ROCK VALLEY, Iowa (AP) —A Department of Natural Resources officer and another man killed a mountain lion in northwest Iowa after determining it was a threat to people.

The DNR says a hunter spotted the mountain lion Thursday while checking a trail camera near Rock Valley. The cat was about 40 yards away and didn't move, so the hunter backed away.

He returned with a neighbor and found the animal, which walked away from a buck it had killed.

The men called DNR conservation officer John Sells, who checked the area Friday afternoon.

While searching, one man nearly stepped on the mountain lion, causing it to move. The DNR officer and another man shot and killed it.

Sells says it was necessary to kill the animal because it was near houses with children.