State game officials say a young female mountain lion that had been unintentionally caught in a trap in Dawes County in the Nebraska Panhandle has been released.

The Nebraska Games and Parks Commission says the mountain lion, which was caught in a legal foothold trap, was tranquilized and released on Thursday. Officials say she weighs about 85 pounds and appears to be in good health.

A trapper called Game and Parks to report the trapping, as required by policy.

It was the third unintentional trapping of a mountain lion, which are also called cougars or pumas, in the area this winter. Officials say high prices for bobcat pelts may have led to more incidental captures of mountain lions in Dawes County.