Here is a new one.

[INccwchris]

ok, it is late at night, you are sitting in either: your truck filling out paperwork, sitting in your squad car running radar, doing security, whatever might have u sitting in a parking lot for extended amounts of time. You are obviously armed. Its an inner city area, and there have been reports of a cougar loose from the zoo. Suddenly you look to your left and there is the cougar at the intersection near you. Obviously for a second you have the "HOLY CRAP, A COUGAR!!!!" reaction. The cougar starts coming down the street towards you, slowly stalking down the street. it turns the corner into your lot, do you shoot it, could you legally shoot it? i personally would be in fear of my life if i saw a cougar, not to mention i would need new underwear and pants. What are your thoughts?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[9MMare]

Such a tough question but unless you had time to restrict all human presence, & fast, in the area (like getting everyone inside or in vehicles and then closing off area), it's likely you'd have to shoot. If you lost track of it and it disappeared, the chances are too high it would harm someone or someone's pet (which might get the owner involved.)

I would hate to see it shot, but chances are it's sick or starved...alot of young cougars feed on pets and come into higher population areas because they have been squeezed out of a territory, their habitat shrinking...and they end up interacting with humans.

I've been face to face with a cougar at about 30 ft. It was an amazing experience and he was beautiful and non-threatening.

[ksholder]

Given that it is from the zoo, sick or starving don't seem to make much sense. Depending on the primary duty, you may not be at liberty to get off task. Also because you got the call on the radio, there is at least a broad awareness that the cougar is on the loose. There is probably a zoo team with tranqualizer guns trying to find the cougar. Unless anyone is in imminent danger - which you are not if you are in the car, however others on the street could be, I would call it in.

[BugDude]

I'd lead it to my former neighbor's house and let it terrorize his dogs like they use to terrorize my cat. Wouldn't you love to know what would go through those dog's heads when they saw a cat that could kick their butt...and then eat them?

[INccwchris]

Yes thats true, however, if i have eyes on the cougar, I know where it is, the zoo team with tranq guns does not, i may be able to get on my radio and call its position in, but it may be gone by the time backup and animal control arrives, besides, what if you're not LEO or security and don't have a radio? news broadcasts for a few days have been broadcasting the cougars presence, but the average civilian worker will not have a radio to call it in on, cell phone yes, but by the time they get officers dispatched, you may be under attack, i am personally of the opinion, that if i see it, i need to put it down before it can attack me or those on my site. however, i do understand the point of the comment about the radio. not to mention, could there be civil liability for destruction of property?

[Treo]

ok, it is late at night, you are sitting in either: your truck filling out paperwork, sitting in your squad car running radar, doing security, whatever might have u sitting in a parking lot for extended amounts of time. You are obviously armed. Its an inner city area, and there have been reports of a cougar loose from the zoo. Suddenly you look to your left and there is the cougar at the intersection near you. Obviously for a second you have the "HOLY S***, A COUGAR!!!!" reaction. The cougar starts coming down the street towards you, slowly stalking down the street. it turns the corner into your lot, do you shoot it, could you legally shoot it? i personally would be in fear of my life if i saw a cougar, not to mention i would need new underwear and pants. What are your thoughts?

One of our security guards got attacked by a cougar while he was doing his rounds one night. It knocked him down and took off. the whole incident was captured on video

[retsupt99]

I think that I be looking for some indoor cover. I'd also like to see you shoot a cougar closing in on you, especially one running full tilt...good luck with that one.

[archer51]

You could always throw the BG out of the back of the car, then call out "Here kitty...kitty...kitty!"

Seriously, I'd call for the Animal Control/Zoo people with their tranquilizer gun, unless someone is in danger from the cat. If possible, follow at a distance until they arrive. In the scenario given the cat isn't a threat and no need to kill it.

If it is necessary to put it down, I'd opt for a shotgun over a handgun.

[Gun Bunny]

Hey Chris, it might be more real than you realize!

Mountain lion spotted in rural Greene County - 13 WTHR

I think I would be afraid to piss it off with my 9mm! Don't like the idea of being "cat food"!

[Paymeister]

...the average civilian worker will not have a radio to call it in on, cell phone yes, but by the time they get officers dispatched, you may be under attack...

"Under attack" when I'm in a car might result in broken windshield wipers and mirrors, but is not a threat to my life. The risk of missing/overpenetration/ricochet concerns me. And if a charging dog is hard to hit, I'm gonna hit a cougar? I'm *much* better with COM on stationary pieces of paper (thankfully I haven't been tested on the streets).

I carry to 1) protect MY life and those of my family from 2) lethal threats. This doesn't qualify. Too, there's a very real threat to my family from the legal ramifications if I were to hit someone else. And if the cougar came from a zoo it suggests they may be rare in your area: there may be a real threat to your family from the laws regarding protected species.

Observe, report... heck, ASK the dispatcher if he or she wants you to shoot: I'll bet I know the answer. Cops can be there pretty quickly (albeit minutes instead of seconds), and you can let THEM take risk of missing/overpenetration/ricochet if they want to as they wait for the zoo team.

[SIGguy229]

OK...

Is she hot?

[Back 40]

OK...

Is she hot?

You soooo read my mind!

[Gun Bunny]

This is how one of my ancestors in the early 1800s handled one:

The Land of Winding Waters

Darius Robinson came from Ky when he was 11, his parents living two years
near John Work's Mill. Moving to Jefferson County, they settled for one year
on a farm owned by Jacob Trumbo, moved to Coffee Creek and entered 160 acres
of land. Darius' brother joined Captain Norris' Rangers and did duty for
about one year at Solomon Deputy's blockhouse at Coffee Creek. After his
short stay at Coffee Creek, where he married Nellie Wilson, Darius moved on
to Cana.

At one time when Darius was hunting, he saw a panther. He shot at the
panther but only wounded it. Before he could reload, the panther had
attacked him. And then as he described it, "the fun began". With the aid of
an axe and his dog, he succeeded in killing the wounded panther. "From tip
to tip", he said, "it measured nine feet."

Source: The Land of Winding Waters, published by Our Heritage, Inc.

[dukalmighty]

The only cougars I've seen around here are driving Jaguars

[NIS350ZTT]

Taser.