Video of Chicago cougar shooting

Wild cougar killed in Chicago, rather than darted and relocated

On April 15, a cougar--likely wild and wandered from its more typical western habitat--tragically ended its trek in Chicago. A careful city police force decided to shoot to kill, and the young male cat was killed. The Cougar Fund, an organization dedicated to scientifically sound methods of preserving mountain lions--which does not include lethal force, except in extreme circumstances-- sensibly criticized the police's decision, giving an example of situations where tranquilizing and relocating worked just as well--if not better:

to pose an alternative scenario, when cougars are seen in California, a state with healthy cougar populations that does not allow sport hunting, local authorities work with the state game agency and trained professionals such as local vets and animal control to remove the cougar from the area by tranquilizing and relocating it. The numerous sightings and reports to local Chicago authorities in the hours leading up to the cougar's death, suggest that there was time to weigh alternatives that would have avoided ending the cougar's life. With so many police officers available to offer protection to themselves and those around them, tranquilizing the cat should have been considered first, lethal force second.

They also point out the relatively low chance of a cougar related death:

The greatest cause of mortality amongst cougars is human-related. Only 18 people have been killed by cougars since 1900. Compare this with a statistic from the National Safety Council which averages around 50 deaths each year by contact with "wasps, bees, and hornets" or the over 5,500 pedestrian-automobile deaths each year.

One thing Chicago might have on its side is the relatively low chance that a cougar would even show up in their city. A story from the Chicago Tribune notes:

The unexpected visit fascinated researchers and put police officers in the unusual dilemma of balancing public safety with the beauty of an animal not seen in Chicago since the city's founding in the 19th Century.

Unfortunately--for the cougar (and the wilderness that will miss his crucial predatory presence)--the police seemed to not worry so much about his beauty, nor even his place as a predator who belongs in his habitat, but has likely been forced out due to...you guessed it--human intervention! This attitude of disregard--for respect for creation and for hard science--is evidenced by the following portion of the Tribune's article:

Most wildlife experts who have dealt with the potentially dangerous animal, also known as a mountain lion, said it's difficult to criticize the Chicago Police Department's decision to shoot the cougar Monday evening, saying that such animals pose a threat to humans and are difficult to effectively tranquilize. "Determining what you have to do for public safety can be a gray area," said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for California's Department of Fish and Game. "Mountain lions can be very difficult to tranquilize and then move."

Police defended the shooting Tuesday, saying that the decision to shoot the animal protected bystanders and was not out of line with their usual response to threatening animals.

"There's no time to waste when you have a predator, an animal like this," police spokeswoman Monique Bond said. "We shoot pit bulls who charge [at officers], so [would it make sense] to let the cougar charge?"

Mayor Richard Daley supported the police use of lethal force in a news conference Tuesday morning.

"Now, I just want to tell you, if the cougar attacked a child, they'd sue the city because the police officer didn't do their job," Daley said"I didn't see a neighbor run out and grab it and say, 'Oh I love you' and bring it in the house."

The fact that this creature was no one's beloved pet is hardly an excuse; it does not make the life any less important. In fact, it could be argued that it's life is therefore even more important. The natural world will sustain itself just fine if a pet is killed. The same is not true of a wild predator at the top of the food chain. Further, that the cougar wandered so far from home--possibly South Dakota!--it is highly likely it was displaced by a number of factors, of which human destruction of habitat played a very large part. So an animal forced out of its home by humans enters the domain of humans (where else can it go when we are everywhere nowadays?) only to be killed by humans. I'm waiting for the day when it will reverse--people will be forced out by nature, and will have to wander in the wilderness to find sustenance. Only we will be wandering into big cat country--which will by then be everywhere. I'll be waiting to see what happens.