OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The lastconfirmed sighting of a mountain lion in Omaha was near 116th Street, just north of Harrison. If the mountain lion is found, it will be killed.
That's because of the 'Mountain Lion Response Plan,' a protocol set in place by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC). The protocol is set up to ensure the safety of the public.
Laura Stastny, the executive director of Nebraska Wildlife Rehab understands it's a complicated decision.
"It's just that we're in a place where we don't have a lot of other options in Nebraska, right, and we all want to see this animal live a natural life out in the wild where it belongs," she said.
The lack of options is because land in Nebraska is 98% privately owned.
"Other states do tranquilize these cats or trap them and move them out of populated areas. It's just that generally, that is states that have more public land," Stastny said.
NGPC response plan is a detailed protocol that is over 20 pages long. It makes it clear that inside a city, Nebraska Game and Parks "may only use firearms if authorized by local police department or sheriff."
Omaha Police, in a statement, told 3 News Now that they give NGPC that authorization. We talked to people walking in Brookhaven Park near the most recent sighting who had their opinions. Both people also live in the area.
"I definitely don't think they should kill it, I'm not for that at all. I think they should try and do something else more humane about it," said Alexa Obermier.
"Well, ideally, if it poses no immediate threat to someone's safety, I think it should just be returned to its habitat to avoid any sort of mess or unethical thing happening," said Javin Teat.
NGPC, as well as police, both said their obligation is to protect the public.
A representative from NGPC wasn't available for an interview but provided reasons to kill the mountain lion beyond a lack of public space.
One of those reasons is that zoos typically don't accept adult mountain lions that have lived in the wild because they don't do well in captivity and get stressed by people. Another is that tranquilizers can take up to 10 minutes to take effect, which can pose a threat to the public if the animal tries to get away.
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