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"It's obvious from Dick Turpin's video that we get mountain lions in the
state," said Mace Hack, who heads the commission's wildlife research
section. "But we see very little evidence of them. Even if they're
there, you're unlikely to see them. They're very shy and secretive."
The river corridors that connect Nebraska with Wyoming, Colorado and
South Dakota are excellent funnels for mountain lions migrating into the
state.
"Through fire suppression," Hack said, "we have had an increase of
woodlands along the rivers that cross the state."
Turpin's video was the ninth confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in
Nebraska since 1991. Six were in the Panhandle, and the remaining two -
including one that was shot and killed in St. Paul in November 2000 -
were in Howard County.
Even western Iowa has been visited. A motorist struck and killed a
mountain lion near Harlan Community High School last August. It was the
first one killed in Iowa since 1867.
Mountain lions are active in western South Dakota. An estimated 150 live
in the Black Hills, and 15 to 25 are believed to live on the western
prairie. Game, Fish and Parks officials offer these tips on what to do
if one is encountered:
Make plenty of noise. Throw stones, branches or anything else available
without bending over.
Don't approach the animal. Give it an avenue of escape.
Stay calm and talk firmly to it while moving backward slowly. Don't run.
Running may stimulate a lion's instinct to chase and attack.
Appear larger by raising your arms and opening your jacket. Hoist a
small child onto your shoulders.
Stay clear of any apparent mountain lion kill. A lion covers its kill
and may be guarding it from a distance. |