WEB EXTRA VIDEO: Cougar Shot Dead By Police
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CHICAGO (STNG/WBBM) - Police chased a 150-pound cougar through a North Side neighborhood before fatally shooting the large cat in a Roscoe Village alley. Today questions are being raised as to why the animal had to die, however Chicago's top cop defended the actions of the police department.

The animal was shot about 5:30 p.m. Monday in the alley behind the 3400 block of North Hoyne Avenue, according to a Belmont District officer. 

(Photos taken at the scene by Daggert Holland)

Some say the cat should have been tranquilized and that police should have waited  for animal control officers.

Chicago's top cop said Tuesday that he won't second-guess the officers who gunned down the cougar.

"The officers acted properly.  They had to take away that threat," said Police Supt. Jody Weis.
    
Mayor Daley is supporting the police officers' decision as well.

Daley noted that a principal at an elementary school where a day-care program was still active alerted the police of the animal's presence in a school parking lot. 

"Now, I just want to tell you, if the cougar attacked a child, they'd sue the city because the police officer didn't do their job. So everybody second guesses, you know. So let the cougar run around and attack children. Everybody would be filing lawsuits, and yelling at the police and all the local officials," Daley said.  

"But again you have to make individual decisions. I didn't see a neighbor run out and grab it and say, 'Oh I love you' and bring it in the house. This is unbelievable. I mean, I just, I just...Don't worry about it, " Daley continued.

Weis said that with one bound, a cougar can jump from the ground to a roof, and with a second, through the next yard and away from pursuers -- and almost did so before being shot Monday evening.
   
He said the officers who pursued the cougar had no time to wait for animal control to arrive and stun the big cat -- especially when the mountain lion jumped a fence and appeared to menace officers.
   
"Everyone loves animals, as I do," he said.  "But a wild animal, in a residential area?  That's a recipe for disaster." 

Officers shot the cougar a block from the Audubon Elementary School, at 3500 N. Hoyne Av. 
   
"That could have been a catastrophic incident, if that cat had jumped in and any of the children had been out at recess," he said.  "And again, let's look at people's pets.  They're all just food for a cougar."
   
It took police more than six hours to corner the big cat.
   
A woman in the neighborhood was the first to spot the cougar, sleeping near a porch, and contacted the Chicago Dept. of Animal Care and Control. 

About 5 p.m., police spotted the animal, and quickly began to use megaphones and squad car speakers to warn residents to go inside as they chased the mountain lion through yards and down gangways.
   
The cougar leaped a six-foot fence and began to run as police began firing.  In all, four officers fired shots before the cougar was killed.

Authorities say the animal's body will be checked for any markings, chips or tags that would show if it is owned by anyone.

A neighbor told Newsradio 780 she saw the Cougar running down the street, through another neighbor's property and then into an alley -- where she says police shot at the Cougar a number of times.

The cougar may be the same animal spotted in several northern suburbs in the past month, however experts say they do not believe it was the same cat killed Monday evening.

Weis said it is unclear if the animal is the same one that was spotted Saturday on the 300 block of Third Street in Wilmette, late last month in North Chicago or in January in southern Wisconsin, where a cougar came face-to-face with a trapper. 

There are no established cougar populations east of the Mississippi River.

According to Wilmette police, an animal believed to be a cougar was spotted in the 300 block of 3rd Street near the CTA’s Purple Line Linden Avenue station on Sunday.

Officers searched the area, but were unable to locate the animal. The reports are similar to recent possible cougar sightings in North Chicago, where paw prints were found.

North Chicago police had teamed with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Lake County Forest Preserve officers  to track and apprehend the animal.

Confirmed cougar sightings are rare in Illinois.

One confirmed cougar was found dead in 2004 near New Boston in northwest Illinois. Another was found in 2000 near Chester, about 60 miles southeast of St. Louis.

Last week, officials in Lake County asked for the public's help in locating a large cat or debunking recent reports by people who believed they say they saw a cougar-like feline.

According to the health department there have been sightings in North Chicago and Round Lake Park. Authorities say so far they have no physical evidence of a large cat, and are preparing to take castings of paw prints to determine what has may be wandering around in Lake County.

The Department is also encouraging residents to take digital photos or video of the animal and its tracks if they are at a safe distance and location from the animal. 

Place something such as a tape measure on the ground near the track and include in the photo to assist with determining the size of the track. Also record the time and exact location of the observation. Digital photos can be emailed to: madam@co.lake.il.us. 

 In the meantime, health officials are asking people who see a large cat to keep their distance, but if possible take digital photos or video of the animal and its tracks, then report it to local police.