Arizona officials killed 3 mountain lions that were found feeding on human remains near a popular hiking trail

National Park Service via AP

• The Arizona Game and Fish Department killed three mountain lions after officials discovered that the animals were feeding on human remains near a hiking trail.

• The remains were found 50 yards from the Pima Canyon Trail, north of Tucson in the Catalina Mountains.

• Officials do not think that the lions killed the person, but they believed they still posed a threat. An autopsy is scheduled to determine how the person died.

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Arizona state officials killed three mountain lions that were found feeding on human remains near a popular hiking trail.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department discovered the remains on Monday just 50 yards from the Pima Canyon Trail, north of Tucson in the Catalina Mountains.

Officials closed the trail and, during an investigation, discovered that three mountain lions had been eating the remains, a department spokesman, Mark Hart, told the Arizona Republic.

Hart said that while officials do not think the mountain lions killed the person, the lions could still be a threat.

“We thought the risk was too great and we had to take action,” Hart told KOLD-TV. “Mountain lions are not routinely scavengers. Mountain lions prefer live prey, and they’re very good at killing live prey. And there’s abundant javelina and deer in the Catalina foothills, so why it happened in this case we’re just not sure.”

The three lions were an adult female and two younger lions. It’s unclear how large the adult was, but Hart said the young lions each weighed over 100 pounds.

“Lions eating human remains is not normal … They typically prefer live prey,” Hart told the Republic. “Research shows that if they eat human remains they are more likely to attack humans in the future.”

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Officials said they were confident they killed the correct mountain lions, using photographic evidence and matching paw prints found at the site of the human remains.

Officials have not publicly identified the person. An autopsy is scheduled to determine how the person died.

The trail was reopened on Wednesday after officials determined there was no threat to the public.

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