Medford police shoot, kill cougar seen in urban area

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – Medford police shot and killed a cougar after he was spotted repeatedly in daylight hours in a developed area of the city.

The Mail Tribune reports that the 102-pound male was killed early Sunday morning near a hotel.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Steve Niemela says the decision was not made lightly.

He says many children and homeless people live in that area and the cougar had been seen multiple times in the same area since last week, including near a restaurant, a hotel and in a park.

Nearly 900 people commented on a Facebook post the Medford police wrote about the decision to kill the cougar.

ODFW says relocating an animal that’s become so used to an urban environment usually doesn’t work.