Fish and Game said some resorts and businesses along the lower Klamath have indicated they prefer regulations that assure fishing through Labor Day Weekend. An adult mountain lion shot out of a tree inside the city limits Jan. 16 was an unusually healthy animal that had been feeding on domestic dogs and cats, the Department of Fish and Game said today. The DFG said its wildlife investigation and forensics laboratories confirmed the presence of domestic cat and dog hair in the male lion's stomach, along with mountain lion hair that probably was the result of grooming. No deer hair was found in the stomach. The labs said the lion had a very high body fat content.
Pathologists estimate it was at least two years old.
At the request of Fish and Game, a U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife specialist shot the 110-pound lion from a tree in the back yard of a home in west Redding. The homeowners' dogs apparently had treed the cat in predawn hours. The DFG said it made the decision to kill the lion for public safety reasons. The residential area was about a half mile north of an elementary school and about a half mile south of a high school. A Redding wildlife biologist long recognized by the public and peers for his energetic pursuit of refinements in deer management practices has become the 20th Department of Fish and Game employee to be named recipient of the Shikar-Safari International Club's award as state wildlife officer of the year.