Kentucky Mountain Lion - An officer from the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Department was compelled to shoot and kill a mountain lion on Monday evening in Bourbon County.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Department spokesman Mark Marraccini, who defended the actions of the unidentified officer, explained that the animal was sighted sometime before dark and had to be shot because it would have taken a long time to get a tranquilizer.

"If that cat had left [the] tree, it would have disappeared into the bush and it was a fairly populated area," he said. "That's the way the officers deemed [fit] to handle it and I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be handled that way."

Local sources say the Kentucky mountain lion was first seen by a farmer, who was walking her dog on a street in northeast Lexington. The dog reportedly chased the cougar up a tree, before local authorities were contacted about its presence.

This Kentucky mountain lion is the first to be sighted in the state for many years. Commentators say the last recorded sighting of a cougar in the state was before the civil war era. 

Experts say mountain lions used to be abundant in Kentucky. However, as the population of the state grew, they were killed off until they retreated to the western parts of the country. Now, mountain lions and other rare animals that were forced to retreat, after being excessively hunted in the 19^th century, seem to be rebounding in their numbers. It is unclear what may be precipitating this trend. Some experts say the search for food and new territories due to population growth are likely to be contributing factor.

The Kentucky mountain lion weighed about 125 pounds, according to WKYT. Reports indicate that the body of the animal has been transported to a facility in Frankfort, where an expert will attempt to determine if it was a wild animal or was domesticated and somehow managed to escape. It is illegal to own a mountain lion in the state.

The new of the Kentucky mountain lion has raised some safety concerns. But experts say despite its size, this big cat is notoriously scared of humans.