A Laramie man said a quiet Tuesday evening in his neighborhood turned into a mountain lion hunt as wildlife agents and local law enforcement cornered a wayward big cat in his neighbor’s backyard.
“I was just working in my garage, and I noticed there were police and sheriff’s deputies circling about every minute or so, so I knew something was up,” Mike Olson told Cowboy State Daily.
“They Were Pretty Fast About It”
Olson said he also spotted Wyoming Game and Fish Department vehicles, and a Laramie animal control office came by to chat with him shortly thereafter.
“She told, me, ‘Yeah, we’re out here looking for a mountain lion, so you need to get your pets indoors,’” he said.
At 6:02 p.m., Laramie Police officers blocked off the alley behind his house, he said. The mountain lion had apparently taken shelter under a table in his neighbor’s backyard, and Game and Fish Wardens went in after it.
“I think that’s where they darted it,” Olson said. “They were pretty fast about it. According to the timestamp on my alley camera, they were driving out of the alley with the cat in a trailer at 6:17 p.m.”
“I never did get to see the cat directly,” he added,” But my wife saw it from our back deck.”
Game and Fish could not be reached for comment late Tuesday. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
