Suspected mountain lion attack near city limits
<p>Kent Stewart point to the claw marks left on his horse after she was attacked by a suspected mountain lion.</p>
PLAINS – A suspected mountain lion attack occurred in Plains late last week. The victim, a four-year old mare named Missy was discovered by her owners Lisa and Kent Stewart with scratches on the left side of her hind quarters. While incidents like this are rare according to numbers from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Stewarts remain concerned.
The multiple evenly spaced lacerations were all on the same side of the animal suggesting the horse may have been laying down when the attack occurred. The Stewarts said they reported the attack to FWP officials immediately after discovering the injuries.
Kent Stewart said they had seen no other evidence of a mountain lion in the area. No droppings or tracks were evident on their property. However, Lisa Stewart said the way the attack occurred could provide some insight into what type of animal was responsible.
“It was probably a young cat,” said Lisa Stewart. “The way it attacked going for the rear instead of the neck. It was probably an inexperienced hunter. The horse probably got up and kicked and scared it off.”
While the injuries to the horse were minor and required no treatment by a veterinarian, Lisa Stewart said the incident did concern her for a variety of reasons. She said what concerned her was the idea that a mountain lion would come so close to town.
The Stewart residence lies on the outskirts of Plains near the city cemetery. She said children are known to play outdoors nearby their home and her concern was mainly for their safety.
“We are concerned about the horses,” said Lisa Stewart. “But we have neighbors that have small grandchildren that are out playing. We are mainly concerned about their safety. We told our neighbors about what happened.”
Stewart said the response from FWP was two-fold. If the mountain lion returns and threatens their animals, the Stewarts are within their rights to kill the animal. The second option is they can call a tracker contracted by FWP to attempt to find the cat.
According to records on the FWP website, there have been no forced relocations of any mountain lions so far this year. A relocation can occur when an animal threatens humans or livestock. The animal could also be euthanized.
Region One Game Warden Tom Chianelli said the number of reported attacks on livestock or sightings of mountain lions was down significantly from last year.
“Last year we had over 50 calls about mountain lions. This year we’ve had maybe five. Most are just sightings,” said Chianelli.
The Stewarts said they and their horses are more alert as a result of the incident. As of publication, there has been no evidence to suggest the animal responsible for the attack has returned to the area.
“We haven’t seen or heard anything since then. We are still pretty concerned about it,” said Lisa Stewart. “We don’t have a barn so the horses are out and vulnerable. We will be keeping our eyes open.”