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MOUNTAIN LIONS-KILLED
3 U.S. mountain lions killed for eating human remains
LOS ANGELES, Jan 2, 2020 (BSS/Xinhua) -Authorities said Wednesday that they have killed three mountain lions which ate human remains near a hiking trail in western US state of Arizona.
“Mountain lions are not routinely scavengers. A mountain lion eating human remains is abnormal behavior. Those that do are more likely to attack a human being in the future,” said Regional Supervisor Raul Vega of the Arizona Game and Fish Department in a news release.
“In addition, they did so 50 yards (45.7 meters) from a popular hiking trail and within sight of homes, and repeatedly showed no fear of responding officers,” he added, noting that those mountain lions were a clear and present danger to public safety.
The human remains were discovered late Monday at Pima Canyon Trail in a mountainous area near the city of Tucson.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday they were working along with the medical examiner, and the state’s Game and Fish Department to determine what happened there and more information would be provided as it is available.
“We do not believe the lion attacked the individual who died there… our belief is they were eating the human remains after the fact,” the Game and Fish Department spokesperson Mark Hart was quoted as saying by a local news outlet, KGUN TV station.
Officials confirmed the three mountain lions, including an older lion and two yearlings, by finding human remains in the lion droppings. They then shot and killed all three mountain lions, KGUN reported.
Mountain lions can be found throughout Arizona and are most common in rocky or mountainous terrain, according to the website of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Mountain lions are predators, capable of seriously injuring or killing humans, said the agency, adding that “although uncommon, mountain lion attacks on humans occasionally occur.”
BSS/XINHUA/AU/12:25 hrs