This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 2-year-old cougar was back in the wild by mid-day Monday, perhaps a bit groggy but none the worse for its weekend game of cat-and-cop in east Salt Lake City.
The 75-to-80-pound feline was first reported by alarmed residents about 3 p.m. Sunday. Police officers were dispatched to the area of Foothill Drive (2400 East) and Kensington Avenue (1500 South) and attempted to follow the animal without success.
It was several hours more before the cougar was spotted again, along nearby Wasatch Drive. This time, a Utah Division of Wildlife officer shot at it with a tranquilizer gun several times, eventually hitting it. A short time later the big cat was in custody.
Scott Root, outreach manager for the DWR's Central Utah district, said the female cougar recovered well and was released into an unspecified, high mountain location late Monday morning.
During Sunday's pursuit, residents in the area were advised via reverse-911 calls to remain inside their homes.
Cougars are native to Utah, but generally are solitary animals and do not approach humans or their habitations. Encroachment of residential developments on previously wild areas, along with attractions of possible pet prey and discarded food, may be contributing to the aberration in behavior.
With release of the cat, Sunday's incident had a happier ending than one in late June, when a cougar wandering in Sandy's Jordan Commons Mall was tranquilized but failed to regain consciousness due to an adverse reaction.
DWR officials speculated that the animal may have had other health problems that had weakened it.
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