Fourth mountain lion cub captured in Pocatello

Idaho Fish and Game has another baby mountain lion under its care. Fish and Game officers caught the cub this week after it was found in a Johnny Creek neighborhood in Pocatello.

One week ago, Fish and Game captured a mother and three other babies in the same area of Johnny Creek – near Sage Drive.

Tonya Terry lives in the area and said she actually had the mountain lions in her backyard.

“It was kind of scary – scary and exciting,” Terry said. “I have two dogs and an invisible fence so anything can come into my property.”

And in the 15 years Terry has lived in the area, she’s seen a lot of different visitors do just that.

“We see deer and coyote and skunks and all kinds of other things,” she said.

Several residents in the area also said they have been seeing a hoard of wild turkeys. Neighbors believe this may be what tempted the mountain lions to wander into the neighborhood. But Terry said even with all the other animals she’s used to seeing, these wild cats were a first.

But Terry said she doesn’t really mind it all.

“Actually, that’s why we live in this area,” she said. “It’s beautiful and we see wildlife every day and sometimes there can be some danger but as long as you’re aware and cautious about it, it’s still a beautiful, wonderful place to live.”

Terry said the other three babies were treed by hound dogs so Fish and Game could catch them. She said the mother had to be tranquilized, but all were unharmed.

The first four mountain lions were released back into a safe area for them. When Idaho Fish and Game released them, it put a radio-signal collar on the mother for tracking to monitor where they went. A press release from Fish and Game said they are going to use that collar to locate the cats. Once they do that, they will release this fourth baby as close as possible to its family.

Terry said she was please at how quickly and how humanely Fish and Game handled the whole situation. She said she’s glad the mountain lions are safe and will still be together.

“I just think they did a fantastic job getting the cats rounded up and out of here and kept them safe, as well as the residents so I think they did a great job,” Terry said.