more articles like this

Just Lion Around
updated: Apr 26, 2012, 7:33 AM

By Edhat Subscriber

A questions for readers. My mother found a mountain lion resting on her back lawn yesterday morning. She lives in the area of Tucker's Grove Park. There are a lot of bunnies and quail that frequent her yard, so it's like a wildlife diner. However, it is a neighborhood... Should she report this and if so to whom?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 274894	2012-04-26 07:41 AM
leave it alone
COMMENT 274897	2012-04-26 07:42 AM
Yup, leave it! I would warn my neighbors that I have seen them in the area but wouldn't say it was in my yard.
COMMENT 274914	2012-04-26 08:21 AM
there are a lot of people that live in that area. And if it is next to Tucker's Grove that means Foothill school is just down the street, also the nursery school at the corner of San Marcos and Cathedral Oaks. I love nature and would rather leave it alone, but I don't know what I would do with myself if I didnt report it and found out it attacked a little child (little child equals food, the lion doesn't know any better). So someone should report it. Take pictures, make sure it isn't a bobcat. Some people think bobcats are mountain lions. Better to be sure.
COMMENT 274918	2012-04-26 08:29 AM
Consider yourself lucky to have such wonderful wildlife around. Leave it alone. I went to school in tiger country, one morning tracks were found in the playground. The children thought it was pretty cool. Remember, wild animals are shy, they really don't want to deal with humans.
COMMENT 274924	2012-04-26 08:41 AM
We live a little further away in the foothills, but near enough for it to be "in our area". I would want to be notified that a mountain lion is in the neighborhood! We have animals that need to be protected, as well as children! I have seen other reports on edhat and in the news of large "animal sightings". We can't take precautions, if we don't know it is nearby! ((I consider this posting a "warning", and will keep an eye out!))
COMMENT 274930	2012-04-26 08:48 AM
Inane one as well in my front yard in paradise off 154! We got air horns to scare it away! We alerted all the neighbors and park rangers. Mountain lions are a protected species and nothing can be done until it's a threat. Hopefully it just leaves!! Good luck, remembe ml have long tails and bobcats have no tail hardly!
COMMENT 274932	2012-04-26 08:58 AM
Tiger country 918? Where did you go to school, in Asia?
DILLYDALLY	2012-04-26 09:00 AM
It would be completely appropriate to report that to the California Department of Fish and Game and Animal Control. They wont do anything draconian like trap or kill the animal. I ran into one on my bike many years ago at coal oil point and reported it. The agencies said there were many reports of missing house cats in that area and they suspected a mountain lion. They were concerned about the reason behind the animals choice to leave the more rural areas. They are not comfortable around people or in urban / suburban areas so there is usually a reason (drought, poaching etc...) for their unusual presence.
COMMENT 274936	2012-04-26 09:04 AM
Report it. Although its a beautiful animal it does pose a threat especially when it's comfortable enough to rest in your backyard. Kids and pets are easy prey.
COMMENT 274941	2012-04-26 09:10 AM
It was trying to give you a eviction notice, the animals want their homes back..
COMMENT 274942	2012-04-26 09:11 AM
To those people who say don't report it, my question is "Why not ?"
MTNDRIVER	2012-04-26 09:15 AM
I agree neighbors should be told, so they can learn what to do if they encounter one. People might run or act in ways that mimic prey animals if they don't know better. Especially if there are small children in the area, they should be informed. Here's a link to a Fish and Game PDF on the subject: http://sagehen.ucnrs.org/Documents/visitors/wildlife/lion.pdf Of course usually big cats are not interested in humans as prey, but occasionally they ARE, so it's good to know how to behave if one is showing a lot of interest in you. I carry a stick when I hike alone in areas where lions have been seen (like Rattlesnake Canyon), even if the sighting was months ago. In our neighborhood about 15 years ago a neighbor woke up to see one lying on the front porch in the predawn, probably waiting for the coyotes that used the creek bed flowing through the property as a daily highway. It did this for days, and it became a neighborhood attraction, some people camped out in the neighbor's living room to see the cat in the morning. Around the same time other neighbors lost their small dog in the early morning to a lion--they saw the attack from their kitchen window. Must have been the same lion.
COMMENT 274948	2012-04-26 09:16 AM
I agree to just leave it be, so long as it isn't attacking your animals. DON'T feed it, just let it pass. I see them occasionally and they are harmless. We are in their environment and they are curious, so just treat it with like a passing snake/coyote. Calling Animal Control will initiate them shooting them with a sedative dart and relocating them.
