Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Mountain Lion Just Off Campus

Perhaps time to reconsider the concealed weapons on campus ban?  (Obviously, mountain lions in downtown Boise are quite rare; this by itself isn't much of an argument for the change.)  From the September 6, 2011 Idaho Statesman:

In addition, a mountain lion was spotted off campus at Ninth and Myrtle streets, Zang said.

Such sightings are rare. "I don't think I've ever heard of a bobcat on campus," said university spokeswoman Kathleen Tuck, who has worked 11 years for Boise State. She hasn't seen a mountain lion on campus in that time either.

Bobcats are about twice the size of house cats. Mountain lions, also known as cougars, are larger. They can be 3 to 5 feet tall and can weigh 130 pounds or more.

A 70-pound mountain lion was spotted a month ago in Kuna. That led a state Fish and Game official to caution people to keep their pets inside at night.

Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/09/05/1787331/bobcat-sighted-on-boise-state.html#storylink=omni_popular#ixzz1XBZaGHwe

3 comments:

  1. A mountain lion from South Dakota killed on a CT highway in June, another one killed on a highway in CA early this week. Now one spotted in downtown Boise.

    Are these spottings coincidence or early evidence of a resurgence?

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  2. Put the Track & Field Team on patrol, gives them an incentive to improve individual performances.

    Cheers

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  3. I have to wonder if there is not a connection to the increase in sightings and the build up of housing in the east Boise/Warm Springs and north-end/foothills areas which has traditionally been habitat for these cats...

    In the 90's it was easy to go to those areas (before the build-up) between dusk and dawn and see the cats and foxes, coyotes, etc.

    ReplyDelete