You are here

Glacier National Park Employee Cited For Not Controlling Dog That Led To Mountain Lion's Death

Share

A Glacier National Park employee has been cited for failing to maintain control of a dog that got into a fight with a mountain lion that led to the lion being shot to death by a park ranger.

Ironically, the ranger who killed the mountain lion was an owner of the dog, park officials said Friday in a release.

The incident last Saturday apparently was spurred when the unidentified employee returned to her West Glacier home and opened her car door only to see her two dogs dart out. After chasing after the dogs, the woman saw one involved in a fight with a mountain lion, while the other quickly came back to her.

"Based on an investigation of the dog-mountain lion incident, it was concluded the employee did not maintain control of the pet," the park release said. "It was also determined that the ranger that shot the mountain lion acted appropriately. The ranger involved in the incident is also an owner of the dog. The investigation concluded that the ranger, or any other ranger, would have acted in the same manner due to the rapidly evolving circumstances of the situation."

The citation, for failure to restraint a pet, carried a $75 fine.

“The sub-adult mountain lion displayed characteristics of habituation. The cat failed to flee the developed area after housing residents yelled and screamed, and rocks and logs were thrown at the cat," said Glacier Chief Ranger Paul Austin. “We take this incident seriously, as many children were playing outside in the housing area at the time of the incident.

“While we are all passionate about protecting the amazing resources of Glacier National Park, the first priority for our rangers must be for the safety of our employees and visitors,” he added in the release.

The park headquarters and employee housing area have been posted for mountain lion frequenting over the winter months. A mountain lion was hazed this winter in the employee housing area after observations of the animal near homes and offices, according to park officials.

Park rangers believe additional mountain lions may be frequenting the headquarters and employee housing area. The park will continue to implement actions in the area as appropriate, including posting the area to mountain lion frequenting, educational outreach to employees and visitors, area and/or trail closures, hazing and possible removal. These actions are consistent with park management plans.

Park housing residents are allowed to keep pets while living in government-owned structures in the park. According to park management directive, resident employees must comply with the same rules as visitors.

Pets are allowed in developed areas of the park, including frontcountry campgrounds and picnic areas, along roads, in parking areas, and in boats on lakes where motorized watercraft are permitted. The entire headquarters area of the park is considered a developed area. Pets are not permitted on trails, along lake shores, in the backcountry, or in any building. Pets must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet, under physical restraint, or caged at all times, including while in open-bed pickup trucks.

Comments

Cougar attacks  vs  Dogbite fatalities USA
 
 
Elusive and extremely shy, America's extraordinarily beautiful wildcat, the cougar, was called "the spirit of the mountains" by the Native Americans. Cougars pose very little threat to people, yet each year thousands are needlessly killed for sport. We're working to protect this keystone species. 
 
 
                          http://www.predatordefense.org/cougars.htm
 
 
The probability of a child being injured by dogs is much greater
than being injured by a cougar, and yet in some national parks
loose dogs are tolerated whereas sighting of a cougar is
justification for rangers to shoot on sight !
 
The citation if imposed is only a minor cost whereas if an
attorney is involved, costs obviously are much higher.
 
 
 

http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2014.php

 
 

Many of us agree with efforts to protect cougars whenever possible, and I'm not in favor of hunting them for sport. However, as to the "probability of a child being injured by dogs is much greater than being injured by a cougar," that's like comparing the number of people injured in vehicle accidents vs. horse and buggy accidents. There are about 80 million + dogs in the country, virtually all living in close proximity to people. How many cougars are there coming in contact with humans on a daily basis?

I've certainly not visited anywhere near all the national parks in the country, but have been in quite a few, and haven't seen any where "loose dogs are tolerated." Perhaps your personal experience is otherwise, but in fact, the NPS is facing considerable opposition to efforts to require dogs to remain on leash in at least one major park. Sadly, some years ago, an NPS ranger was shot and killed by a visitor when the ranger contacted him about the visitor's dog running loose in a park in Hawaii.

As to "...whereas sighting of a cougar is justification for rangers to shoot on sight"! Good grief. Certainly no evidence of that at Glacier. According to reports of this incident, a cougar has been sighted previously near the park's main developed area in recent months, and efforts were made to chase it out of the area. Others are believed to be in the area. Until this unfortunate incident, do you have solid information about any lions being shot "on sight" in this - or other national parks recently?

I'd give good marks to the park for citing the employee's spouse whose dog got loose - more evidence that "loose dogs" are not tolerated at this park. Based on the information available, this wasn't handled any differently that it would have been if a visitor's dog had been the one involved.

Yes, the citation is a fairly minor cost. No reason for an attorney to be involved, unless the person cited wants to contest the charges and request an attorney for the hearing. 


So the ranger that was "part owner' of the dog was the person that shot the cat? This resulted in a $75 fine?? Is an owner of a dog resposible for keeping it secure?? I wonder if I -(visiting from Florida as an outsider) had the misfortune of my lab JoJo getting loose and a mountain lion then being shot would have recieved a $75 fine-- just asking??


Well, as previously discussed, your operative word in this situation was "misfortune." There's no indication the owner who had possession of the dog when it got loose let the dog out intentionally - she had the misfortune of having the dog escape.

And, under your scenario: Suppose as a visitor your dog jumped out of your vehicle when you opened the door and got into a tangle with a lion. Attempts by yourself and bystanders to chase the lion off by yells, throwing rocks and logs and using bear spary failed, and the lion had your dog pinned down and continued to fight. Think you might be looking for some help from a ranger? When the ranger arrived, think your position would be "shoot the dog"? If so, you'd be a mighty rare dog owner.

I suspect the charge was for having pet off leash or a similar violation, and the NPS doesn't determine the amount of fines. What do you think would have been a more appropriate charge in this scenario?

Yes, this situation is complicated, because the nearest ranger, who had to decide what action to take in the midst of the problem, was also a co-owner of the dog. What do you think he should have done? Say, sorry, just be patient and call another ranger, because I have a personal interest in this situation, so I have to ignore the problem? 

Sure sounds like from all your comments on this incident you have some antagonism toward rangers in general, which is unfortunate. Had you been the person in charge at the scene, what do you think should have been done differently?

Last question: can you cite any examples where visitors in similar situations were treated any more "harshly" by the NPS than this dog owner? We both can only speculate, but I've not read of any such outcomes, so have no reason to believe that would be the case.


Actually you are incorrect-- I have nothing but respect and admiration for Park Rangers and what they do. When I was younger I wanted to do that for a career. They have a difficult job and most deserve all the praise in the world. Personally i think they have the greatest job in the world. To answer your question about my dog. If JoJo ,my lab escaped and it was between him and a mountain lion I would absolutley tell the Ranger to shoot my dog--no question. Yes I love him but thats how i feel . To answer your last question-- if i had been that ranger I would have shot the dog before the lion-- even if it was my dog.


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.