September 29, 2017 - 2:20 PM
CUSTER, S.D. - A South Dakota teenager has shot and killed a mountain lion that attacked several animals on his family's property in the southwest part of the state.
The mountain lion killed a goat, duck, cat and chicken Sept. 20 in Custer, in the southwest part of the state, The Rapid City Journal reported .
"We can see the goats right off the back porch, and we saw one lying on the ground back there," said Lila Streff, the teen's mother. "We went right out and looked, and it was dead. We also saw a trail of destruction from the chicken coop with a dead cat, a dead duck and a bunch of chicken feathers."
Lila Streff owns Black Hills Goat Dairy and has been milking goats for about a decade. This was the first time she'd lost an animal to a mountain lion. She reported the incident to the state Game, Fish & Parks Department.
"It's unnerving because I really have a smorgasbord of animals here," she said. "If you don't stop it, you'll be at the mercy of the lions. I also have grandchildren out back occasionally, and I was worried."
Her 14-year-old son, Dalton Streff, took shelter in a children's playhouse in the backyard, armed with a rifle in anticipation of the 70-pound animal's return.
"When I saw the mountain lion, I grabbed my gun quietly so I didn't scare it off, quietly loaded one round, looked through the scope and shot it," Dalton Streff said. "When I shot it, it jumped about 20 feet and then did a face plant."
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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com
News from © The Associated Press, 2017