Lions in Orange County

An Adult Lion is No Tabby

California Lion Attacks

Safety Tips for Lion Encounters

MOUNTAIN LIONS LIVE IN ORANGE COUNTY AND THEY CAN BE DANGEROUS

On Thursday, January 8, 2004 at around noon, Mark Jeffrey Reynolds was doing what he loved to do best, riding his mountain bike on the beautiful mountain trails in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park when mountain lion took his life. Mark who was a member of a San Diego based cycle racing team had apparently stopped to fix his chain when he was attacked and killed. The lion consumed some internal organs and then covered the body will dirt and leaves some distance from the trail where it was not discovered until later in the day.

At around 4 PM the same lion attacked another cyclist, Anne Hjelle whose life was spared only because a friend, Deborah Nicholls and other cyclists fought the cougar with hands, feet and rocks until it retreated into forest. Hjelle was taken to a hospital where surgery was performed to repair her injuries and she is expected, according to the surgeon, "to recover nicely."

The lion was killed by authorities a couple hours later when it returned to the scene, apparently looking for Mark's body. Coincidentlly another mountain lion was killed by a car a short distance away, the same evening.

Safe is a relative term.

No animal has been more controversial in California than the mountain lion. This fierce, beautiful mammal, an icon of wildlife in the Golden State, remains a living link to our proud and rugged outdoor heritage. It inspires awe, respect and passion.

People ask me, "Is it safe to run in the mountains?" I still think it is relatively safe to run in the mountains, but we need to be careful and alert. Every year several runners and cyclists are killed by automobiles. Two years ago, one of my friends was hit from behind by a van that swerved into the bike lane and knocked him 35 feet through the air. He had to undergo two surgeries to repair the damages to his face.

Three years ago I witnessed a van blow a stop sign, cross four lanes of traffic, go up over the sidewalk in front of me, crash through a concrete block wall and end up in someone's backyard. About ten years ago I witnessed a speeding car blow a stop sign while slamming on his breaks, he went into a spin, went up onto the sidewalk crashed through a concrete, reinforced with steel, light post. The pole was severed completely and ended up on the roof of the car. Miraculously, the driver was not seriously injured, but I almost dropped a load. In both of these instances, had I been running just a little faster, I might not be typing this now.

I have been running in the mountains of California for more than 33 years. Several times I have run as far as 50 miles in a single day, all by myself. In all that time, and thousands of miles, I have only encountered two Mountain Lions and I have considered myself blessed to have seen that many. Mountain Lions are very elusive and private; so I am sure literally hundreds of Mountain Lions have crouched near the trails and watched me run by.

Do I ever worry about being killed and eaten by a mountain lion? You bet I do, when I am running alone and I hear rustling in the bushes, I often worry that it could be a lion. I combat my fears by running with a group of friends, whenever possible and carrying a stout stick when I am alone.

What if your friends or a stout stick isn't enough to save your life? I watched my mother and father die lingering deaths, my father as a result of Parkinson's Disease and my mother as a result of Cancer. Experts say a lion's kill is fast and efficient. After watching my parents and a close friend die, I know we will all die sometime and I know there are worse ways to go.

I believe mountain lions, bears and rattlesnakes have every right to live in the mountains. I love running in the mountains with them, so I will be as careful as I can be running in the mountains, but I will still run in the mountains.

The mountain lion, is the largest pure carnivore living in California. Bears are bigger, but they consume both animal and vegetable matter. Native Americans in California perceived the mountain lion as an outstanding hunter, spiritual power, threat and friend. To the Miwok Indians, the lion was the animal chief.

Mountain lions are generally secretive, solitary, cryptic and elusive. As such, most people never see them in the wild. Therefore, there is a common perception that mountain lions are scarce in California.

However, mountain lions are not uncommon members of Orange County's diverse wildlife and are generally associated with the presence of deer, their primary prey. Indeed, the abundance of deer is the best indicator for the presence of mountain lions. I have heard there are approximately 13 adult mountain lions living in the Cleveland National Forest in our county.

AN ADULT MOUNTAIN LION IS NO TABBY!

The mountain lion, also known as cougar, panther or puma, is tawny-colored with black-tipped ears and tail. Although it is smaller than a jaguar, which ranges into Mexico from Central and South America, it is one of North America's largest cats.

Adult males may be more than eight feet long, from nose to end of tail, and generally weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. Adult females can be seven feet long and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds.

One of the things I like to do as a coach is introduce my new runners to trail running in the parks and mountains of Orange County. Invariably one of them reports sighting one or more mountain lions on their runs. Having run for so many years in the territory, I know how truly rare these sightings are, so of course I am skeptical. After intensive questioning on what did you see, how big was it, what did it look like, describe it's face, describe it's body, describe it's tail, I soon learned it was either a common coyote.

