Police Criticized for Mowing Down Mountain Lion and Then Posing for Photo

A police department has come under fire for posting a photo of a smiling cop posing with a mountain lion that he had just hit and killed with his car.

In the early hours of December 10, a cop in the Longview Police Department in Longview, Texas, accidentally struck a mountain lion with his patrol vehicle.

Due to the extent of the mountain lion’s injuries from the collision, the mountain lion had to be put down at the scene.

The dead mountain lion was then taken away by a biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and a Gregg County game warden.

Biologists identified the dead cat as a female between three and four years old, weighing 83.5 pounds, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

However, before the body was removed from the scene, the cop — who killed the animal — posed for a photo with the dead mountain lion.

In an image shared on Facebook by the Longview Police Department one day after the incident, the cop is seen smiling and holding up the lifeless animal.

However, the photo has sparked widespread criticism and the Longview Police Department has been condemned for posting the image, according to a report by the USA Today Network.

Many social media users have criticized the image, calling the photo “tasteless,” “sad,” and “in poor taste.” While wildlife advocates have stressed that such encounters with mountain lions should not serve as photo opportunities.

“Probably not the best picture to publish,” a Facebook user writes. “Although it was an accident and the officers didn’t intentionally end its life, posting pictures of them with the big cat and smiles of joy on their face is just bad form.”

However, other social media users defended the cop, saying that the photo brought attention to the rise of mountain lion sightings in Texas.

While the mountain lion was already dead in the police department’s photo, research has shown that the popularity of wildlife selfies is contributing to the exploitation of animals.

According to the study, 40% of the images posted on social media count as “bad selfies” — meaning someone hugging, holding, or inappropriately interacting with a wild animal. A “good” wildlife selfie was described as a picture where there is no contact between an animal and a human, and the animal is not being restrained or held in captivity to be used as a photo prop.

 
Image credits: Header photo via Facebook/ Longview Police Department\.