SUMMERSVILLE, Mo. (AP) - Missouri conservation officials say a property owner shot a mountain lion on his land in the south-central part of the state.
The Department of Conservation said Thursday the man spotted the big male cat this week in Texas County, three miles from where a mountain lion was caught by a trail camera in July.
Mountain lions are protected, but may be shot if people perceive a threat to themselves or their property. Conservation officials say they found no reason to charge the landowner in this case.
The Conservation Department took possession of the cat and will use it for education and DNA testing.
Officials say they have no confirmed evidence of a breeding population in Missouri. They say it appears that mountain lions are dispersing from states to the west.