A normally elusive predator stalked a Southern California city for a week until it struck gold in the form of a makeshift turkey coop behind a private home, officials said.
Homeowners were shocked to find a mountain lion in the shed behind their home on Saturday, April 27, the city of Hesperia posted on Facebook.
The city is located about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of San Bernardino, a suburb of Los Angeles. It is located just north of the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests.
One photo shows the mountain lion looking directly at the camera from the enclosure, with nothing but an apparently empty bag of crab food in between.
“What a beautiful cat,” someone said in a comment on the Facebook post. “(Although) it had to be terrifying to see him up close.”
Police arrived first and locked the mountain lion in the shed until a wildlife biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife showed up, Kevin Howells told McClatchy News. Howells is a human-wildlife conflict biologist for the desert region in the south of the department.
“In predator habitat, you have to secure your livestock,” he said. “It happens every day in the state of California… if there is an attractant and it is not safe within that animal’s habitat, they can and will exploit it. The mountain lion wouldn’t have gotten in if the door was locked. Securing livestock significantly reduces the risk of conflict between humans and animals.”
Howells initially decided it would be best to release the mountain lion and remove it from the home so it could find its way back to its habitat under the safe cover of darkness. But the mountain lion was so scared that officials couldn’t coax it out of the pen, he said.
Due to a report that the mountain lion might be injured, Howells and his team decided to return in the morning to sedate him and have him assessed by the department’s veterinarians.
The 110- to 120-pound adult male was healthy, so officials tagged its ear, fitted it with a GPS collar and released it in nearby suitable habitat, Howells said.
Officials believe it’s likely the same mountain lion was prowling the city earlier this week.
Hesperia officials warned residents on April 22 about mountain lion sightings in the southwest part of the city.
“While there is no cause for alarm, we urge everyone to exercise caution outdoors, especially during dawn and dusk when mountain lions are most active,” the city said on Facebook.
What should you do if you see a mountain lion?
Cougars are typically “calm, quiet and elusive,” according to the National Park Service. Although attacks involving mountain lions are rare, they are possible.
“Still, the chance of being killed or injured by a mountain lion is quite low compared to many other natural hazards,” the National Park Service said on its website. “For example, there is a much greater risk of being killed in a car accident with a deer than of being attacked by a mountain lion.”
Officials said there are a number of things you can do to prevent an encounter with a mountain lion from turning into an attack.
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Stay calm and back away slowly.
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Look at the lion and stand up straight.
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Do not approach a mountain lion, especially if it is kittens.
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Do not run. It could stimulate a mountain lion’s pursuit instinct.
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Pick up small children so they don’t panic or run away.
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Do not bend over or squat down.
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Throw things at the mountain lion if it continues to move towards you.
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When the mountain lion attacks, fight back with everything around you.
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Report all sightings, encounters or attacks to local park rangers or law enforcement authorities.
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