After a string of attacks in Idaho, a hunter killed a mountain lion that "attacked and partially consumed" a family dog.
A neighbour alerted the owner of a shepherd mix after discovering the dog's remains in the yard of a home south of Cascade, Idaho on 4 January.
Idaho Fish and Game officers partnered with a local houndsman and an area hunter with a licence to hunt the big cats to track nearby lions.
Later that day, hounds trapped a mountain lion in a tree, then shot and killed it.
Game officers said the cougar was a "healthy, younger adult male" lion with a few porcupine quills stuck in its muzzle.
The killing followed a New Year's Eve attack just one mile from the home where the dog was discovered.
Two mountain lions killed a family dog around 8.30pm on 31 December, and Valley County Sheriff's Office deputies and Idaho game officers worked alongside a local houndsman to track and kill the animals.
Authorities are not sure whether the mountain lion they killed is responsible for both attacks.
Fish and game officials warn that big cats are common along the timbered edges of Long Valley, Idaho, but they are rarely seen. Attacks against people and domestic animals are also rare.
According to Idaho Fish and Game: "[Mountain lions] are content to live their lives in the shadows and generally avoid people. In the rare instance where a lion chooses to target domestic pets as a food source, the risk to human safety is heightened."
The attacks follow the killings of three mountain lions in Arizona after they were discovered to be feeding on human remains on a popular hiking trial.
Authorities in Pima County don't believe the cougars are responsible for the hiker's death.
Last year, mountain lions attacked three people in Colorado, including an eight-year-old boy who was hospitalised after a lion bit him in the head.
Mountain lions typically roam within a broad range up to 350 miles and are most active from dusk through early morning hours.
Officials urge residents not to feed wildlife, including deer and racoons, and to keep and feed household pets indoors. Officials also suggest residents use outdoor trash bins with tight-fitting lids and block off open areas beneath decks and porches.
