A war of words broke out between the Hollister Police Department and the Oakland Zoo this week following the death of a mountain lion who was shot by police after entering a residential neighborhood.
The animal was spotted in the neighborhood at around 5 a.m. Friday. California Department of Fish and Wildlife rangers were trying to tranquilize the animal when, according to the zoo, it was shot by police. It jumped over a fence, was tranquilized, and then brought to the zoo for treatment of the gunshot wound.
“This is the 20th mountain lion to come to Oakland Zoo in need of help as another victim of human-wildlife conflict," the zoo wrote on social media. "And we are heartbroken with the tragic loss."
The Hollister Police Department shot back.
“Their choice of words is careless at best, and misleading at worst," HPD countered in a response. "It characterizes our actions as having been reckless and impatient and none of that is true. We regret that they have yet to retract, correct, and amend their statement. Words matter."
According to police, the cougar was shot after it lunged toward a police officer. Two tranquilizer darts had failed to subdue the animal at that point, they said.
Zoo officials told KTVU that police have issued “multiple statements around why shots were fired by their officers.”
Read more about the war of words between the zoo and HPD here.