Predators & Prey Part II: California Mountain Lion Attacks Tot
Just a few days ago, we sponsored a lively discussion on North American predators and how to best manage them. Today, we have news from California that highlights the importance of that discussion. California has long shied away from allowing managed mountain lion hunting … and it shows in the number of attacks on humans and pets. The latest victim is a five-year-old boy, and the story sounds like something out of CSI.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed that a mountain lion shot and killed by a wildlife officer was the one responsible for injuring a five-year-old boy Thursday near Calabasas in Los Angeles County. The boy is in stable condition.
On Aug 26, 2021, approximately 10:45 a.m., a 65-lb. mountain lion attacked the boy in his front yard, inflicting wounds to his head, neck and upper torso. The boy’s mother fended off the lion by striking it multiple times. The boy’s parents transported him to a hospital where he was treated for his injuries. He remains in the hospital in stable condition.
Upon learning of the attack, CDFW’s law enforcement division immediately began an investigation both interviewing the victim’s family in the hospital and visiting the scene of the attack. During a protocol clearing of the family’s yard, the wildlife officer at the home discovered an aggressive mountain lion crouched in the corner of the property. Due to its behavior and proximity to the attack, the warden believed it was likely the attacking lion and to protect public safety shot and killed it on site.
Approximately 20 minutes after he shot the mountain lion, two more mountain lions appeared. One was a full-grown adult with a radio collar around its neck. The other was a smaller mountain lion about the same 65-lb. size as the dispatched lion. After confirming with the boy’s mother that the attacking lion did not have a collar, the wildlife officer used a non-lethal tranquilizing rifle to capture the other non-collared lion.
DNA samples from the dispatched lion, the tranquilized lion and the child were collected and sent to CDFW’s Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Sacramento. Wildlife Forensics Scientists analyzed samples from underneath the claws of the suspect lion carcass and isolated traces of human tissue and blood with a DNA profile that matched the young victim. Additionally, a full lion DNA profile was isolated from the victim’s shirt that matched the profile of the lion carcass. Results were conclusive that it was the attacking lion that was shot by the wildlife officer on scene. The second lion that was tranquilized was excluded from any profiles that would affiliate it with the attack.
After coordination with the National Park Service (NPS), the adult collared lion was identified as P-54, a female mountain lion who is part of an NPS mountain lion study. P-54 is known to have birthed cubs in October 2020 and has no known human-wildlife conflicts in her history. She was not captured and her collar reading showed she has since vacated the neighborhood.
In coordination with NPS, the non-offending tranquilized lion was collared and released in proximity to P-54 into the nearest suitable habitat.
What happens to ranchers that keep loosing cattle to the cats? CA will not let them shoot one that is attaching their cattle.
THANX James for your September 2nd comment .It says it all and millions of Country Boys like me AGREE
Great Article all the way around…not too much to freak dump people out but informative enough for protectors to leave it alone! Koodos!
The problem is when you have animal rights groups putting animals before people.
They will show “staged videos” of tame and or drugged animals. They will pet them, feed them and kiss them claiming that they are “harmless” to humans.
Mountain lions will kill a deer. What makes them think they won’t attack a human who is much weaker than a deer?
Crazyfornia banned mountain lion hunting and trapping, claiming that mountain lions were endangered species. The hunting banning groups also stopped black bear hunting also claiming that they were an endangered species.
Not only are there mountain lions,in the national forests, there are black bears, grizzly bears, wolves,
wild hogs, dangerous snakes set loose like pythons and andacondas.
Many people aren’t aware but there are people who own tigers, lions, cheetahs, jaguars. and leopards.
There are few laws about owning wild cats. One article wrote a person can go on Craig’s list or Google, and find plenty of wild cats for sale or even for free, as owners can no longer afford to take care and feed them.
Some people can’t handle big cats after they grow up from a “cute” kitten and turn them over to fish &game, or worst set them loose- in the forests. There have been report of people hearing lions roaring in forests and tigers too.
There are several “wild cat” sanctuary in the USA. The biggest is in SE Colorado where they have hundreds! of rescued lions and tigers. . Many ranchers and homeowners who live in the area are worried as all they have is a fence keeping the lions and tigers enclosed.
There have been several articles about animal groups and fish & game planing on bringing in jaguars and setting them loose in the national forests.
The hunting banning groups and the animal worshipping cults want to ban all hunting and trapping in America. So they came up with the idea of more and more predator to eat deer, elk, antelope, so people wouldn’t hunt anymore.
The gun banning groups have joined up with the hunting banning groups to ban hunting guns.
They say ” if there’s no hunting, then people don’t need “hunting guns””.
Most of these animal worshipping cults and hunting banning groups get money from rich big city women in NYC and Hollywood.
Most of the gun banning groups are run and funded by Micheal Bloomberg, George Soros, the Chinese government, the U.N.,. Russia and Mexico.
Protect and support your right to keep and own all types of firearms and accessories and to go hunting.
Don’t let animal worshipping cults and hunting banning groups and far leftist politicians to restrict and ban firearms and hunting in America.
Perhaps something like we did in Wisc. with bears might work. Hazing. Cracker rounds and dogs. Rubber shot. Make the cat associate noise, dogs, mild pain and discomfort with human habitat and activity. While we did have the 1 in 20 bears that would just get habituated to humans, and human garbage , as well as other food sources, most bears soon learn hanging around housing subdivisions or garbage dumps just is too uncomfortable or even painful.
Not saying not to remove/eliminate/kill a problem cat, just that other options might be tried before destroying the cats. Don’t forget, we moved into their homes first. Cats are just looking for easy food sources. As any predator will do. Small, quick moving, noisy creatures, such as children, will trigger the prey responses of a large cat. And from the article, it was a young, inexperienced cat that attacked.
Nicely put Buck appreciate your service and professional opinion re this topic.
Unbelievable how blind people have become . Something tells me the same people have no problem supporting “mercy” killings on the elderly.
God Bless You !
Chad, you sound like an idiot by assuming this people support “mercy killings on the elderly”.
Please go back to the whole or rock you crawled out from!
Sorry, predictors are here for a reason. Unless presenting a clear and immediate danger, leave them be. And I live blocks away from them
WE infringe on THEIR space . Better to control our population than their’s.
Where do YOU live?
When society fails to deal with apex predators, four AND two legged types, they will seek the weakest of the herd and kill with impunity. California is a failed experiment, politically and socially. I was a cop in that state for 21 years and a resident for over 40 years. We dealt with numerous lion calls. I remember one call in particular where a lion was stalking a group of children playing in the street. And unfortunately I remember copious calls about two legged predators and their victims!
The sad thing is that in our area of the east bay hills there are so many lions that game management recommends that the Dept of Fish and Game thin the population by nine to 11 animals (usually yearlings) per year. Police shoot a couple others that are usually taken while watching kids playing in school yards near Pleasanton and Danville.
Back in the late 80s I was living in north Fresno out by Woodward park if anyone is familiar with the area…and we had a mountain lion problem then!… CA needs to get with the program and start allowing the hunting of them like we do in Idaho now.