As we pursue the sport we love, we often place ourselves in hazardous situations. The Santa Cruz Fly Fishermen Board supports an informative corner to sharpen our be smart and safe behaviors.
Mountain Lions - Oh My!
by Dougald Scott
Mountain Lions - Oh My!
by Dougald Scott
Okay, I'll admit right here, right now, that I've never seen a mountain lion in the wild and I'm jealous of those who have. Lately though, the sightings have been too close for comfort with the recent death of a mountain biker in Orange County and the mauling of a woman in the same area by the same lion. So why are these shy and elusive cats causing problems with humans and what can we do to avoid being human cat food for these beautiful, and necessary, predators?
The Peterson Field Guide to Mammals, third edition, claims the mountain lion, also known as puma, cougar, and panther, "is fast disappearing from the scene." This book was published in 1980 following 44 years as a "bountied predator," when hunters were paid to kill the animal (1907-1963). Their numbers continued to decline from 1969-1990 when they were considered a "game mammal."
In 1990, voters in California passed Proposition 117, the California Wildlife Protection Act, which protected mountain lions in California except when a particular animal threatens livestock or public safety.
According to Fish and Game, since 1890 there have been only 14 verified mountain lion attacks on humans in California, 9 of them since 1992, with only 5 deaths. The latest interactions seem to reflect the growing human population who bikes, hikes, camps, fishes and is now spending time in the borders between wilderness and civilization. I live in such an area in the mountains of Soquel, and much of Santa Cruz County consists of similar boundary areas. These areas draw lions because of the deer populations, a favorite food of the cat. According to Walter Boyce, director of the Wildlife Health Center of UC Davis "Mountain lions are on the increase. Human numbers are increasing. ItÕs just the odds-thereÕs a greater chance for encounters when people and animals are in greater numbers in the same place, at the same time."
Most of the mountain lion attacks have been on children. But then the woman jogger, killed in the Auburn area was 5'11" and weighed 150 pounds, about the size of the biggest male mountain lions. Mountain lions primarily hunt in the 1-1/2 hours before dusk and the 1-1/2 hours after dawn. Still, the mountain biker recently killed in Orange County had been attacked around 1:30 in the afternoon. This means that no time and no person is truly safe if a hungry or protective lion is encountered in the wild, It also means that all people who live and play in wilderness areas and the areas bounding them should begin to incorporate a new awareness into their habits.
The Department of Fish and Game makes recommendations on how to avoid mountain lions and what to do if attacked:
* Don't hike alone. Go in groups, with adults supervising children.
* Stay calm when you come upon a lion. Do not approach the lion as most will try to avoid a confrontation. Talk calmly yet firmly to it and move slowly. Give them a way to escape.
* Do not run from a lion. Running may stimulate the lion's instinct to chase. Stop or back slowly, if you can do so safely. Or stand and face the animal and try to make yourself appear bigger. Raise your arms. Open your jacket.
* Pick up your children, so they won't run. Even though it may be awkward, lift them without bending over or turning your back on the lion. A person squatting could look like four-legged prey to the creature.
* Speak in a loud voice. Throw stones, branches, whatever you can reach without crouching or turning your back.
* If attacked, fight back.
It's probably a good idea to find out if there have been mountain lion sightings in an area you are about to enter. It may also be a good idea to assume they are in many of the areas we fish and that we are being watched by a mountain lion; even if we don't see them, they see us.
I'm also still on the prowl to see a mountain lion, but hope this can be done from a safe distance with an animal who's well-fed. Who knows, maybe just sitting on my porch in the wee hours of the morning or in those hours before nightfall will garner the sighting I've been waiting for. It seems inevitable that as our human population grows and the lion population grows, we will hear more stories of mountain lions and humans.
For more information contact www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/whc/scehp/default.htm
San Jose Mercury News article by Lisa M. Krieger, "Puma-people encounters rise" 1/21/04.
Editor's note: "Area residents were urged to keep pets indoors after the third reported mountain lion sighting in the county in a week, a Fish and Game warden said. The most recent report came about 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Market Street area near the Stoney Creek condominiums just off Highway 1, not far from DeLaveaga Park, said Lt. Dennis Baldwin of the state Fish and Game Department. Two women walking a trail spotted the lion about 100 feet from them, Baldwin said. The lion walked under the deck of one of the condo units, and was later seen by two men." Santa Cruz Sentinel 2/12/04