Mountain Lion Killed in Garden City

Pursued through neighborhoods and common areas, an adult mountain lion was eventually killed by law enforcement officials along the Boise River Greenbelt in the Riverside subdivision yesterday afternoon. An eyewitness reported to Garden City Police that at 4:15 in the afternoon, a mountain lion had bolted from under his front porch and exited his property. Together with Garden City Police, Fish and Game conservation officer Bill London and a volunteer houndsman responded to the scene and began tracking the animal through backyards and common areas within the subdivision. Fish and Game veterinarian Dr. Mark Drew also responded to the scene. "Our hope was that the lion would tree and we could keep it there until it could be darted and possibly relocated to another area," London noted. "But we gave Garden City the green light to shoot the cat if it failed to tree. Darkness was upon us, and we did not want it roaming the neighborhood." Around 5:30pm, the lion was tracked to an island in the Boise River where it ran along the greenbelt path, bypassing several large cottonwood trees. Upon reaching the head of the island, it was only a few feet from re-entering the neighborhood when it was shot and killed by law enforcement officers. The seven-foot-long mountain lion was an adult female, estimated at five to six years old, 90 to 100 pounds, in good body condition and not lactating, meaning she did not have kittens. "Based on this lion's size and condition, we are confident that this is not the mountain lion involved in the Boise Foothills dog attacks a few days ago," London said. A quick and coordinated response from Garden City Police officers played a key role in the successful pursuit. During the incident, older mountain lion tracks were found, indicating the lion had been in the neighborhood for at least several days. A necropsy of the carcass will be conducted today. This is the third reported lion incident in the last few weeks. On January 27, two dogs were attacked by a mountain lion off of Bogus Basin Road, and the following day, a jogger with a dog encountered a lion in the Avimor Subdivision off of Highway 55. In this incident, the lion behaved as expected, running away from the area.