Mountain lion sighted in subdivision south of Butte

By Leslie McCartney of The Montana Standard - 04/17/2007

State wildlife officials are asking parents to pick up and deliver their children from a bus stop on Janney Road after a mountain lion followed a 10-year-old boy from the stop on Friday.

“We don’t know if it was following him on purpose or if he was just doing what a mountain lion does,” said Coy Kline, warden sergeant for the Butte area with the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Janney Road is south of Highway 2 in the area of Terra Verde Heights, in south Butte.

Kline said the lion followed the boy after he got off the bus around 3:45 p.m. The boy thought the lion was a dog and was unconcerned, but a woman driving by saw the See LION, Back Page Lion ...

Continued from Page A1 cat and insisted the boy get into her car. She drove the boy home, Kline said, but officials have been unable to talk with her to gather more details.

The lion did not attack the boy.

Kline said that parents should be aware of the cat sighting in that area.

Officials tried to track the lion on Friday but were unable to locate it. The sighting was at the south end of the road near the old railroad tracks.

“Right now we’ll have to wait and see if this lion appears again,” said Kline, who estimated the cat to be young and just starting to venture out on its own.

“It’s probably a good idea for parents not to let their kids walk to and from the bus stop, at least for awhile.” He also cautioned pet owners to feed their animals inside or at least pick up bowls because the food attracts mountain lions.

If the cat is spotted, people are urged to call FWP at 494-1953 or the sheriff’s department at 496-1120.