MCCALL, Idaho — Mountain lions have been seen and reported in McCall in recent months and biologists believe they will stick around into spring, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said this week.
The department said in a news release March 20 that IDFG staff "have neither observed nor received reports of lion behavior that would indicate an imminent public safety risk." However, the department encourages people to continue to report sightings if they see one of the big cats or other wildlife in town, as "all wild animals can become aggressive for a variety of reasons, including protection of young."
Mountain lions, also known as cougars, observed in McCall this winter have been avoiding humans and pets, but are preying on the local deer herd, which the department calls "an abundant and natural food source."
"In a word, the mountain lions' behavior so far has been typical," the IDFG news release stated. Still, the sighting of mountain lions near homes has generated questions about potential risks to public safety and how the department intends to deal with the animals.
Idaho Fish and Game said it has received more than 50 reports, videos and photos of three to five mountain lions this winter in the McCall area. The department said they're in McCall during winter to prey on a herd of deer that "have become accustomed to handouts" from people in town.
Idaho Fish and Game recommends that people not feed deer and elk.
“Keeping all wildlife wild is the responsibility of all of us as humans living in wildlife habitat,” McCall Regional Wildlife Manager Regan Berkley said. “But when we collectively fail at that, and wildlife begins to exhibit aggressive or unnatural behavior, it is our responsibility as wildlife professionals to make difficult decisions in the interest of public safety.”
Fish and Game says it has "limited" options for addressing mountain lions that start exhibiting non-typical behavior, and the department will not consider capturing and relocating them. The department explains it this way:
"The most likely outcomes when relocating a habituated large carnivore are all negative, such as: it returns to the area where it was trapped; it is killed in a territorial dispute or by a dominant animal already occupying that space; it starves; or it resumes the same nontypical behavior in a new location. Rarely does a problem lion resume what we would consider normal behavior."
Also, family groups like the mountain lions now living around McCall typically cannot successfully be relocated together because the chances of wildlife staff catching all of the animals at the same time are slim.
"This means Fish and Game would be separating young mountain lions from their mother, which would leave them without adult guidance and likely result in more problematic behavior," IDFG said.
The department said hazing the mountain lions -- reinforcing a healthy fear of humans and encouraging them to leave a specific area -- is an option on a case-by-case basis. Considerations include where the animal might move after being hazed and whether the new location is better or worse than where the animal is now.
As for euthanasia -- killing a mountain lion -- the department said it does not take that decision lightly, but it's often "the most humane and responsible option" when an animal has become a public safety issue.
“We absolutely do not want to euthanize mountain lions in and around McCall, or anywhere for that matter,” Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Josh Royse said. “Lethal removal is the last resort, and none of us like that outcome. At the moment, we have not deemed them to be an imminent threat to the public, which is why we’ve not been forced to euthanize any mountain lions in the area.”
Along with not feeding deer and elk, which are prey for mountain lions, Fish and Game urges the following to "keep mountain lions wild" around McCall:
- Ensure that a lion cannot get under your patio or deck.
- Place covers under window wells.
- Install motion-sensor lights, which may discourage wildlife from staying in your yard. Lights can be directed to minimize the impact on neighbors.
- Keep pets inside at night and on a leash during all hours.
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