January 3, 2024 |
Photo – Mountain Lion – Bigfoot99 file photo
A mountain lion had to be euthanized after being stuck by a vehicle north of Saratoga.
On Friday, December 22nd, Saratoga Police were notified that a motorist had run over a mountain lion on Highway 130, just north of town. Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris said the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office and Encampment Police Department used a drone to locate the injured animal. After being located, officers put the big cat down.
Chief Morris said reports state the animal ran into the side of the vehicle and was then run over.
Mountain lion sightings in Saratoga are not a new phenomenon. Last year, Saratoga police received multiple calls of big cats spotted near the Hobo Hot Springs. The most recent sightings began in October. Chief Morris said the animal killed on December 22nd may have been one of the big cats seen in town. The police chief said after being struck by the vehicle, the female mountain lion made it to the Saratoga Forest Management mill.
Due to the injuries sustained in the vehicle collision, Chief Morris said officers had no choice but to humanely kill the mountain lion.
