Thursday, August 7, 2008

Colorado: Man walking with wife shoots mountain lion near New Castle

New Castle, Colorado

From the Rocky Mountain News of August 7, 2008
Man walking with wife shoots mountain lion near New Castle

A man shot and killed a mountain lion north of New Castle Tuesday night after the animal came too close to him and his wife, according to the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Randy Hampton, a spokesman for the DOW, said the agency received a call about the shooting a little after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The man and his wife were out for a walk in the area when the mountain lion came out of the brush and was in a "crouch position," Hampton said. The couple's names were not immediately available late Wednesday.

"(The mountain lion) began to approach them," he said. "The husband was carrying a firearm, and he shot and killed the lion as it got really close."

The animal was about 6 feet away from the couple when the man shot it, Hampton said. He added that the couple tried to scare the mountain lion away by screaming at it, but that the animal continued to approach.

The man said he had no other choice but to shoot the animal, Hampton said.

"He handled the interaction properly," he said. "They were certainly scared from the incident."

Neither the man nor his wife were injured, and no charges are expected to be filed, Hampton said.

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