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Published Saturday October 9, 2004 Trail camera records mountain lion photo

SPARKS, Neb. (AP) - A mountain lion appearing to be at least 2 years old was captured on camera in August, marking the 15th confirmed puma sighting in the state since 1991, state wildlife officials said Friday.

A mountain lion is photographed in Keya Paha County near the Niobrara River sometime between Aug. 9 and Aug. 21.

A hunter's trail camera set up to take pictures at random recorded the image east of Sparks near the Niobrara River sometime between Aug. 9 and Aug. 21, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission officials said.

It was impossible to determine the sex and exact age of the mountain lion from the photograph, said Bruce Morrison, a big game wildlife biologist with the commission.

Mountain lions are protected in Nebraska, with people allowed to kill them only if they present a clear and present danger or if they are harming livestock.

Mountain lions had not been confirmed in Nebraska for more than a century until a deer hunter in the Pine Ridge area killed one in 1991.

Biologists believe mountain lions are roaming from higher-density areas in the Rocky Mountains and Black Hills into Nebraska and Iowa.

People who see a mountain lion are asked to report it to the commission, which will investigate and report on its findings.

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