Contact: Ron Schauer, Regional Program Manager, SD Game, Fish and Parks
Arden Petersen, Region 3 Supervisor, SD Game, Fish and Parks
A mountain lion in Yankton city limits was shot and killed by Game, Fish
and Parks and Yankton area law enforcement about 8 a.m. this morning [June 14,
2004].
By 7:30 a.m., Yankton Police Dispatch received three phone calls reporting
lion sightings in town. Conservation Officer Andy Alban and local Yankton
law enforcement officers were able to track the lion by the path it was
leaving in the dew. Officer Alban came around the corner of a house and
came face to face with the cat. It took off running. Alban and other law
enforcement were then able to corner the animal and shoot it.
The SD Game, Fish and Parks action plan says mountain lions will be destroyed
if they are judged to be a substantial threat to public safety, are within
a city near areas where children are regularly congregated, kill pets or
wildlife in residential developments or occupied recreational areas, or
repeatedly kill livestock.
Mountain lions have been reported in the Yankton area in the past. Wildlife
professionals confirmed one set of tracks in 2002.
The mountain lion is no longer listed as a
state threatened species in South Dakota. Currently, the mountain lion
is considered a big game animal without an established season and still
receives full protection of the law. The only time a citizen can
legally kill a mountain lion is if a human life is threatened.
The lion’s body will be taken to South Dakota State University for necropsy. They will be able to determine if the cat came from the Black Hills area and will check its general condition, stomach contents, and check for parasites and diseases.