Cougar put down after being captured in Mt. Olympus

MT. OLYMPUS — Wildlife officials captured a cougar in a Mt. Olympus neighborhood Tuesday morning.

It was first spotted walking right along Millcreek Road, and residents called police.

It took officers three hours to track the animal down in a resident’s backyard near 3600 East and 3600 South. State wildlife officers tranquilized it, caged it and took it away.

“This animal was an extremely old female," said Lt. Scott White with the Department of Wildlife Resources. "Once we got her tranquilized and hands on, we evaluated her. She didn’t have any teeth left. Her incisors and her canines were worn down to just about nothing.”

White said due to its condition, the cougar was put down.

— John Daley