(Video courtesy of Tyler Slade)
Three cougars caused a bit of a commotion in an east-side Salt Lake City area neighborhood on Tuesday morning — although things have since returned to normal.
According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the resident of an Olympus Cove home near 4300 South and 4000 East heard a deer being attacked in his backyard at about 6:30 a.m. Footage from his security camera showed three mountain lions, a mother with two large kittens, attacking and killing the young deer.
The attack occurred a half-mile from the Neffs Canyon trailhead, prompting Utah wildlife officials to warn the public to exercise caution when roaming the Wasatch foothills during dawn and dusk, the low-light periods when the big feline predators are active.
“It not common to have a mountain lion in a residential area. We have a good deer population in that area and several other cities,” said Scott Root, a DWR outreach director. “Anytime you have people living in a mountainous area and they have a good deer population, there is a good chance a mountain lion will come through once in a while.”
Unified Police and DWR biologists responded to the home but were unable to locate the cougars. The dead deer was removed from the property by DWR personnel so the cougars would not return to claim it.
“Typically they will cache their prey," Root said. “They could be lurking about and we want people to be careful. If anyone sees these lions, call us immediately."
As a precaution, nearby Oakridge Elementary and Churchill Junior High were briefly placed on lockdown while the deer was removed.
As of midday, the mountain lions had not been seen again, but authorities were urging residents to be cautious, be on the lookout for the animals and to notify the DWR or Unified police of any sightings.
If the animals do return, the DWR will attempt to tranquilize and relocate the cougars.
The DWR provided these tips to prevent encounters/conflicts with cougars:
And the DWR provided these tips for what to do if you encounter a cougar:
