Those nasty Chicago Police KILLED the cougar!!!!!

[BeachBaby]

The bastards.

It was announced on the ABC Evening News one minute ago.

My blood is boiling right now.

You can read the devastating story here:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/894573,CST-NWS-cougar15.article

Where was Animal Control? Why no tranquilizer guns?

Un-fucking-believable. :mad:

[LeftyMom]

1. Ugh. They're not even dangerous. Cougars I mean, not armed assholes wearing shields.

Things more likely to kill you than mountain lions:
lightning
bees
sharks
coke machines
aspirin

[MonkeyFunk]

43. That doesn't mean they're not dangerous

You're talking about the odds of being attacked by a cougar.

The odds go up considerably when there's a cornered one right in front of you.

[PeaceNikki]

45. Emotion can be far more powerful than reason or logic.

[LeftyMom]

58. They're very timid around humans.

They're all over here along the river and in the outlying suburbs, and I don't worry about them in the slightest. California has lots and attacks are extremely rare.

[MonkeyFunk]

67. Yes, in the wild

but injured and cornered with people already around out it - not so much.

[PeaceNikki]

2. It was in a very urbanized area.

I doubt there was time to get Animal Control on the scene and I doubt the Chicago police had the equipment to deal with a cougar.

[Kajsa]

3. They didn't need to,did they?

Of fer crying out loud-

why didn't they tranquilize the cougar?

Shit! I'm mad, too.

:(

[MonkeyFunk]

42. because cops don't carry tranquilizer guns

and tranquilizers aren't immediate. A large cat in an urban environment like that poses a danger.

I'm sorry it was killed, but I don't think there were lots of better options.

[RetroLounge]

4. Yeah, it sucks

But if it was walking around my neighborhood and my kids were around, I'd want it taken care of too. and quick.

Easy to be all self-righteous from afar when you have no idea the situation.

RL

[PeaceNikki]

5. It was a block away from a grammar school.

This is likely the same one the DNR had been tracking for weeks.

I think they did the best they could. Roscoe Village is no place for a 150 lb cat.

[RetroLounge]

6. Roscoe Village???? Holy Shit!

No, no place at all.

Is this the same one they tracked up in Wisconsin?

RL

[PeaceNikki]

7. Yeah. 3400 block of Hoyne Ave.

It's likely the same cat.

It's a shame and all, but I don't criticize them for making a decision. That was NO place for a cougar.

[RetroLounge]

10. And if he mauled someone while waiting for Animal Control

they would get criticised for that too.

RL

[ZombieNixon]

16. OK, what the fuck?!

That is right where my apartment is. No one ever tells me anything. x(

[JoDog]

80. May not be the same cat from Wisconsin

The one confirmed in Wisconsin was near Elkhorn, about 100 miles from the Roscoe Village neighborhood. It is likely that it is the same cat seen a week ago in Wilmette (15 miles) away.

I'm getting a little tired of the criticism of the CPD on this one. The animal, one of the most proficient predators on the continent, was wondering around a crowded residential neighborhood. An area with an elementary school and a day care center.

The CPD does not have the kind of tranquilizers to take that sort of cat down safely. I wouldn't be surprised if Cook County Animal Control didn't have it either. The nearest people who could possibly have that equipment is the Lincoln Park Zoo--which in afternoon/early evening traffic was a 1/2 hour to hour away. If even they have it--in most zoos, standard procedure with a loose big cat is to shoot, because it is difficult to shoot the tranq. into the animal correctly.

The tranq. equipment was on its way. The cops were trying to keep the cougar contained in a controllable area until it got there. The animal (a male with full claws and canine teeth) charged at the cops--people who probably have families and kids at home. The police fired to protect themselves and the citizens in the area.

Was the animal vicious? No, but is was huge potential threat. Is it unfortunate? Absolutely. Should the CPD consider getting its own tranq. equipment in case this happens again? Yes. Did cops in a situation they probably never trained for act quickly and professionally? Yes. They made the right call.

[ZombieNixon]

14. WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!

OK, so this thing was in my neighborhood and I didn't know about it? I could have been mauled on my way back from class last night, and no one told me? Wow...:wow:

[PeaceNikki]

15. And, as a resident of that neighborhood, do you fault the police for what they did?

[ZombieNixon]

19. Not sure.

I don't know the whole story. The Chicago Police do tend to overreact sometimes, but from what I hear, it was injured, which on the one hand gives it a disadvantage, but a injured 150 lb bag of claws is still a 150 lb bag of claws.

I'd have liked a pet cougar, but it would have ruined my night and many other people's had I been eaten.

If Animal Control couldn't arrive on time, something had to be done, and quickly. Sucks they had to shoot it, though. I'd have thought they'd have tranqs or something. :(

[PeaceNikki]

20. I doubt that Chicago PD is armed with tranqs sufficient to take a 150lb cat down.

An animal this size can easily take down an adult so quickly there is not time for help to arrive.

[BeachBaby]

22. Sigh....

It has been documented time and time again that cougars/mountain lions DO NOT CHARGE PEOPLE. They are elusive by nature - hence the reason why it took this long before anybody caught on to him again.

The fact is that Chicago has a problem with over-zealous, gun-happy cops who wanted to be hailed heroes. This isn't the first time we've heard about their "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality. Think about it: at least 8-10 bullets for a 150 pound cat that was cornered??????

Well I, for one, am NOT giving them a fucking victory parade.

[PeaceNikki]

25. I am not giving them a fucking victory parade, nor am I accusing them of making a poor decision.

It's a tragic situation all around. I believe they did what they had to do to keep people safe. I don't hail him a hero. I don't think cops ALWAYS do that, but while you aren't giving them a fucking parade, I am not going to call this overreaction. There are a LOT of reasons to criticize cops... this, in my opinion isn't one of them.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-cougar-shot-webapr16,0,1215541.story

The cougar was a male wild cat, not an escaped captive animal, Cook County Animal and Rabies Control administrator Donna Alexander said Tuesday afternoon.

"He did not have any identifying marks as if he had been owned. He was a wild cat," Alexander said. "He was a pretty vicious guy out there in the wild, fending for himself, so the possibility of an attack was there," Alexander said.

...

"It's not worth taking any risks," said Clay Nielsen, wildlife ecologist at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and director of scientific research for the Cougar Network. "Cougar attacks do occur even if they're very, very rare. The bottom line is you never know, and when you have a scared public, sometimes the lethal solution is the best one."Adrian Wydeven, a conservation biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said that dealing with a wild, dangerous animal in a city necessitates different methods than in a rural setting.

...

"If this was in middle of the Wisconsin North Woods or a heavily forested area, going out and shooting a cougar wouldn't be appropriate," Wydeven said. "But in an urban area, unless they are highly trained in using tranquilizer guns and have everything available on short notice, tranquilization is not always an option."

[Ptah]

32. This website disagrees with your assertion that cougars/mountain lions do not charge people.

List of Confirmed Cougar Attacks
In the United States and Canada
2001 - Now

http://www.cougarinfo.com/attacks3.htm

[BeachBaby]

47. I should have clarified.

They will approach and/or attack small children, animals, and adult humans who are crouched down or kneeling; in other words, people/animals who are at their eye-level.

[MonkeyFunk]

48. Usually

not always. And that's their predatory behavior.

When there's an injured, cornered one in front of you, statistics don't matter.

[Ptah]

49. Here's a recent urban sighting without injury or death.

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/234163.php

Tucson Region
COULD THIS BE YOUR NEW NEIGHBOR?
Recent sightings in Foothills, elsewhere remind us: Be alert





By Enric Volante
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.13.2008

Last Sunday at dusk, Bill McManus thought the dog padding toward him on the Ventana Canyon Trail
in the Catalina Foothills looked like a golden retriever. Then he realized it was a mountain lion.

Halting 40 feet away, the lion would not yield the popular trail. The 41-year-old hiker yelled and banged
his walking stick on rocks, but the big cat did nothing more than lie down beside the trail and watch him.

"It acted more like a dog or somebody's pet than a wild animal," McManus recalled. "That's what concerned
me the most — that it wasn't afraid of people. It acted more interested in me than scared."

Just after dawn four days earlier, Elizabeth Small watched through a window as a mountain lion lay on her
Foothills patio near the north end of Swan Road. As she snapped pictures,
Small felt exhilaration at seeing the secretive, solitary animal.

[BeachBaby]

50. Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.

Thanks for finding that today, Ptah. :hug:

[Ptah]

51. It is from Sunday's Arizona Daily Star.

:hi:

[Jamastiene]

72. The key to those positive outcomes is

R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

If people are cautious of wildlife and respect them at the same time, the outcomes will be positive most of the time. I've encountered all sorts of large wild animals and the key is to respect the animal enough to keep some distance and keep your cool. It can be a great experience to get to see something to magnificent and beautiful like that.

Some people act so dumb and irrational that they frighten the poor animal so it feels it has to defend itself. As a species, we are ultimately bigger than they are. Too bad we are not smarter than they are. :eyes:

[BeachBaby]

78. Thank you, Jamastiene....

you said it best. :)

[PeaceNikki]

87. Some glaring differences between the story posted here and what happened Monday

That is a GORGEOUS animal and I would never wish it harm. Ever.

BUT...

A) The lions are not part of the natural ecosystem in Chicago. Or Illinois. Or anywhere east of the Mississippi. They are in AZ. And specifically the area spotted in that story.

B) The 2 locations which they were sighted in that story are 1) a 5-mile trail in the mountains and 2) a subdivision of homes on 5-acre lots. This is VERY different than the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago.

Take a walk around here and I think you'll see this is not a safe environment for a large cat to be:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3400+N+Hoyne+Ave,+Chicago,+IL+60618&jsv=107&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=27.643082,59.414063&ie=UTF8&ll=41.947362,-87.680898&spn=0.01264,0.029011&z=15&iwloc=addr

[MonkeyFunk]

44. Proven time and time again?

There have been 108 confirmed attacks on humans with 20 fatalities since 1890. Attacks aren't frequent, but when a large cat is running around in a city, bad things happen.

Tiger attacks on humans are almost unheard of in San Francisco, but when a tiger gets out of its pen at the zoo, the statistics go out the window.

[Jamastiene]

71. Not only did they handle it the cowardly way, but

they were shitty shots to boot. I keep picturing Barney Fife standing there with the gun in his hand shaking from pure terror at what is basically an animal that does not attack without some really serious provocation. Gee, maybe the cat wouldn't have been "injured" if they hadn't fucking shot it. :eyes:

[grace0418]

63. Yes but there is a large zoo and a good sized animal control force in the city. It wasn't the middle

of the night. Someone from one or both of these institutions could've been consulted and would've most definitely had the resources to subdue an animal of this size. As soon as the police got the call they should've immediately consulted with animal control at the very least.

[MonkeyFunk]

68. Yes, they probably had the resources

but not right then and there. Wait for the zoo to reach their expert, go get the guns, prepare the tranquilizer, drive to the cougar's location and shoot it, then wait for it to fall?

[JoDog]

81. The city has 2 zoos

The nearest one is Lincoln Park Zoo, a good 1/2 hour to an hour away in the traffic common at that time of the day. They did consult with animal control, and tranq. equipment was on the way.

[AngryAmish]

98. And why, pray tell, would they give away their tranquilizer guns?

What if one of their animals got away and then they would not have a gun.

[madrchsod]

23. i checked where that is....dam that cat may have came down

the "crick" several blocks away...dam. i ran across this site while figuring out where that was...http://chicago.everyblock.com/crime/locations/neighborhoods/roscoe-village/

my nieces live about 12 blocks from there!

[BeachBaby]

8. Self-righteous???? Nice.

The poor thing was cornered. Witnesses say he couldn't jump the fence, and it appeared he had already been injured.

Again, I ask - where the fuck was Animal Control?????

Yeah, Chicago is congested, I get that; but I live in NJ....and this happened to us several years ago. I was working for Animal Welfare Association at the time - and it had been on the news for a few weeks that there had been sightings of a bobcat roaming around strip malls off of a major road.

Someone called in that the bobcat was, in fact, roaming around the parking lot, and checking out the dumpster. Cops showed up with Animal Control, shot him with a tranquilizer dart, and that was that.

Furthermore, if there were, in fact, kids around.....ALL THE MORE REASON to not be shooting bullets! 8-10 bullets, to be exact. :mad:

[RetroLounge]

9. You obviously never lived in Chicago.

:hi:

RL

[BeachBaby]

13. My boyfriend is from Chicago, lived there 43 years.

So I've been there, and stayed there, several times.

Chicago isn't so special from everywhere else, RL. Cities have handled this kind of thing before.

I'm not the only one upset about this. The radio stations are already filled with callers. This was out of line.

The human obsession with having to build McMansions and strip malls and theaters has forced animals to go places they never would normally want to visit. I'm not saying this is the case here, since they're not sure where he came from; but it's the human race that fucked up, and we still haven't learned, apparently.

:hi: right back atcha

(can you tell I'm upset yet?) :cry:

[Jamastiene]

73. That is beautifully stated.

"but it's the human race that fucked up, and we still haven't learned, apparently."

[PeaceNikki]

12. Except this was in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

They'd had reports of sightings and confirmed tracks for weeks and had been looking, to no avail. They tried to "corner" it, but the 150 lb cat jumped a 6 foot fence. Bobcats are a fraction of the size of this cougar.

It's also very notable that there are no wild breeding populations of cougar anywhere nearby. The nearest populations are in the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota.

[harmonicon]

59. I'm not so sure there aren't more nearby

There are cougars in northern Michigan for sure, and while they don't officially live further south in the state, enough people claim to have spotted them on the beach of Lake Michigan towards the southern end of the state. That's only a hundred miles or so from Chicago. I could imagine cats just trekking along the lake shore all the way to Chicago. When I lived in Nebraska in 2005 there were multiple sightings of cougars in the state, where they supposedly also don't live.

[Jamastiene]

74. They knew for weeks?

I'd say weeks classifies in the plenty of time category to get a tranquilizer gun ready.

[MonkeyFunk]

46. ah, an injured, cornered 150 lb predator

What could go wrong?

[DS1]

52. Yeah! Those fucking wimps didn't have the guts to go up and taser it!

:sarcasm:

[grace0418]

65. Also, there was a recent incident where a coyote wandered into a sandwich shop

in downtown Chicago. They were able to successfully subdue and move the coyote without injuring it or anyone else. So why couldn't they do the same thing here? Why weren't there any plans put in place after that incident to deal (quickly) with a similar incident?

[Brigid]

66. I remember this story.

But as I recall, the coyote was not wounded, and did not appear to be at all aggressive or frightened. He just lay down and curled up beside a cooler containing soft drinks. That probably gave authorities a little more wiggle room in dealing with him. Plus, coyotes are a lot smaller than cougars. They used one of those capture sticks on him.

[grace0418]

69. Still though, you would think that after that incident they would have some sort of

plan in place for dealing with large wild animals that get into urban areas. It happens more often than anyone thinks. It wouldn't take much to consult with some folks at the Lincoln Park Zoo and Animal Control to come up with a plan that would have a happier ending than a beautiful creature with 8 bullets in it's body just for being in the wrong place.

[grace0418]

64. I live very close to Roscoe Village. If this was the same animal that was spotted in the

northern suburbs recently, it could very well have passed right through my neighborhood on it's way to Roscoe Village. I still would rather the CPD consulted with Animal Control or even someone from the Lincoln Park Zoo (no more than 3 miles away from where the cougar was killed) before shooting the animal to death.

[Ava]

11. so they'll use tranquilizer guns on bears but not cougars?

i don't understand why animal control wasn't there to sedate the animal so it could be taken back to its natural habitat. while i do understand that action had to be taken, especially in an area near children, they didn't have to kill the animal.

i saw it on the news and it pissed me off too.. severely. i can't stand that they keep showing the image of the dead cougar too. :(

[BeachBaby]

18. Ava....

:hugs:

I was sitting here, eating my Thai salad and watching what I thought was a comedic update on the elusive Chicago cougar.

Then POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! Bullets. I literally dropped my fork when they next showed the beautiful cat laying on the ground.

I feel like puking. :(

[Ava]

26. if it were really about public safety

animal control would already be patrolling the area and neighboring areas(since it's been loose for awhile and has been spotted numerous times). unfortunately it looks to me like it was just another excuse for someone to shoot something, 'cuz its fun 'n stuff.

i live in the south, where hunting is glorified, animals are hung on walls(even in "professional" buildings) and people get away with shooting animals(including pets) who "trespass" on their property. one of our dogs was shot(on purpose) a few years ago by a neighbor when we lived out in the boonies and to my knowledge nothing was ever done about it. just another reason to ask "what the hell is wrong with people?"

i just don't get it

[PeaceNikki]

28. To be clear, the sightings were 30-50 miles away.

[Ava]

31. how did cops come to be on the scene?

i assume there was a 911 call where someone reported a cougar.. in which case why did cops come and no animal control. perhaps my small town in alabama just has phenomenal animal control(which i doubt), but they are capable of being somewhere just as fast as cops.

[Jamastiene]

75. Same here.

Usually, if you can keep the gung-ho redneck neighbors from killing the animal long enough, the animal can be watched until someone can arrive to carry it to safety away from people.

It's the people who are dangerous in most of these cases.

[MonkeyFunk]

92. No

animal control officers with tranquilizers can NOT be on scene as fast as cops.

Chicago has thousands of cops, all of them carrying guns.

Animal control officers aren't out on patrol with loaded tranquilizer guns. And even if they WERE, tranquilizing a dangerous animal in close quarters isn't always an option. It's not like they fall asleep in 1 second.

[Kajsa]

53. JerseyGirl,

I JUST saw the story on World News Tonight,

same damn POP-POP-POP_

the police say he charged them,

NO- a wild cat CORNERED in a back alley

you don't say! :sarcasm:

THEN Animal Control came to see if any mate
was roaming around- how about that!

IF THEY HAD BEEN SIGHTING THE CAT FOR THREE DAYS
WHERE IN THE HELL WAS CHICAGO ANIMAL CONTROL?!?

friggin-eh!

I too feel like puking!

[BeachBaby]

55. Kajsa.....

"IF THEY HAD BEEN SIGHTING THE CAT FOR THREE DAYS
WHERE IN THE HELL WAS CHICAGO ANIMAL CONTROL?!?"

That's what I want to know; but I imagine that this is the end of the story. :(

:hug:

[Kajsa]

57. I'm afraid it is, too.

it's so sad.

:hug:

[geardaddy]

94. Not to mention that cougars

are on the endangered species list in IL, so they should expect a heavy fine.

http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/SpeciesReport.do?spcode=A046

[MonkeyFunk]

95. No they shouldn't

what a silly idea.

[geardaddy]

96. Why is it silly?

They killed an endangered species.

[MonkeyFunk]

101. What's silly is your belief

that the endangered species law requires a punishment for killing an animal under any and all circumstances.

That's just silly.

[geardaddy]

102. In your opinion.

[MonkeyFunk]

103. How much were the SF cops fined

when they shot that tiger?

Sorry, it's just crazy to believe that it's ALWAYS illegal to kill an animal on the endangered species list. It's like Homer Simpson and the Screamapiller.




edit: 1 minute of googling found this text in the Endangered Species Act:

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, it shall be a defense to prosecution under
this subsection if the defendant committed the offense based on a good faith belief that he was
acting to protect himself or herself, a member of his or her family, or any other individual, from
bodily harm from any endangered or threatened species.

[geardaddy]

104. Fine.

Whatever you say.

[MonkeyFunk]

105. See my edit

it's what the LAW says:

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, it shall be a defense to prosecution under
this subsection if the defendant committed the offense based on a good faith belief that he was
acting to protect himself or herself, a member of his or her family, or any other individual, from
bodily harm from any endangered or threatened species.

[geardaddy]

106. I see your point.

I'm just upset over the incident.

Thanks.