I found that people who grew up in the city and had little experience with wild animals in their childhood are less than reliable witnesses when it comes to identifying the wildlife they come in contact with later in life. To illustrate my point, let me digress with a story. We have a park in Irvine, where I live called Mason Park, it has a wilderness section of perhaps 200 acres that has been left virgin, with a few trees, a lot of brush and some native grasses growing there. It is completely surrounded by houses and civilization. In 1995, while on a run through the park, I saw a bobcat carrying a fresh killed ground squirrel in its mouth. It disappeared into the underbrush. A week later the park was closed due to the sighting of a mountain lion in the park. Four months later the park was re-opened after authorities were unable to find any evidence of a mountain lions living in this miniscule park, but not before several other people stepped forward stating they had also seen a mountain lion in the park. If the dogs they use to track mountain lions can find a particular lion in one hundred square miles of forest, how long would it take such a tracker to locate a lion in 200 acres?

Baby Lions

Habitat

Home Range

Number of Young

Mortality

MOUNTAIN LION ATTACKS ON HUMANS HUMAN ATTACKS:

Since that report was published in 1991 (by Professor Paul Beier, a wildlife ecologist at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, formerly of University of California, Berkeley), there have been three documented fatal human attacks in the United States, one in Colorado and two in California.

CALIFORNIA INJURY INCIDENTS:

The first attack on record occurred on June 19, 1890 in Quartz Valley, Siskiyou County, when a seven-year-old boy was killed by two lions while playing among oak trees some distance from his home.

The next verified incident occurred on July 5, 1909 in Morgan Hill, Santa Clara County. According to published accounts a rabid lion injured a woman and a child. Both died of rabies.

No further attacks from mountain lions were verified in California between 1909 and 1986.

In March 1986, a five-year-old girl was seriously injured by a mountain lion at Caspers Regional Park in Orange County, located east of San Juan Captistrano.

In October 1986, a six-year-old boy received minor injuries resulting from a lion attack near the scene of the March incident at Caspers Regional Park, Orange County.

In March 1992, a nine-year-old boy received minor injuries when he was attacked by a mountain lion in Gaviota State Park, Santa Barbara County.

In September 1993, a 10-year-old girl received minor injuries when she was attacked by a mountain lion in Rancho Cuyamaca State Park in San Diego County.

In April 1994, Barbara Schoener, 40, was attacked and killed by a mountain lion while jogging alone on a path Auburn State Recreation Area, El Dorado County, about 45 miles northeast of Sacramento.

In August 1994, two couples staying at a remote Mendocino County cabin reported killing a mountain lion after it charged them. A fight between their dog and the mountain lion triggered their confrontation. The lion was stabbed to death. A woman was injured and a man lost a thumb in the struggle. Tests indicate the mountain lion killed in this incident was rabid.

In December 1994, Iris Kenna, 56, of San Diego was killed by a mountain lion while walking alone on a road in Rancho Cuyamaca State Park, San Diego County.

In March 1995, Scott Fike, 27, received minor injuries when he was attacked by a mountain lion while riding his bicycle alone on a bike trail at Mount Lowe in the San Gabriel Mountains (Angeles National Forest) above Altadena, Los Angeles County.

January 2004, Mark Jeffrey Reynolds, 35, was killed and partially eaten by a mountain lion while riding his bicycle on a trail in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, in Orange County. Four hours later Anne Hjelle was attacked by the same lion, but she managed to survive as a result of other cylists attacking the animal with hands, feet and rocks. Anne is expected to recover nicely. Mark is the first person known to have been killed by a mountain lion in Orange County.

Authorities speculate that with the increasing encroachment of people into mountain lion habitat, we could experience more encounters with cougars. David Fjelline, a mountain lion tracker with 25 years of experience with more than 300 lions, believes that, because lions see us more often and because of the way we posture ourselves lions are less afraid of humans, and therefore more dangerous.

"Some will tell you the Cool lion mistook Barbara Schoener (April 1994) for a deer," Fjelline said. "I don t believe it for a minute. That lion was a very experienced, efficient hunter, we know that from her kill sites. Her senses were much sharper than yours or mine she could smell, she could see. She knew four legs from two." Most lions do not attack humans.

But something that day made that woman acceptable prey to that lion. "Perhaps it was the running," Fjelline said. "Perhaps it was the size. Men are less at risk than women and children just because they re bigger. Or perhaps she'd simply gotten used to humans. You might have inadvertently contributed to that yourself. No blame but think about it. Haven't you run that path, alone, many times? How often did the same lion watch you go by?"

SAFETY TIPS FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME

If You Encounter a Mountain Lion

Do not hike alone. Go in groups, with adults supervising children.

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

Do not approach a lion. Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.

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

Do not crouch or bend over. A person squatting or bending over looks a lot like a four-legged prey animal.

Do all you can to appear larger. Raise your arms. Open your jacket if you are wearing one. 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.

Fight back if attacked. Some hikers 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.

For more information about mountain lions, please contact the Department of Fish and Game, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

In case of emergency call the DFG at 916 445-0045 (24 hours a day).

NOTE: The pictures on this site were taken and much of the material on this web page was adapted from the California Department of Fish and Game's very extensive and informative web site.