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An animal rights group will be gathering in front of Santa Monica City Hall this afternoon to protest the killing of a mountain lion near the Third Street Promenade last week.The group In Defense of Animals will be gathering at city hall with other wildlife experts around 1 pm to demand better tactics that they say would have prevented the death of a 3-year-old female mountain lion.
The lion was discovered around Second Street early in the morning on May 22. When the Department of Fish and Games responded to the scene, it shot the animal with pepper balls and fire hoses before killing her. Authorities said they had no choice but to shoot the lion to protect public safety, but animal rights activists have said that the shooting could have been avoided. They say that the pepper bullets and fire hoses only escalated the situation, and freaked out the lion causing it to bolt.
Animal rights activists want a probe of the lion's death, and they want a promise that it will be handled better next time.
"A solid strategy, including all equipment necessary to handle similar situations, must be put in place before another tragedy occurs,'' In Defense of Animals director Jack Carone told City News Service.
It's still not clear how the mountain lion wound up so far from its home in the Santa Monica mountains.
Related:
Young Mountain Lion Shot In Downtown Santa Monica
Mountain Lion Killing: Animal Rights Group Calls For Probe
