Mountain Lion Attack in Perris

PERRIS — The mauling of a man by a mountain lion in Perris, which left him with severe bites and cuts, prompted a wildlife expert today to urge people to take precautions for their kids and pets.
The big cat’s attack was at about 8 a.m. Saturday in a homeless camp near Highway 74 at Navaho Road, close to a shopping center west of Interstate 215. That site is a brushy vacant lot surrounded by subdivisions and businesses.
“We are asking nearby residents to be aware there is a lion in the area and to be careful with their pets and children,” said Lt. Patrick Foy in a statement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The 50-year-old victim suffered puncture wounds and bite marks to the base of his skull, and other injuries that were described as severe lacerations to his neck, arms and back, Foy said.
There were no witnesses to the attack, said Dan Sforza, assistant chief with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Dispatchers received a call at 8:10 a.m. from a resident describing a bloody homeless man, outside the house and asking for help. The victim had managed to walk to the home despite his injuries, Foy said.
Arriving paramedics took the injured man to Menifee Valley Medical Center, Sforza said. The man’s name was not released, but he underwent surgery Saturday night and his condition was not immediately known, officials said.
Fish and wildfire authorities have not interviewed the man, but they think a mountain lion attacked him. Baited traps have been set up to snare the big cat, and DNA samples were collected from the man’s wounds to match with the animal if it is captured, officials said.
If found, the mountain lion will be destroyed “in the interest of public safety,” the state Department of Fish and Wildlife reported.

Another Mountain Lion

A few nights ago we caught sight of one running across Lake Mathews Drive. 
We said in unison, "Did you see that?". 

See a previous post of my meeting with a Mountain Lion a couple of years ago:
http://gavilanhills.blogspot.com/2010/09/mountain-lion.html

Mountain Lion!

Late one afternoon I came home, walked to my mailbox to retrieve my mail and suddenly realized I could hear my chickens making much more noise than

usual. They sounded strange and my instincts told me something was annoying them.  The first thought was a coyote.  My experience with coyotes has been that they usually take off as soon as they see a human.  Not thinking (boy is that descriptive) I started to walk towards the coop.  The coop is located a few hundred feet from the main house, not in direct line of sight.  I started talking to the chickens, trying to calm them down and warn them and the "coyote" that I was on my way up to check things out.  As I approached the coop I could see the chickens in a panic.  They were flying around, making lots of panicky clucking noises, not being themselves at all.  As I got closer I couldn't see what all the fuss was about, I continued talking to them and suddenly I froze in my tracks!  I was standing outside on one side of the coop and the lion was sitting outside on the other side of the coop.  The only thing separating us was some chicken wire and a couple of stressed out chickens.  While it was only line of sight about 8 feet away, the lion only had about a 12 foot walk around the coop to come get me!  At first I thought to myself, that's one large dog!  And who's dog is it way out here on my property?  All of a sudden it registered that it wasn't a mutt, it was a lion!  And I was standing there, alone, empty handed. 

The lion was gazing sedately into the coop staring at the chickens.  While of course I was shocked at what I was looking at it struck me immediately that this lion was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen.   It had a beautiful tawny colored coat.  It's fur looked smooth and soft, it's face was sweet and relaxed.  Well, I quickly came to my senses and realized I might become dinner if I didn't do something fast.  I raised my hands above my head, started jumping up and down screamed for the lion to leave.  "Get out of here! Leave!"  The lion slowly swiveled it's head and eyes off the chickens and over to me. It took one casual look at me and then it looked right back at the chickens.  It could care less what I was doing - I was no threat at all. 

This lion must have been about 90 lbs.  The males range in weight from 130 to 150 and the females from 65 to 90.  It must have been a female or an immature male.  Nose to tail they males can reach 8 ft, females can reach 7 ft.  I slowly edged away, never turning my back on it.  While we live in very rural terrain, I never expected to see a lion so close.  It's something I'll never forget.