BRUNEAU, Idaho -- A mountain lion on school grounds prompted a lockdown at Bruneau Elementary School in Owyhee County Wednesday morning.
According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the big cat was spotted in a tree near the school at about 8 a.m. School officials immediately locked down the elementary, and called the IDFG office in Nampa.
"We did not have a conservation officer immediately available to respond," Fish and Game wildlife manager Rick Ward said. "We made a call to the Owyhee County Sheriff's Office and requested that Sheriff's office personnel dispatch the cat as a matter of public safety."
Officials say the mountain lion jumped down from the tree a short time later, but remained in the area of the school. The sheriff's office called in a houndsman, who used his dogs to tree the cat about a half-mile from Bruneau Elementary at about 10:30 a.m.
The mountain lion, an 82-pound female, was then shot and killed.
Fish and Game officers said the decision to euthanize the cat was made to protect the public.
Officials say the lion appeared to be in good condition, but had suffered a severe break in its lower left front leg at some point in its life. Although the broken bone had healed, hte injury may have limited the cat's mobility to hunt natural prey.
"Lion sightings are fairly common in the Bruneau area," Ward said. "But we were unwilling to take any chance with a cat that seemed comfortable spending time in a school yard."
