spectr17
12-07-2001, 07:31 PM
Lion killed after reportedly stalking people.
Associated Press.
Dec. 06, 2001 11:05:00
FLAGSTAFF - — State game officials believe a mountain lion killed on Mount Elden was the same animal responsible for stalking at least five people during the past several months.
The female lion, which weighed between 60 and 80 pounds, was killed Wednesday after trappers used dogs to track the animal nearly to the top of the mountain.
This was the second lion Game and Fish has ordered killed because of similar behavior. The first was killed Sept. 16 after a pair of lions attacked a hiker’s dog.
Following more reports from people who said a pair of lions followed them nearly out of the woods from Mount Elden trails, officials decided to hunt and kill another one late last week.
Both times, officials used tight boundaries to describe an area to trappers where the offending lion would likely be found.
Rick Miller, a Game and Fish program manager, said tracks found by trappers Wednesday indicated the lion had likely set up shop in deer-rich territory.
“He’s basically standing in the middle of the grocery store looking at people walking by on the trail as food,” Miller said.
The final straw for the Mount Elden lion was when it used its paw to pin a dog last week on an area trail.
Officials said that based on what the department learned by studying attacks against people in California, an attack on a dog is a precursor to attacks on humans.
Wildlife managers advocate precautions for people to reduce the chance that lions will become focused on humans as food.
To begin with, people are advised to keep dogs on leashes and children close by since both are attractive to cats and vulnerable to attack.
Paul Beier, a local forestry professor who has written a review of fatal mountain lion attacks, said he would like people to think about what they’re doing before they take pets into the woods.
Associated Press.
Dec. 06, 2001 11:05:00
FLAGSTAFF - — State game officials believe a mountain lion killed on Mount Elden was the same animal responsible for stalking at least five people during the past several months.
The female lion, which weighed between 60 and 80 pounds, was killed Wednesday after trappers used dogs to track the animal nearly to the top of the mountain.
This was the second lion Game and Fish has ordered killed because of similar behavior. The first was killed Sept. 16 after a pair of lions attacked a hiker’s dog.
Following more reports from people who said a pair of lions followed them nearly out of the woods from Mount Elden trails, officials decided to hunt and kill another one late last week.
Both times, officials used tight boundaries to describe an area to trappers where the offending lion would likely be found.
Rick Miller, a Game and Fish program manager, said tracks found by trappers Wednesday indicated the lion had likely set up shop in deer-rich territory.
“He’s basically standing in the middle of the grocery store looking at people walking by on the trail as food,” Miller said.
The final straw for the Mount Elden lion was when it used its paw to pin a dog last week on an area trail.
Officials said that based on what the department learned by studying attacks against people in California, an attack on a dog is a precursor to attacks on humans.
Wildlife managers advocate precautions for people to reduce the chance that lions will become focused on humans as food.
To begin with, people are advised to keep dogs on leashes and children close by since both are attractive to cats and vulnerable to attack.
Paul Beier, a local forestry professor who has written a review of fatal mountain lion attacks, said he would like people to think about what they’re doing before they take pets into the woods.