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TOOELE — A mountain lion spotted Thursday in Tooele was relocated, the Tooele County Dispatch Center said.
The mountain lion was first seen in the area of 2100 North and 50 West. Authorities cautioned those in the area to bring children and pets inside.
Officers worked with the Division of Wildlife Resources to locate the animal. A biologist shot the mountain lion with a tranquilizer dart. The mountain lion has since been released into its natural habitat.
"It actually sat under a big tomato plant, just stayed there, (and) got a dart in it,” said Tom Becker with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. “It went over to the corner of the fence … decided not to jump, and just laid down and went to sleep."
"We wanted to reach out and thank our neighboring law enforcement agencies, our local emergency management and, most of all, our citizens for the help and support today," the Tooele City Police Department said in a statement.
Resident Karolina Burton never thought this kind of excitement would end up next door.
"I got home and I saw about 20 or 30 cop cars, animal control cars," she said. “I couldn't actually even see the animal in the bushes. It was hiding very well. But once he shot it, I saw it jumping away. It was quite big."
Burton said it was a bit scary to see a mountain lion so close to home.
"I'm surprised it got this far away from the wilderness, but I guess that's what happens when we build neighborhoods in their area," she said.
Contributing Alex Cabrero
