Mountain lion reportedly sighted in Polson

Jessica Waters

POLSON - Reports of a mountain lion sighted near the courthouse in downtown Polson are unconfirmed, said Germaine White, information and education specialist with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes' Natural Resources Department.

"There was an unconfirmed report at 11 p.m. last night of a mountain lion near the courthouse," White said Wednesday morning, Oct. 22. "The game wardens have gone out on call."

White said she spoke to the Tribal wildlife biologist, who informed her that no other sightings had been reported.

A mountain lion was spotted near the walking path on Highway 93 this past summer, causing officials to temporarily close the path.

UPDATE:

Germaine White reported at 10:50 a.m. that Tribal game wardens also received an early-morning report of the mountain lion and have been patrolling throughout the area, looking for signs of the animal. Several officers were on duty at Linderman school during bus and parent drop-off to provide for student safety.

All animal reports are taken seriously by Tribal officials, White said, adding that there have been no further reports of the mountian lion being sighted in the area since the initial report.

Stay tuned to www.leaderadvertiser.com for updates.