Nebraska Game and Parks says the male mountain lion that had to be put down in the Fairway Estates subdivision of the Scotts Bluff Country Club Wednesday was part of the big cat population native to the Wildcat Hills.
Officials say the mountain lion, first spotted around 1:50 p.m. and again more than five hours later southwest of the original sighting, was shot because it was an immediate threat to the public.
Game and Parks carnivore and furbearer manager Sam Wilson said said the mountain lion was a 1½ years old, and was ear-tagged in May of 2023, along with its mother, as part of the state’s research efforts.
Wilson said the cat was at the age young males begin dispersing from their mothers to find their own territory and potential mates.
He tells KNEB News a necropsy will be performed to determine if there were any physical conditions that may have prompted the mountain lion to loiter around the housing development.
The mountain lion was part of the Wildcat Hills population, one of three established populations in Nebraska.
Game and Parks Commissioners meet in Ogallala for their monthly meeting on Friday, and on the agenda will be consideration of adding a mountain lion hunting season for the Wildcat Hills; such seasons are already in place for both the Pine Ridge and Niobrara NGPC units.
