SANDY VALLEY (FOX5) — A Southern Nevada family concerned about a cougar prowling around their property reached out to Nevada wildlife officials for help to remove the big cat.
Mountain lions are prevalent throughout Southern Nevada but are generally elusive, according to Nevada Department of Wildlife officials. FOX5 has reported on sightings across the Valley in areas like Summerlin, Henderson and Mt. Charleston.
For the past couple of months, a mountain lion has been seen and heard around several acres belonging to a Sandy Valley family– and the family has found the remains of a cat and a dog that they suspect the cat had eaten.
Jack tells FOX5 he’s had scary encounters, even one outside his window.
“That giant cat just let out a big huff, and the whole window just fogged up from its hot breath,” Jack said, telling FOX5 that the big cat had a staring match with his two house cats. “A huge, giant cat is just sitting there on the other side of the window,” he said.
The first time he saw the cat, he said it was eight feet away.
“I was walking to my mom’s house, and all of a sudden, I heard this growl. All I saw were these big, giant eyes,” Jack said, noting he backed away slowly. “What I’m worried about is that it’s going to attack one of us, or it’s going to attack one of the dogs.”
Jack’s mother emailed NDOW: “Is there some way that this kitten can be caught and relocated?”
NDOW officials explained to her and FOX5 that they evaluate a cat’s behavior when complaints come in, but relocation is not a simple scenario. A cougar has a “territory” that ranges up to 150 miles.
“A big cat or other predator will travel hundreds of miles to get back where it came from,” said Doug Nielsen with NDOW. “The concept of moving a predator from point A to point B and it’s going to live happily ever after is great for a made-for-TV movie– but in the real-life world, in the world of wildlife management, that doesn’t really work most of the time.”
Even if NDOW relocated the cougar, it may infringe on another big cat’s territory, causing unnecessary conflict, he said.
How can the family drive the cougar away?
“When we get a report of a mountain lion that might be on the edge of the valley or in a community, our first hope is that it turns around and goes right back where it came from. Give it space,” Nielsen said. “If you’re feeling threatened or you’re fairly close to it, then make yourself look as big as you can.”
There are precautions that folks can take to make a property less attractive: keep pets indoors and remove outside pet food. Do not leave pets outside unattended.
NDOW has the following guide for living with mountain lions: Living With Mountain Lions – Nevada Wildlife.
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