COMMENT 274975P	2012-04-26 10:06 AM
I would report it and tell neighbors, if they lose pets or there was a human attack and you didn't tell them it would be awful. Fish and Game and others are not going to do something bad to the lion, however the information may cause your neighbors to be more cautious about their pets and kids. I have no idea why or how anyone would urge you not to notify others.
COMMENT 275001	2012-04-26 10:56 AM
I guess from these comments we all agree that a human life is much more valuable than the life of a mountain lion. I guess that is a western religious thing. Does an agnostic or atheist person agree with that? I have a hard time killing snails or gophers in my yard but I suppose I would try to defend myself from becoming a mountain lion's meal. If I saw one in my back yard on the westside of Santa Barbara I would be thrilled though. We have skunks and racoons after the breeding season but the cars finish them off pretty quickly. A skunk sprayed one of my dogs from its hiding place under my car and for months the car would smell when the exhaust heated up while driving.
COMMENT 275003	2012-04-26 10:57 AM
The people who say don't report it are putting others in danger! Cougars, Pumas, also called Mountain Lions are a prey animal and will attack something running. This is a populated area with many young children running and playing.
COMMENT 275005P	2012-04-26 11:01 AM
Thank you for your comments. There was a bobcat there a year or so back, so we know what those look like. She said this definitely had a long tail and was much too big to be a domestic cat. She and I both agree that it was a gift to be able to witness such a beautiful animal so close. However, this is a neighborhood. She tried to call animal control simply to report seeing it, but got the run around, that's why we're asking the question specifically whom to call. She tried fish and game and they gave her a Santa Maria number... She left a message and no one returned her call. She's elderly and can't go door to door. How should she notify her neighbors? For those of you in the area, she lives across the street from Tucker's Grove. ps- No animal food is left outside.
COMMENT 275014	2012-04-26 11:26 AM
Dilly Dally nailed it. The responsible thing to do is report it. Local agencies will not harm or remove the animal unless it is posing a threat, and in that case would likely move it back to the mountains. Neighbors need to be alerted to take precautions. This is protocol around the world when potentially dangerous predators are close to human dwellings. Yes, even in Asia and India and the Congo. No one is saying we should go shoot the thing down. But neighbors need to be aware so they can keep their small animals and children inside or in sight. To do otherwise would be absolutely irresponsible.
D8VANILLA	2012-04-26 12:33 PM
If you call someone, they will come and kill it.... Unless you call Julie DeSiena first and tell her NOT to call anyone else. but, that's only if the animal is in distress.
COMMENT 275052	2012-04-26 12:45 PM
I bet it's a lynx, or bobcat, not a mountain lion. Much hysteria is provoked by a mis-identification. I live in the Tucker's Grove area and my back yard is frequently visited by a bobcat. It is no more a threat to kids and pets than many dogs left off leash in most parks.
SMAC6590	2012-04-26 01:01 PM
I agree with the whole misidentification hysterical thing, but to call mountain lions "shy" is a bit of a misstatement. Mountain lions are the top of the food chain, and even see people as "prey." If you saw a bengal tiger in your back yard, you wouldn't hesitate to report it to somebody. Or an African lion, or a dangerous looking homeless person for that matter... A lion in your backyard in a residential neighborhood is no trivial matter of nature being nature. Better to mistakenly report a lynx than to fail to report a lion.
COMMENT 275063	2012-04-26 01:22 PM
I think that letting people know that there is a lion nearby gives them the opportunity to alter their plans if they need to. If my neighbor knew that a lion was roaming around the neighborhood and I invite all the neighbor kids over for a fun game of hide and seek, only to have one them hurt, I'd be horrified to know that someone knew and didn't say anything. We just caught a prowler in our back yard and of course I told my neighbors.. they may want to be a little more vigilant.
COMMENT 275071	2012-04-26 01:46 PM
By posting this on edhat ...in a sense you have already reported it
COMMENT 275088	2012-04-26 02:30 PM
'083 wins!
COMMENT 275098	2012-04-26 03:12 PM
SMAC is right. Mtn lions are top of the food chain and won't hesitate to attack if they are so inclined. Report it. Check out Fatal Attraction on the Animal Planet channel. Stories of people who love wild animals and think they are so great they can live with or in close proximity to them. They all end up dead like the Bear Man who lived with them in Alaska. Alpha predators are alpha for a reason.
