Scott Ljungberg admits few things could break the monotony of snow shoveling more than finding a sleepy cougar in his storage shed.
The Taylorsville man stepped into the backyard shack Tuesday morning about 6 a.m. to grab a snow shovel when he heard a noisy fracas coming from the back of the little shed."As soon as I walked in, I heard a bunch of banging around," said Ljungberg. "The noise startled me a little, but I figured it was probably just some stray cats. Then I felt the cougar run right past me and my heart really started pumping."
Ljungberg was uncertain what he'd been hosting in his shed at 5323 S. 3325 West until he saw the female mountain lion running across his neighbor's back yard and into the heavily populated subdivision.
Salt Lake County deputy sheriffs and animal control officials were called to nab the young cougar.
Officials shot the mountain lion with a tranquilizer dart.
Melanie McIntosh was watching the action from her bedroom window across the street when the disoriented cougar came tearing across her front yard.
"The cougar slammed into the glass storm door and everything shattered," said McIntosh, 18.
The groggy 150-pound animal was captured a short time later and relocated in the Oquirrh Mountains, said officials.