WEST GLACIER — A Glacier National Park employee has been cited for failing to control her dog, which ended up tangling with a mountain lion near an employee housing area.
Park officials said the woman returned to her residence on March 21 and her dogs unexpectedly jumped out of the car. One dog got into a fight with a mountain lion.
Efforts to separate the animals were unsuccessful. Another owner of the dog, who is also a park ranger, shot the mountain lion.
An investigation found the ranger acted properly in shooting the cat, which Chief Ranger Paul Austin said had shown signs of habituation. He says the cat did not run away even as residents yelled at it and threw rocks and logs at it.
Pets are allowed in developed areas of the park, but must be on a leash.