Dispatch: Mountain Lion Killed in Madera Canyon

Arizona Game and Fish Department officers shot and killed a mountain lion in Madera Canyon Sunday, Oct. 27. The lion had reportedly shown no fear of humans, and had followed a hiker and his dog along a trial. Later in the day trained hounds tracked the lion and it was shot and killed near the Bog Springs Campground in Madera Canyon Recreation Area, a very popular area in the Santa Rita Mountains east of Green Valley, in the Santa Cruz Valley.

Coronado National Forest spokeswoman Heidi Schewel told the Arizona Daily Star that it's possible the mountain lion had been attracted to the hiker's dog. Personally, I wish all hikers would leave their dogs at home. I rarely see dog owners on the Coronado using a leash, as is required by law.

Mountain lions are not usually found in the company of humans; they are stealthy and elusive, and almost never stalk or follow hikers. There was obviously something wrong with this lion, if officials are telling the truth about its behavior.

Game and Fish has always been quick to shoot to kill in Madera Canyon. I have covered that area for several years for a few local newspapers, and have reported on at least half a dozen government-sponsored bear killings in that time. Every time a bear finds its way into the recreation area from the wild heights of the Santa Ritas, the only option considered is typically to shoot first and ask questions later. I imagine I'd do the same if I were a Game and Fish agent. I wouldn't want to answer for a mauled kid. Still, one hates to see a predator—as important to the sky island ecosystem of the Santa Ritas as any other fauna—killed, for any reason.