Man sets up fox trap and catches mountain lion (video)

A man who set up a fox trap got an almighty surprise when he found a mountain lion in there instead.

Justin Casey and his wife caught the footage near their home in the Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota, earlier this month.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Casey said: "I just came down to check my boys' fox trap this morning... they use a live trap so they can let animals go. When we came down here we had an unexpected surprise – a beautiful lion in the trap, and she is not happy.

"Mountain lion season is going on right now, but it's illegal to trap lions, so we're going to let her go and hopefully she makes it through the season without somebody shooting her."

Justin can then be seen taking his time trying to find a way to release the hissing cat without getting mauled himself.

Casey's wife uploaded the video to YouTube and said: "My husband found a mountain lion in my son's live trap the other morning. They check the trap on a daily basis and just enjoy looking at the animal (generally fox) and then releasing it."

According to the Mirror, she added: "These traps are a little tricky to release which leaves him [the husband] very exposed the animal waiting inside. And she was not a happy cat!

"She hissed and swiped at him multiple times. Very intense!"