BARTLESVILLE - Police are warning midtown residents to be cautious after a possible mountain lion attack fatally injured a small dog.
Animal Control Officer Rita Harvey said police received a 911 call around 4:30 a.m. Thursday from a woman reporting a mountain lion had attacked her schnauzer in the area of Kenwood Drive and Briarwood Drive in the Woodland neighborhood. The dog had to be euthanized, Harvey said.
"We have had about seven reports in the last two years of people seeing a mountain lion in that area," Harvey said Friday. "We have investigated every one of them because it's a matter of public safety. But the range of the mountain lion is so large that they are hard to track."
A female mountain lion roams in an area from 50 to 75 miles, while a male lion will roam up to 300 miles, Harvey said.
She said the woman whose dog was attacked was a "very credible witness" who stood about six to 10 feet away from the large animal that had her pet in its mouth.
"The cat got scared and dropped the animal and ran off into the woods," Harvey said. "She said it was a mountain lion, and she was 100 percent sure. She said it wasn't a bobcat or a coyote or any of those other animals because she was familiar with them and this was different."
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation officials headed to Bartlesville on Friday to view the body of the dog and assist in the investigation.
Harvey said officials were able to find a large footprint that "would be consistent with a mountain lion" in some dry dirt in the area, but they weren't able to track the animal further.
With woods and a stream in the Woodland neighborhood, Harvey said, foxes, bobcats and coyotes also make their home there.
The city has set a "safe trap" loaded with raw meat in hopes of capturing the mountain lion and would love to relocate it to a better environment, Harvey said.
She said Bartlesville residents are encouraged to bring small animals inside after dark.
According to the wildlife department, male mountain lions average 7 feet in length and weigh about 140 pounds, while the females average 6 feet in length and weigh around 95 pounds.
The state's wildlife code prevents indiscriminate shooting of mountain lions but allows Oklahomans to protect themselves and their property when necessary.
If you see a mountain lion
Animal Control Officer Rita Harvey said if residents encounter an emergency with a mountain lion, call 911. If there is a random sighting, report it at 918-338-4001.
The state wildlife department is also tracking mountain lion sightings. Find more information at
tulsaworld.com/mountainlion.
Original Print Headline: B'ville: Beware of big cats
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