Nebraska Game and Parks officials say a mountain lion was unintentionally killed in a cable restraint trap in Scotts Bluff County last Wednesday. The lion was a female weighing about 81 pounds and appeared to be in good health.

Game and Parks carnivore program manager Sam Wilson says the trapper called the agency immediately after discovering the lion…as required by Game and Parks regulations since mountain lions are a protected species.

Wilson says high pelt prices for bobcats have led to an increased trapping efforts and may have contributed to the incidental capture of the mountain lion.

There were two similar accidental trappings of mountain lions in bobcat traps last year in Dawes County.  In one case, the cougar was safely released, but in the other the big cat was euthanized because of its injuries.

Wilson says Game and Parks is asking fur harvesters to immediately contact the agency if a mountain lion is incidentally trapped, adding that anyone with trail camera photographs or other evidence of mountain lions should also contact the agency.