Ireton farmers kill mountain lion

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2003/10/25/news/regional/32f1058d
eec555d286256dca00181511.txt

headline:

Ireton farmers kill mountain lion
By Jesse Claeys, Journal staff writer 

   

IRETON, Iowa -- Authorities have confirmed that the animal shot and killed by
farmers near Ireton Thursday night was a mountain lion.

"I know it is a confirmed mountain lion shooting because I have seen it," said
John Sells, state conservation officer with the Department of Natural
Resources.

Sells said it has not been determined if the lion had been domesticated or was
living in the wild. The lion had a full set of normal claws and teeth, Sells
said, which would indicate it could be a wild cat.

 
The mountain lion was shot in a corn field five miles north of Ireton by
farmers, Sells said. Russ Gradert said he was working in the field when he
spotted the 113-pound male cat around 4:30 p.m.

"I thought, 'What was that?'" said Gradert, who farms corn, soybeans and raises
livestock. "I knew it wasn't a coyote, but I didn't know what it was."

After conferring with family members, Gradert, along with his cousins Brian and
Warren Gradert, decided that since there were livestock and children in the
area, the animal should be put down.

"It was never scary. The animal was never threatening. I think it was just
lost," Russ Gradert said.

Sells said James Mahaffy, a biology professor from Dort College in Sioux
Center, examined the stomach contents of the lion Friday and found either a
racoon or a badger. Sells said the stomach did not contain any evidence of
domestic animals or livestock being consumed by the cat.

Sells has the mountain lion's carcass and said tests will be preformed to try
and learn more about the animal.

"We are going to try to do some DNA testing that may help us link it to the
wild," said Ron Andrews, fur specialist for the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources.

Andrews said the lion is only the second mountain lion possibly linked to the
wild found in Iowa during the past two years. A mountain lion was found near
Harlan, Iowa, in 2001, the first seen since the 1860's.

"In the Western United States, some of the areas of those states are getting a
few more reports of mountain lion sightings, which would indicate the
population is expanding," Andrews said.

Mountain lions can travel around 60 miles a day, Andrews said. And, he said,
hunting of the big cats has decreased, possibly allowing populations of the
cats to grow and spread into Iowa and other states. A mountain lion was
captured in Omaha earlier this month, making it the first confirmed sighting in
eastern Nebraska.

Andrews said mountain lions will leave an area when people are detected, and
making noise and waving hands should scare the animal off.

"If you stand your ground with these mountain lions, they are going to be out
of there quickly. They would rather not be seen," Andrews said.

The mountain lion's fur is now at an area taxidermy shop waiting to become a
trophy for Russ Gradert.

"Oh, it's gonna be a huge trophy," Russ Gradert said.