Hutchinson ? Officials with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks say abandoned and neglected exotic animals – like a mountain lion taken from a rural Reno County home last week – highlight the need for tightened regulation.

Wildlife officials and the Reno County Sheriff’s Office joined forces recently to remove a malnourished and underweight mountain lion from a residence.

The female cougar, known as Wilma, is about 12 to 14 years old, Sheriff’s Detective Wayne Baughman said.

After several warnings from KDWP to transfer the animal to a different location, sheriff’s officers were able to take possession of the animal under the state’s animal cruelty statute.

Baughman said the animal had escaped several times in the past, and when officers arrived to remove Wilma, she was caged with no food, had stagnant water and weighed less than 60 pounds – about 70 pounds lighter than a healthy weight.

Under current regulations, Kansans who want to possess a mountain lion or other big cat, bear or wolf must fill out an application with KDWP and submit to a one-time inspection. Once the application is approved, the owner isn’t subject to another inspection unless the department receives complaints, and the permit is good for the life of the animal. Statewide, there are 44 permit holders.

Recent passage of the federal Captive Wildlife Safety Act restricts the interstate transportation of some exotic animals, including mountain lions, and the law prompted KDWP to re-evaluate the state’s laws.

“We started out with the idea that maybe we should ban possession of these (big cats) in Kansas,” said Val Jansen, law enforcement supervisor for the Wichita region of KDWP. “But that was met by cat lovers with a great deal of anguish. We had a lot of strong comment from the public.”

That prompted the seven-member KDWP commission to instruct staff to collect more information and public comment on the issue.

The original draft resolution, presented to the commission in October, called for permitting cougars, bears and wolves currently in the state but denying future permits unless exempted for educational or scientific purposes.

It also called for an entire ban by 2010, prohibiting private ownership of the animals altogether, except for accredited zoos, schools and universities.

Kevin Jones, director of law enforcement for KDWP, thinks regulations should be tightened for owners of exotic cats but says the answer likely lies somewhere between a full ban and the current regulations.

“I do think Kansas is very lax in its regulation of wildlife species,” Jones said. “These are very large and very powerful animals, and they’re not truly domesticated like a house cat or a dog in your yard. They still have very strong wild tendencies.”