I did not really feel threatened as long as I did not move forward. The mountain lion stared me down for a moment but then went back to the deer. Were you afraid when you saw the mountain lion? I moved to the other side of the street pretty quickly. There is a mountain lion dragging the deer!” Then all of a sudden I realized the deer was moving, and I thought, “Oh, you have to be kidding me.
The reason I got as close as I did is that I saw the gentleman up ahead of me who had stopped on the side of the road with his big motorcycle and I was trying to figure out what he was doing. I pedaled around the corner and thought I saw a deer on the side of the road. I ride that same 45 mile route most Sundays, and ride by the ocean and up into the hills. I had left home that morning when it was dark but it was clearly light by then. When did you realize you were seeing a mountain lion? I had a chance this afternoon to talk with the cyclist in the photo, Danny Benson, who had the surprise of his life when he stopped to see what he thought was a dead deer on the roadside, but then realized a live mountain lion was dining on it. UPDATE: Interview with the cyclist, Danny Benson Could P23 be the mate he is looking for? (photo National Park Service) So those driving along Mulholland will have to return to being content with the views of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Hollywood sign.Īnd might this be a possible mate for P22, the “Lion King” of Griffith Park in Los Angeles? Stay tuned! “Despite the fact that this happened on our very well-known highway in L.A., it was a remote section and a very natural area (and actually NPS land).”įor now P23 appears to have finished her meal and has moved away from the area. Although the road runs through urban Los Angeles, this isn’t an unusual spot, however, to have a wildlife encounter. We’ve been following her since she was a kitten.”Īnd is it normal to see a mountain lion on this road? According to Kuykendall, this is a rare sighting and park rangers have spent their entire careers in this area and never seen one. This is one of the first kills she has made on her own. “P-23 is a young female who recently dispersed from her mom. Kate Kuykendall, a spokesperson for the National Park Service (NPS), described the lion. Mulholland Highway runs through the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area and the National Park Service biologists could easily identify the lion from her collar. If possible, throw rocks or other objects at it.A mountain lion eating a deer isn’t your usual obstacle on an urban cycling route (photo courtesy NPS/Irv Nilsen) Face the animal and make noise and wave your arms to look bigger. Do not run and do not turn your back to it, Fish and Wildlife advises. The first rule of thumb if a person comes across a mountain lion is not to approach it. Thought rare, adults have been pounced on and killed in Southern California. Fish and Wildlife officials encourage pet owners to keep their animals inside at night if living in a mountain lion habitat. They have been known to kill dogs, cats and even young kids. While deer are a mountain lion’s go-to diet, they will attack and eat other animals. He’d rather they just mosey on their way. If wildlife wanders onto his property he wants to make sure they don’t get trapped inside a fenced area. Presser keeps his backyard area unfenced for good reason, he said. He recommends a Fish and Wildlife publication the biologist provided him for residents living in mountain lion territory called “Keep Me Wild: Feeding Wildlife is Dead Wrong” at. But those cats were used to humans and Presser is the first to say mountain lions need to be respected.
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