COMMENT 275099	2012-04-26 03:13 PM
When was the last time a lion attacked a child? We are building back into the hills in there predatory areas. When you buy property back there you should accept them just like you accept the risk of fires. We are no better than any other animal, if your cat or dog gets killed it is your fault for leaving your pets out at night in that area. I like most animals more than people, they are untarnished and real.
COMMENT 275133P	2012-04-26 05:11 PM
Well there were two Mountain Lion Attacks on children in Santa Barbara County in the 90's and Tuckers Grove is not exactly the back country.
COMMENT 275171	2012-04-26 08:34 PM
This is clearly a case of misinformation. Mountain lions DO NOT come into neighbourhoods or hangout among the ferns in granny's back yard.... bobcats do. If you saw a mountain lion you'd not compare it to a kitty cat, a bobcat you would. A mountain lion makes large dogs look small so it's just not a bit big for a domestic feline, it's HUGE for a kitty. Be careful about causing panic and hysteria as people are likely to be out roaming the streets with shotguns looking to kill anything rustling in the bushes. THAT is something to be afraid of.
COMMENT 275172	2012-04-26 08:34 PM
Yeah, 941! The only comment on the board that makes any sense...Thank you.
COMMENT 275283	2012-04-27 09:43 AM
Leave It Alone, Mountain Lions don't attack people unless they are provoked or starving. If you hunt this one down and kill it there are going to be many more where that came from anyway so move if you can't handle it.
ANIMALLISTNER	2012-04-27 10:26 AM
For those who want to learn more about local lion sightings, Enjoy this sad outcome from last Tuesday this week!   Warden kills mountain lion in Sunland neighborhood April 24, 2012 | 7:14am A Department of Fish and Game warden shot and killed an 80-pound mountain lion after a resident spotted the big cat hiding in the bushes near her home. It happened in the foothills below Angeles National Forest, where resident Marlene Hitt was closing her garage door Friday afternoon when she spotted the mountain lion. "I heard a bang and looked down and saw a mountain lion run out as fast as it could," Hitt told KTLA-TV. She called 911 and when police arrived, the lion was hiding in the bushes, under a tree. "I heard five shots and I knew they had found it," Hitt said. Officers fired the shots to scare the animal and confine it to the area until Fish and Game arrived. But when wardens showed up, one of them fired the killing shot in the lion's head. "It was afraid, I'm sure, but I don't think it suffered at all," Hitt said. Officials from the California Department of Fish and Game said the warden felt shooting the animal was necessary to keep the neighborhood safe. Weeks ago, wardens used tranquilizer darts to subdue a 400-pound bear that wandered through a La Crescenta neighborhood. Fish and Game officials said that same strategy didn't make sense for the mountain lion. "Shooting an animal with the darts is not like in the movies," said Fish and Game warden Andrew Hughman. "You hit the animal, the animal becomes very agitated, very angry very quickly, and it doesn't just fall down and go to sleep, the drugs can take several minutes to activate." Meanwhile, some of Hitt's neighbors were not pleased the lion was killed. "We need these animals, if we don't have mountain lions in our local areas, we're going to have too many rabbits, too many deer, too many coyotes," said neighbor Dana Stangel. "It upsets me greatly." But other neighbors said extreme measures should be taken when a predator gets a little too close for comfort. "I'm just sorry it was forced to wander into a neighborhood," Hitt said. 2 years ago 2 Juvi lions were safely removed by Animal Rescue Team's volunteers and local Vet.... [ more ]
COMMENT 275306	2012-04-27 10:52 AM
Our foothills, mountains and back country are full of mountain lions, they are in no way endangered.
COMMENT 275307	2012-04-27 11:05 AM
DO NOT REPORT IT! LEAVE IT ALONE!!! Leave ALL wild things ALONE and steer clear. Be respectful and aware of them and they will do the same. If you call it in, they may come and kill it.
COMMENT 275335	2012-04-27 12:43 PM
Yes, full of mountain lions. You can't swing a dead deer in the back country without hitting one. I personally find them handy when I cross the Santa Ynez River as I hop from back to back without getting my feet wet. They don't seem to mind at all. Sincerely, Paul Bunyan.
COMMENT 275466	2012-04-27 08:15 PM
Don't tell the vast, variable and ever persistent government. They will definitely kill it.
COMMENT 275485P	2012-04-27 10:29 PM
yikes- edhat is being invaded by trolls! Simple question asked from a simple place. mercy.

25% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.

*** One comment was removed from this thread by the Edhat Board Nanny for violating Edhat Comments Board policy. Click Here to see it.