killing a mountain lion
KKTV News

Colorado Woman Cleared of Charges After Killing A Mountain Lion To Protect Goats

If you plan on killing a mountain lion without a tag in Colorado, it better be after your livestock. 

The attack began around 4 a.m. Beege Delgado and her husband heard a terrible commotion and ran outside to check their flock. It was then they saw a mountain lion on top of one of their goats, but it was still alive. Mr. Delgado began screaming at it and the mountain lion ran away, leaving the goat a little more worse for wear. Later that morning, though, the cat came back. But this time, Beege was ready with a gun.

"I really don't like killing wildlife," she said in an interview. "It was looking right at me, it did not move, it was not afraid. I've lived out here for 25 years in a copacetic relationship with animals and it really hurts me to kill wildlife."

After notifying Colorado Parks and Wildlife, a brief investigation took place. But police cleared Beee rather quickly, since the mountain lion was after her goats.

Had the cat been after a pet, killing the mountain lion would have been considered illegal, as Colorado considers pets personal property. However, the state considers sheep an agricultural product. Therefore, it's legal to kill a mountain lion to protect your livelihood.

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