This intense footage of a Utah Wildlife conservation officer freeing a large cougar is sure to have you on the edge of your seat!
Recently, DWR conservation officer Mark Elkins was called regarding a cougar caught in a bobcat trap. It is illegal to intentionally trap a cougar in Utah, so when trappers discover a mountain lion in a trap they are legally required to release the animal or notify authorities within 48 hours.
Elkins said that large cougars are often able to pull out of the traps themselves (as the traps are designed so they don’t harm the animals), but in this particular instance he assisted with the cat’s release. Usually he would use a tranquilizer dart, but he can’t always get one when he goes to remote areas like where this cat was, ksl.com reported.
Using catch poles, Elkins approaches the cat to try and free his paw. At one point in the rescue, the cougar leaps onto a tree limb as Ekins reaches to free his paw and the tree limb snaps! But Elkins calmly grabs the catch pole and reins in the big cat.
In the end, Elkins uses a blanket to calm the cat and safely free his paw. Fortunately, the cougar was unharmed except for a small scrape on his paw and ran back into the wild.
And here’s a video of the big cat’s rescue in full.
Good job officer Elkins! Share this cougar’s release with your friends.
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