By Lethbridge Herald on September 14, 2021.
A cougar has been shot and killed by police after it was spotted roaming a northside neighbourhood over the weekend.
At roughly 2:40 p.m. Saturday police responded to a 911 call for assistance after a large cougar was observed on the loose in the Uplands subdivision.
Another witness had observed the animal, approximately six feet in length, jump a six-foot high fence from the adjacent alley into a residential yard in the 100-block of Bluefox Boulevard.
The Public Safety Communication Centre had placed calls to Alberta Fish and Wildlife with no immediate response.
As police approached the area they noted a number of neighbourhood residents in the vicinity and entered the yard to ensure public safety. Officers had 911 dispatch call the home and neighbours to advise them to stay inside and away from the windows.
Once in the yard, the officers say they were faced with an aggressively posturing cougar just yards away.
Police say the cougar had to be euthanized as they determined it presented an immediate risk of life or injury to the public and officers if it was allowed to escape from the yard.
One shot was fired and the cougar was killed.
A Fish and Wildlife officer arrived at the scene after the cougar had been euthanized and seized the animal for further examination.
Coffee break?