SOCIAL MEDIA


Update on Mountain Lion

Thursday, April 5, 2012
Our neighbor who had the cow killed by the Mountain Lion stopped by this morning.  Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife came right out to the location with a tracker who had dogs.  Within two hours, the dogs tracked that lion and it was killed. The Mountain Lion was a very large male, 177 lbs. They determined by it's size, teeth, and ripped up ears (from many fights) and it was a fully adult animal. It was thought that this animal was the one that killed a large Mule (16 hands) about 3 years ago, at the same location.


My personal view on our local problem is two fold: 1. The proximity of large numbers of Elk (250+) as a main food source, that live right here. 2. The large number of Mountain Lions are pushing into areas previously avoided, such as heavy human activity. Mountain Lions are primarily a nocturnal hunter and avoid being seen most of the time (not that they do not hunt during daylight). They are very stealthy and hide very well, they can climb a tree quickly and quietly.   


There are many Mountain Lions in this state because of laws enacted about 20 years ago, restricting hunting. This is not a rare occurrence here. I just read last week that a suburban area had 6 removed.


The Mountain Lions that come into human areas are truly a danger, to us, especially children, pets, and our livestock.