2nd cougar found, dead, in trap in North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A young male mountain lion was found dead in a trap in North Dakota's Badlands, state Game and Fish officials said.

The 50-pound cougar was found dead in a bobcat snare on Jan. 30 by a trapper, about 10 miles northwest of Grassy Butte in McKenzie County, biologists said. It was the second young male cat caught in a bobcat trap in the area since mid-January.

The first cougar had to be killed because of its condition.

Both cougars were snared in a trap meant for bobcats north of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Biologists said the cats were caught within 11 miles of each other.

Biologist Dorothy Fecske said both cats were less than a year old and were likely born in North Dakota.

The dead cats will aid research, Fecske said.

A cougar captured in a trap in Billings County in November was fitted with a radio collar and released.

The 1 1/2-year-old, 108-pound cougar has stayed within a 25-square-mile area of where it was released in the Badlands, biologists said.

North Dakota's second mountain lion hunting season started Sept. 1 and ended Nov. 9, when five cougars were killed. The season was to run until March 11 if the limit of five was not reached.

http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2007/02/05/news/ update/doc45c7772fe0f1f623033630.txt