:hi:

[madrchsod]

21. it was the cops according to the article

150 lb cat in an urban setting...shoot and question later. this cat was a "pet" that someone dumped or got loose..this cat never had a "natural habitat". the real tragedy is this cat should`t be in the backyard of any city.

[madrchsod]

17. an urban cougar who fed on

small critters,garbage,and small dogs is`t rehabitable and according to the article the cat was wounded

[Ava]

24. so it doesn't deserve to live then?

:shrug:

[TZ]

27. A wounded animal is VERY dangerous

Cougars have been known to hurt people when scared or hurt (or feel threatened--I went to Colorado a couple of times and when hiking was advised on possible cougar interactions). If they felt there was a danger and tha waiting for animal conrol wasn't an option then they did what they had to do.
Its difficult but would you rather have an injured scared animal running around your neighborhood? Probabaly not. They probably had to make a quick decision.
Cops do the same thing when confronted with any dangerous animal, be it cougar, dog, or bear.

[BeachBaby]

29. 8-10 bullets? AT LEAST, witnesses say.

One shot to the ass would have knocked him out.

[TZ]

34. I doubt it. Its a big cat.

And just wounding it would have made the situation 100 times worse. See below.

[quip]

39. I'd be willing to bet that the cops had orders to shoot to kill. Wouldn't a cop think twice about

killing an animal such as this in a rare circumstance like this? I would certainly have put in a call for instruction. If they had him cornered, they could have waited for animal control. But somebody higher up didn't think that that was worth the trouble, apparently.

I agree that it's a damned shame that he was butchered. Killing him should have been a LAST resort, not a first opportunity. A senseless waste. :(

[Jamastiene]

76. People are the meanest animals in the world.

I fear people more than any animal unless you count biting stinging, insects, then it's a toss-up.

[erinlough]

30. Give us some time to get used to the idea that Cougars are around.

I live in Michigan on the opposite side of Lake Michigan from Chicago (88 miles away). I have been documenting the cougar tracks I find on our farm for the last few years. The authorities and conservation groups tell us that the tracks are just big dogs, or blow it off as if there are no cougars in Michigan, or this far up north. I know they are here, the farmer in Berrien County whose horse was attacked knows they are here, the many friends I have who have seen them know they are here, but most people would be shocked and very frightened to see one. We never had coyotes either and now I have two packs living on either side of our farm and we howl to them every night. It will take some time for people to get to know and lose their fear (not caution) around these animals.

[TZ]

33. JGD...my stepbrother used to be a park ranger

If there was any question of danger to people, they have to do what they have to do. Chicago probably has a handful of animal control people that can't be everywhere at once. I imagine trying to catch the animal stretched them thin. If the animal was wounded it was probably dangerous. If they felt the animal was going to get away before any body with a tranquilizer could get there, of course they are going to shoot. And tranquilizing a large animal from a distance isn't a given either. It can be hard to judge. Think about what could have happened..assuming someone could get there. What if they shot the animal but it didn't go down and instead lashed out and hurt someone? Not only would the animal be subsequenly killed but it could have severely injured someone in the process. The idea that the just wanted to kill something is jumping to conclusions. As a zoologist as much as it pains me, I think they made the right call. Large wild unpredictable animals in an urban area just aren't a good think. We've had people hurt and KILLED by DEER here who are frightened and panicked...

[PeaceNikki]

35. How long would it take for a tranquilizer to work on an animal that size?

[TZ]

38. unknown

Thats why thats such an iffy proposition. Its almost impossible to truly gage that. If you ever watch a wildlife show, watch how carefully they approach "tranquilized" animals..its a bit of guesswork, too little and the animal will go nuts..too much and you could kill the animal

[BeachBaby]

37. I'm just really, really sad, TZ......this poor thing was only trying

to survive. :(

[TZ]

40. I know

Its a sad thing. This is the direct result of habitat destruction. I hate hearing these types of stories. And a lot of times if the animal does hurt someone, people will go looking and kill even more animals in the hope of "bagging" the killer.

[Rabrrrrrr]

36. And if they waited 45 mins for animal control and the thing mauled a kid, you'd be up in arms, too.

Poor cops. For some liberals, no matter what a cop does, it's wrong.

