Officers kill mountain lion

TURLOCK, Calif., July 27 (UPI) -- Stanislaus County, Calif., deputies said they shot and killed a mountain lion as it descended from a tree.

Authorities said Thursday officers from the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department were forced to kill the 80- to 100-pound animal Sunday because it was out of its habitat and posed a threat to the surrounding area, the Los Angeles Times said.

"The mountain lion started coming down from the tree and the deputies were forced to shoot and kill the animal as it posed an immediate threat to an area populated by humans and domestic animals," the department said in a statement.

The Department of Fish and Game took the animal away and is investigating the incident.