Cougar illegally killed, beheaded in northern Utah

State wildlife officials are investigating the illegal shooting death in northern Utah of a cougar whose body was later found without a head.

Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources says the beheaded animal was found near the Bonneville Shoreline Trail on May 1 near the city of North Salt Lake. The animal appears to have been shot and its head appears to have been removed with a sharp instrument.

Officer Krystal Tucker says the cougar’s body was intact when it was originally discovered by hikers but someone had removed the animal’s head by the time she arrived to investigate.

Wildlife officials found another cougar illegally shot in southwestern Utah in May but Tucker says the beheading of an animal pretty unusual.

Officials say anyone who saw something suspicious in the area in late April or early May should contact investigators.