Utah Couple Finds Mountain Lion Napping on Their Porch
OutdoorHub Reporters 05.25.16
In many ways, mountain lions are like big house cats. Just like domestic felines, these large predators also like to take long, leisurely naps in the warm sun. Unfortunately for one Utah couple, however, moving this critter proved to be a bit more difficult than shooing away a tabby. Kathy and Floyd Inman of Heber, Utah, found a large mountain lion napping on their porch last week – and it was in no mood to leave.
“So I looked down and I said ‘What dog is that laying on my porch?’ and I tapped on the glass and he or she turned around and I said, ‘That ain’t no dog,'” Kathy Inman told Fox 13.
Instead, wildlife officials say it was a 75-pound mountain lion believed to be over 2 years old. The homeowners attempted to scare it away from the property, but the lion decided to stay and catch a bit of shut-eye. The Inmans said the cat even drew a small crowd as neighbors came out to catch a glimpse of the critter.
According to Rhett Riding, who lives nearby, the mountain lion had actually been prowling through the neighborhood hours before.
“A good friend and neighbor Darryl Bosshardt came by my house about 5:30 tonight saying he had seen a mountain lion just down the street from our houses. After about an hour search it was located on a neighbor’s front porch,” Riding posted to Facebook, along with several photos of the cat taken in front of the Inman residence.
Mountain lions are normally elusive, but in some cases they almost seem to enjoy the limelight. There have been several cases recently where a cougar was found in the vicinity of a home or school and refused to move. In this case, wildlife officials arrived and shot the cat with a tranquilizer dart. It was later found in a nearby vacant lot and captured, then released into the wild the next morning.
