AN ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECT BY NEBRASKA GAME, FISH & PARKS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND MOUNTAIN LION MOVEMENTS AND BEHAVIORS.
EVELSIZER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE CAT’S MOVEMENTS A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN IT ENTERED THE STATE, AND SAYS IT HASN’T CAUSED ANY ISSUES WITH HUMAN SAFETY OR LIVESTOCK:
MTLION2 OC………IS DOING SO FAR. :23
WHILE MOUNTAIN LIONS ARE NOT PROTECTED IN IOWA, EVELSIZER IS ENCOURAGING IOWANS NOT TO SHOOT IT UNLESS THERE IS A DIRECT SAFETY THREAT:
MTLION3 OC…KIND OF THING. :22
TO PROTECT THE ANIMAL, THE D-N-R ISN’T GIVING OUT EXACT LOCATIONS WHERE IT HAS BEEN SPOTTED:
MTLION4 OC……LEAVE IT AT THAT. :17
EVELSIZER SAYS ANYONE WHO SEES THE MOUNTAIN LION SHOULD USE COMMON SENSE AND LEAVE IT ALONE.
HE SAYS SIGHTINGS MAY BE REPORTED TO LOCAL D-N-R OFFICES TO HELP TRACK ITS MOVEMENT.
KSCJ file photo
