HAZELGREEN, Mo. (AP) -- A mountain lion has been euthanized after it was struck by a car in southwest Missouri.
The adult male mountain lion was hit by a vehicle on Interstate 44 in Laclede County Tuesday morning. State troopers responded to reports of an in injured mountain lion and found it alive on the side of the road. They decided to euthanize it because of a severe injury to its back quarters.
Wildlife damage control biologist Jim Braithwaite told KYTV-TV (http://bit.ly/1zY3LeN ) that it's the 54th confirmed mountain lion in Missouri, and the first adult male.
A Missouri Department of Conservation agent told the Springfield News-Leader (http://sgfnow.co/1F6qbcv ) that this is the first recorded mountain lion hit by a vehicle in southwest Missouri.