Dog owner cited in mountain lion attack

A Glacier National Park employee has been cited in connection with an incident last week in which a young mountain lion was shot and killed after fighting with a dog.

Glacier officials announced Friday that the employee failed to maintain control of her dog, which is required to be on a leash or in a cage according to park rules. The citation carries a $75 fine.

At about 5 p.m. March 21, the employee returned to her home in the park’s headquarters area in West Glacier when her dogs unexpectedly ran out of the car. One of the dogs began fighting with a mountain lion and the two animals tumbled over a bank by the Middle Fork of the Flathead River after neighbors attempted to use a shovel to separate the pair.

A park ranger — also an owner of the dog — shot the mountain lion after it had pinned the dog down. 

A park investigation headed by Chief Ranger Paul Austin concluded the ranger who shot the lion acted appropriately “due to the rapidly evolving circumstances of the situation.”

Austin said the cat had shown signs of habituation. Mountain lions are typically nocturnal, and during the attack the animal didn’t run away even after residents attempted to scare it by yelling and throwing rocks and logs at the cat.

“It was the middle of the day in the afternoon, when there’s quite a bit of activity going on — kids playing, along with dog activity — that’s not where you’d expect a mountain lion to be,” he said.

This past winter a mountain lion was hazed after being seen near homes and offices in the headquarters area. Austin said didn’t know whether it was the same animal.

Park officials periodically haze potentially dangerous animals, including grizzly bears — with tactics such as yelling or shooting them with bean bags — to give the animals a negative association with areas frequented by humans.

Residents of Glacier Park housing are allowed to keep pets while living in government-owned structures in the park. Resident employees must comply with the same rules as visitors. 

Pets are allowed in developed areas of the park, including frontcountry campgrounds and picnic areas, along roads, in parking areas, and in boats on lakes where motorized watercraft are permitted.  

The headquarters area of the park is considered a developed area. Pets are not permitted on trails, along lakeshores, in the backcountry or in any building. Pets must be on leashes no longer than 6 feet, under physical restraint or be caged.