Why didn't they tranquilize it (or did I miss that part)
I used to think tranquilizers were the obvious way to catch wild animals, but apparently they can take up to an hour to make an animal docile enough to catch. Also, if you are going to release it back into the wild, it's somewhat dangerous for the animal. Still, I think I'd rather wait an hour rather than wrestle with a cougar with a blanket over it's head.