Police shoot cougar near school in Rocky Mountain House

An RCMPofficer shot a cougar out of a tree in Rocky Mountain House early Friday because the animal was close to an elementary school.

Police were dispatched on a 911 call at about 4:20 a.m. after someone reported that cougar had been seen walking down Main Street in the town.

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Officersquickly spotted the cougar in the downtown area. Police said the animaleventually climbed into a tree near cole Rocky Elementary School.

Concerned aboutpublic safety, because the cougar was near an elementary school where children would be in the morning, RCMP consulted with a provincial Fish and Wildlife officer.

"The safety concerns presented by the cougar's presence in the town was an important factor in determining that shooting it was a viable course of action, and that this was the recommendation provided to the police by Alberta Fish and Wildlife," Rocky Mountain House RCMP said Friday in a news release.

"The cougar was put down with a single shot by police.No one was injured in this incident."

Rocky Mountain House is 215 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.