The big cat moves to the back side of the pole after being shot and ends up falling to the ground before the lift bucket reaches her.
Officials said the cougar wasn't injured by the fall and was taken by wildlife biologists, who released the big cat back into the wild the following day.
CSKT spokesman Rob McDonald said in a video posted to the Char Koosta News Facebook page that the biologists "hope this young one chooses the country life from now on."
Young mountain lion tranquilized near PolsonWednesday morning tribal officials were alerted to a young mountain lion treed on a power pole south of Polson. A nearby resident called officials around 7 a.m. to ask what to do. Wildlife biologists Stacy Courville and Shannon Clairmont were first on the scene.Tribal law enforcement, aided by Polson City Police, Lake County Deputies and tribal game wardens waved through curious onlookers. One driver smiled and said, “I love Montana.” Others stopped to snap pictures of the treed cat.On request, Mission Valley Power cut the power to allow Clairmont to tranquilize the lion and took her unharmed. Courville said. The young cat received an ear tag, number 59, and will be released once she recovers from her tranquilizer.
Posted by Char-Koosta News on Wednesday, April 6, 2016Advertisement
UPDATE: Tranquilized mountain lion releasedMountain Lion Tranquilized in Polson released in wild
Posted by Char-Koosta News on Thursday, April 7, 2016