[BeachBaby]

41. Rabrrrrr....

I don't have a problem with the police. I work with them directly, very often.

Nor do I have a problem with them having to use force to subdue a wild animal.

The problem I DO have is excessive force - and 8-10 shots isn't subduing. It's destroying.

[realisticphish]

54. shooting to wound is not a good idea

too many ways it can go wrong. Not to mention, it doesn't take long to empty a clip from a semi-auto pistol, so 8-10 shots isn't unreasonable when the intent is to kill. I don't like that it had to be shot, but i think that in this situation, the cops are pretty much in the clear.

[DS1]

56. Were you after the pelt?

The extra shots probably helped kill it faster. You don't want it to die a slow death, do you?

[Phillycat]

86. LOL!

[Rabrrrrrr]

70. And if they'd only shot it once, hoping to mollify the liberals, and it wasn't dead and mauled a kid

there would be an outcry over that.

What's the acceptable allowable number of shots? Is it an ambiguous "whatever it takes to ensure the thing's dead and no longer a danger" or is there some universally objective maximum number that is never to breached under any circumstances, which number is apparently less than 8-10?

[kwolf68]

88. Bullshit

If it takes 8-10 shots to kill an animal you're an idiot.

One bullet in the proper location would kill the animal almost instantly and would actually be humane, such as killing any animal is. BULLSHIT...8-10 shots? BULLSHIT BULLSHIT BULLSHIT.

If the cat is scared he does one of two things: Gets away or basically does NOTHING. An animal such as this was virtually NO danger to any children. Keep the area clear, monitor the animal, don't harras it, and call the proper people to deal with it. The cat would certainly lay there for hours ... HOURS if he needed to, especially to conserve energy. It's likely the cat would have laid down and just watched everyone watching him.

Had the Cougar been able to escape what was a obviously a stressful situation he isn't going to go find the local elementary school and just start randomly killing kids. Some people watch too much fucking tv.

[datasuspect]

89. bullshit

dead is dead.

one bullet or twenty. whatever it takes.

i just wish the cops would have eaten the meat and used the pelt for some purpose.

[BeachBaby]

90. kwolf68.....

You said:

"Had the Cougar been able to escape what was a obviously a stressful situation he isn't going to go find the local elementary school and just start randomly killing kids."

Of course he wouldn't - you're absolutely right. That level of retaliation is exercised by psychotic humans instead. ;)

8-10 shots. Did you see/hear the tape? SICKENING. There have been armed, escaped convicts who got better treatment than this defenseless creature.

Glad to know we humans got our priorities straight. :sarcasm:

[datasuspect]

91. armed, escaped convicts still have civil rights

animals don't.

especially ones that pose a public safety hazard.

you can reason with a human, you cannot reason with a wild animal.

[BeachBaby]

93. Yes, you're right.....

the armed, escaped convict with a record of rape and murder has more rights than a defenseless cougar.

As for "reasoning".....with most escaped convicts, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT; oh - but wait - they have civil rights. So he'll take one shot to the ass - and ONLY if he tries to run.

Yet this wild animal - who, by the way, has NO RECORD of attacking a single human being, and yet had been sighted for days in the city - was a considerable threat to society.

And you're only wishing the cops ate him up and got the pelt. Oh yeah - you're a man of reason. :sarcasm:

[datasuspect]

99. um yeah,

if you kill an animal, you should use all parts of it.

i firmly believe this.

[AngryAmish]

97. CPD patrolmen don't have rifles, they have pistols

A lot less stopping power compared to a hunting rifle. That is why so many shots.

Guess how long they learned the proper capture and control techniques at the Academy? You would probably be surprised that no time was spent at the Academy dealing with cougars. It is a true oversight because the last cougar sighting in Chicago was only back in the 1800s. A responsible police force would have spent several days teaching it's cops how to deal with cougars.

And why are Chicago cops, even today, not outfitted with tranquilizer darts? It is clear that Chicago is cougar territory now.

What we need is a cougar patrol.

"We're Here,
We're Queer,
We Don't Want Any More Cougars"

Let the cougars pay the cougar tax.

