Mountain Lion "WARNING!"

MOUNTAIN LION
( "Cougar", "Puma", "Panther", "Catamount", Felis concolor)

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I received the following information from Valerie Zera, who writes the "In the Saddle" column for the Saturday issue of the Antelope Valley Press.  Valerie is also a member of the Dressage Riders of Antelope Valley, the California Dressage Society, and the Antelope Valley Unit of the Backcountry Horsemen of California.

Chuck -- I THOUGHT I heard a mountain lion roar a few days ago, when riding in the hills to the southeast of 96th St East and Cima Mesa Road.

Jon's brother in law saw a mountain lion saunter past our house about 9:30 am Sunday morning, about 30 feet to the south of the house (about 10 feet from my dog run!)

I have been seeing a lot of tracks in the area that I felt were mountain lion tracks for some time!

The dryness / scarcity of game may be causing them to come out of the mountains.  I found some info on the California Department of Fish and Game web site.  (See the links listed below)

http://www.desertusa.com/may96/du_mlion.html
This is a hot link to Mountain Lion information provided by Desert U.S.A. Magazine, an outstanding on line magazine for anyone interest in the outdoors! (Great Graphics)

http://www.kilroy.com/photographs/pumas/index.html
This is a hot link to Mountain Lion Information, "The Ultimate Predator", Great Site, don't pass this one up!  Good Information, Photographs, and Sounds!

http://gorp.com/gorp/publishers/falcon/mtn_lion.htm
This is a hot link to Mountain Lion Information, "How to Travel Safely in Mountain Lion Country", courtesy of GORP.

DO NOT HIKE ALONE:

• Go in groups, with adults supervising children.

• Observations of captured wild mountain lions reveal that the animals seem especially drawn to children. Keep children within your sight at all times.

• Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.

• Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal. Make eye contact. If you have small children with you, pick them up if possible so they don't panic and run. Although it may be awkward, pick them up without bending over or turning away from the mountain lion.

• In Nepal, a researcher studying tigers and leopards watched the big cats kill cattle and
• domestic water buffalo while ignoring humans standing nearby. He surmised that a human standing up is just not the right shape for a cat's prey. On the other hand, a person squatting or bending over looks a lot like a four legged prey animal. If you're in mountain lion country, avoid squatting, crouching or bending over, even when picking up children.

• Raise your arms.  Open your jacket if you are wearing one. Again, pick up small children. Throw stones, branches, or whatever you can reach without crouching or turning your back. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly in a loud voice. The idea is to convince the mountain lion that you are not prey and that you may be a danger to it.

• A hiker in Southern California used a rock to fend off a mountain lion that was attacking his son. Others have fought back successfully with sticks, caps, jackets, garden tools and their bare hands. Since a mountain lion usually tries to bite the head or neck, try to remain standing and face the attacking animal.