Iowa DNR confirms mountain lion shot, killed in Johnson County

[fishwax]

11. No, they are unusual in Iowa (which is far on the fringes of the path b/w Yukon and the Andes)

They're far more common in states further west, which provide the coverage that they like to move around in, and where they were able to find shelter when the advancement of settlers came to be a threat to them. They used to be more common on the plains, but during westward expansion settlers killed them off. Now they occasionally have some that wander in, but confirmed sightings are still pretty unusual.

As the image in your link shows, Iowa is well into in the "Extinct or Severely Reduced Populations" area.

Seems very cruel to just kill her.

Indeed.