Arizona Wildlife Officials Euthanize Mountain Lion and Her Four Offspring

Wildlife officers with the Arizona Game & Fish Department euthanized a group of mountain lions, likely a mother and her four yearling cubs, responsible for killing three dogs and injuring three others in Prescott.

"Recently, the behavior reached a very concerning level… something we would call an unacceptable behavior. The lions were attacking several pets and then showed aggressive action toward multiple people,” said John Trierweiler, a spokesperson for the Arizona Game & Fish Department.

One pet owner told ABC15 her dog was attacked when she let it out to use the bathroom.

After putting down three of the mountain lions, Arizona Game & Fish put up signs warning hikers that Centennial Trail and the wilderness surrounding it were closed until they could find the fourth cat.

On Saturday, the Arizona Game & Fish Department announced it had located and euthanized the fourth mountain lion after it had killed a domestic cat. "It’s a very hard choice. We have wildlife biologists that dedicate their entire career to monitoring the robust population of wildlife. The last thing we want to do is put an animal down,” said Trierweiler.

Wildlife experts say once mountain lions become aggressive toward humans and pets, relocation simply moves the problem to another area, putting that community at risk.

"Mixed emotions because I know they are in and around this neighborhood… not bothering anybody. That’s my assumption, but yeah, killing dogs and such is next level. So, it is understandable but such a bummer to put down such a wonderful animal,” said Dennis Bennett a Prescott resident who’d spotted the mountain lions in his yard.