HARTFORD - Dogs brought in from the Black Hills to find a
mountain lion that killed two goats were unable to track the big
cat.
Arden Petersen, regional wildlife manager for the state Game,
Fish & Parks Department in Sioux Falls, said Friday there was a
confirmed lion sighting about five miles north of Hartford.
But high winds and rain made tracking the lion difficult, and
the state does not plan to try again because the cat was likely
already miles away, Petersen said.
State policy is to kill mountain lions that kill
livestock.
Petersen said residents don't have to take any extra
precautions.
"There are obviously a lot fewer cats out here on the prairie
or East River than in the Black Hills. And in the Black Hills,
people live around and in close proximity to mountain lions, and
people get used to living with them," he said.
Lions make occasional appearances in Minnehaha County and tend
to follow rivers and streams, Petersen said.
