Caught on camera: large cougar released from trap in Utah

Dramatic video shows a large cougar being freed from an animal trap in southern Utah.

The animal became stuck in a trap meant for bobcats back in December, but an employee with the Division of Wildlife Resources only released the footage recently.

In the video, Wildlife Resources worker Mark Ekin and a man identified as a “trapper” can be seen using several poles to try and lay the cougar down flat so they could release it from the trap.

Ekin told Storyful that “trappers in the state of Utah are a huge asset in controlling predator populations, and essential in wildlife management.”

You can watch the full six-minute video here.