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Authorities seek suspect after mountain lion shot in Tucson

The Arizona Game and Fish Department said the wounded mountain lion had to be euthanized after it was found Friday morning.

Credit: AP

FILE - This April 4, 2017 file photo released by the National Park Service shows P-55, a young male mountain lion that roamed the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains in California. National Park Service officials announced Wednesday, July 25, 2018, the death of P-55, an approximately 3-year-old male that was part of a study of cougars in and around the Santa Monica Mountains. P-55 first made news when he crossed the wide and busy 101 last year west of Los Angeles and then later crossed back. The cause of death is unknown. (National Park Service via AP, File)

TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona authorities are looking for the person who shot and mortally wounded a mountain lion in central Tucson.

An Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman says the cat was euthanized after biologists determined it was unlikely to survive.

The Arizona Daily Star reports the mountain lion was found Friday morning. Authorities believe it walked 200 yards and climbed a six-foot chain-link fence before it was found, based on the trail of blood.

A valid hunting license and a mountain lion tag are required for hunters to harvest mountain lions in Arizona, according to the Game and Fish Department.

The agency keeps a list of all the lions that are legally harvested each year.

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