[Rabrrrrrr]

108. Are you a hunter?

I am a hunter, and my family is filled with hunters. Some of them damned good. Even they sometimes have to shoot an animal a couple times before it's dead, and that's with high powered hunting rifles shooting at otherwise healthy, stationary animals.

Your demand for a one-shot kill to a trapped cougar is utterly unrealistic and hilariously naive.

[Zoigal]

60. For those of you who know,

would a taser have been an effective weapon? Thanks. z

[zonkers]

62. I am a big time animal lover but.... I don't see what else the cops could have done.

[Deep13]

85. Probably not. It often doesn't work on people.

The problem with a Taser is its limited range. The shooter needs to be within something like 12 feet from the target. Remember how agile and quick your house cats are. Now scale that up to the size of a mountain lion. An officer would have no warning at that distance before that cat was on him and ripping out his jugular.

The only real possibilities were either to kill it or knock it out from a distance. But there needs to be someplace to take it if it is knock out.

[Zoigal]

107. Thanks,Dep13..forgot about the range of tasers..

and you are so right, cats move quickly. z

[Brigid]

61. This is heartbreaking.

That poor cougar! :cry:

It doesn't sound like the cops had much of a choice though, given the situation. I doubt that even Aminal Control in a large city would be equipped to deal with a wounded cougar. It's easy to say this now, but I wonder why no one thought to maybe call the Lincoln Park Zoo to see if they could help?

[datasuspect]

77. FYI

chicago police aren't big on sensitivity.

[bigwillq]

79. I am so pissed.

My sister and I watched the video on ABC evening news last night...it was the first time we found out that they shot it and we screamed at the TV...there was no reason for them to shoot it dead. :mad:

[BeachBaby]

82. You probably saw it the same time I did....

6:30pm Charlie Gibson, right? The kicker was that they made it the final news story of the segment - and while I don't watch the show daily, I've watched it enough times to know that they usually end the segment with something a little more light-hearted - even heartwarming at times.

Did you see the clip they showed of a man standing on the sidewalk, and the cougar shows up right behind him, walking past him? Hardly looked like a cat who wanted to come after a human being.

Like I said earlier in the thread, being that it was the last story, I was stupid enough to assume it was going to be a funny little update about the cougar. I was not prepared AT ALL for what they presented - the gun blasts nearly had me puking up my dinner. :mad:

[bigwillq]

83. Yup

watched the same thing, and year when the Cougar walked by he/she? looked scared and lost. They shot the poor thing because it was lost!??!?! WTF?

I was stunned too! So sad. :cry:

[Deep13]

84. There's no place to put it.

Every mountain lion defends a large territory because it needs that much space to find enough food to support itself. The reason this cat was in a populated place is because either population encroached on its territory or else it got pushed out of its previous territory by another cougar. If one just plops it in the woods at random, it will either displace another cat or else will be pushed out itself. Either that or two cats will go hungry and perhaps die.

I don't agree that they are harmless. Mountain lions are known to be increasingly aggressive because of their shrinking territory.

[SteppingRazor]

100. Meh.

Look, I regret the fact that the Chicago PD had to ventilate a cougar and all, but this is the middle of Chicago, and mountain lions can clear tall fences easily. What happens if, while they're waiting around for animal control, the animal leaps over a fence and, given how terrified it had to be in these unfamiliar surroundings, mauls the bejesus out of an innocent human being?

I certainly acknowledge that what the CPD did in this case is not the most popular decision, both on DU and (I would imagine) in the real world. But they did what they had to do to protect the people they are charged with protecting.

[Downtown Hound]

109. For all those saying the cops had no other choice

I used to live in a neighborhood in Eureka that regularly had Brown Bears roaming up and down the streets. A bear is a hell of a lot bigger than a mountain lion. There were a few occasions that I came out in the morning to find that the bears had ripped my garbage up overnight. Never was there any problem, and no one would have dreamed of shooting them. They had enough time to deal with this situation in a more rational way, but didn't. Just a bunch of city cops not used to dealing with the wild and panicking.

[TexasBushwhacker]

110. Such an urban area

Could someone have been keeping it as a pet?