Family catches lion intruder

Virnie Mack let his chickens out at 10 a.m. Monday and continued with his day. When he saw the chickens frantically run by the side of the house an hour later, he instinctively grabbed his gun and went to check for the mountain lion that walked into his home 11 days ago.

A pile of fresh feathers told him the lion was back. He called his son, Keith Mack, and asked him to bring his hounds to track the fresh scent of the cat. Keith arrived and set one of his dogs loose near the chicken house, but the dog could not pick up a scent. Keith decided to turn the dog loose at the top of the large hill that leads onto his parent’s deck.

“Once Keith let the dog loose on the top of the hill, it just started baying,” Virnie said. “He turned his other dog loose after that and they started to follow the trail.”

About an hour later, Virnie and his wife, LaDonna, were sitting inside enjoying a dice game when they saw Keith walking down the hill.

“The closer he got, it looked like he was dragging something,” Virnie said. “He got the lion and was dragging it down the hill.”

Keith killed the 80-pound female lion with a .44-caliber rifle. After taking several photos with the lion, the Macks waited for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to retrieve the animal. This is a common procedure, as the Fish, Wildlife & Parks often rely on local hound owners to help catch lions and keep the public safe.

Troy Game Warden Phil Kilbreath has been a Fish, Wildlife & Parks game warden for almost eight years. Kilbreath explained it is not typical animal behavior for a lion to enter a human home, but it is not too far-fetched. Kalispell Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ biologist Eric Wenum has seen this happen a few times in his experience.

“Lions will fixate on a prey item that they are pursuing and often not become aware of their surroundings until the chase is over,” Kilbreath explained. “In this case I believe the lion was pursuing the dog, so it can happen.”

The couple has lived in their Libby home for 25 years and never had a mountain lion problem. Virnie believes wolves are pushing deer closer to people’s homes in town and as a result, the lions follow. According to Kilbreath, Libby has a high density of lions compared to other areas in Montana, and larger lions often push younger lions into less-desirable areas of lower elevation.

The lions are also attracted to the deer, which are descending during this time of year.

 “I think people should know what is going on,” LaDonna said. “A lot of people have experienced their animals being taken by wildlife. The wildlife is up there, and it will come down.”

Kilbreath said human safety is a top priority when handling wildlife conflicts. In this case, the best solution was killing the lion.

“This cat needed to go as it had been habitually returning to a human dwelling, killed numerous chickens and attempted to kill a dog,” said Kilbreath.

The Macks are relieved to once again have peace of mind while walking outdoors. They see no reason to be worried about a lion lurking near their home again.

“It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I don’t really want any more of it,” Virnie said.