SPEARFISH - A mountain lion that killed a house cat Thursday morning in Spearfish was shot by Spearfish police in the residential neighborhood of Harmony Heights.

Given circumstances surrounding the scene, the lion had to be put down, Spearfish Police Chief Pat Rotert said.

An individual living in the 1200 block of West Jackson Boulevard called the police about 7:30 a.m. Two officers were on scene quickly.

"The caller reported seeing the mountain lion on a porch on West Jackson," Rotert said. "Then, the caller saw it go toward Verdale (Drive), and almost immediately, it tangled with a local house cat and drug it into nearby bushes."

After making sure they could put the lion down without endangering any other lives, the officers made the decision to shoot the animal.

Rotert said the police department has a standing kill permit agreement with the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks if conditions warrant. The city also has a policy dealing with dangerous animals.

"We don't automatically kill a mountain lion just because it's in town," Rotert said. "But in this case, the lion had made a domestic kill, and despite seeing several people nearby, it was not at all interested in leaving. That's an easy decision to make."

GF&P officer Mike Apland, who arrived a short time later, agreed, saying the lion likely had some type of health issue that may have caused it to come into town and attack a domestic animal. The lion was unusually thin, Apland said, even for a young cat.

He estimated the lion to be a female about 1-1/2 years old.

"It could also just be that it was an inexperienced hunter that was just recently put out on its own," Apland said.

The lion was taken to Rapid City for a necropsy, Apland said, referring to the process by which GF&P officials will determine exact age, sex, diet and body condition of the animal.

"There is probably a specific issue that made it come after this cat. To take a domestic cat during the day like this is very unusual."

Rotert addressed concerns from a neighbor who didn't like the way the situation was handled, explaining that the officers made the best choice possible in what he called "a Catch-22" situation.

Rotert said at the scene Thursday that law enforcement handle lion sightings on a case-by-case basis.

"For example, we had a mountain lion spotted on Lookout Mountain a while back, above Sandstone Addition but in a little more rural area than this. It wasn't threatening anything and hadn't made a kill, so we just monitored it, assuming it was just moving through the area," Rotert said. "That's what mountain lions typically do."

As it turned out, he said, that's exactly what it was doing, and within three or four days, it had moved out of the area.

Rotert went on to say: "In this case, the lion made a domestic kill in the backyard of a heavy residential area, three blocks from an elementary school, and did not have a fear of people. The lion didn't have any intention of leaving. This is one that needed to be removed."

Like Rotert, Apland backed the actions of the police officers first on scene.

"They communicate with us in situations like this, and I have told them, if they have a clean, safe area to put it down, do it. By the time I can respond, we could lose that opportunity, and it could lead to a much worse situation."

Contact Jan Kaus at 642-8822, ext. 11, or jan.kaus@lawrencecountyjournal.com