SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have killed a mountain lion that was found on the front porch of a home in Scottsbluff.

Scottsbluff police say the animal was first reported around 11:40 p.m. Wednesday. A Nebraska state trooper in the area talked with the person who reported the sighting and then also spotted it. It was in a field, heading east into the city.

Officers soon found it on the front porch nearby, where it was darted with a tranquilizing agent and then euthanized by a veterinarian.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission policy is to kill mountain lions found within city limits in order to ensure the safety of residents.