Cougar shot and killed this morning in Kennewick

UPDATE: Cougar shot and killed this morning in Kennewick

By Kristi Pihl, Tri-City Herald

Bob Brawdy -Tri-City Herald – Law enforcement officers shot and killed a cougar at 3207 W. Third Ave. in Kennewick this morning. It’s not known how long it had been in the neighborhood. Officials said the big cat had to be killed because it could not be trapped safely after it climbed a tree.

Kennewick A state Department of Fish and Wildlife officer shot and killed a cougar at a home in downtown Kennewick this morning after the cougar had spent about nine hours in the area.

The cougar was about 25 feet up in a tree in the backyard of the home at 3207 W. Third Place in Kennewick.

Casey Leach’s two shepherd mixes were keeping the cougar up in the tree. As soon as she called the dogs into her home at about 10 a.m., the cougar was killed, said Sgt. Mike Jewell of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Kennewick Police Department had received three different calls reporting a cougar in a half-mile radius near where it was eventually found. The first call came in at about 1 a.m. today.

Jewell said he arrived at the home at about 9 a.m. The decision to shoot the cougar was made after discussing options with his supervisor, the area wildlife biologist and Kennewick Police officers.

There were no other options based on the situation, Jewell said. A tranquilizer would take 15 to 20 minutes to immobilize the animal in ideal circumstances, he said.

And there was no escape route for the cougar because it was in a neighborhood surrounded by other homes and people, Jewell said.

“We had no other option, and we want to make sure we keep the public safe,” he said.

Washington State Patrol also assisted in the response.

Read more here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/05/02/1925175/kennewick-cougar-shot-and-killed.html#storylink=cpy