4 SIMPLE STEPS TO HELP MOUNTAIN LIONS BY KEEPING YOUR PETS AND LIVESTOCK SAFE

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Living away from the crowded cities means having your own piece of land and plenty of room for children and pets to play.  However, it also means wildlife is just outside your backdoor.  Birds and squirrels may be amusing visitors, but inviting any form of wildlife often means you are opening the door for all kinds of critters. 

The best thing to do is to keep a barrier between you and the wildlife - it benefits everyone! By doing so, you will save your pets and livestock from becoming dinner and help keep mountain lions out of trouble thereby ensuring they will not be killed for doing what comes natural to them. 

Put wildlife at a safe distance and make sure your furry loved ones are kept close and protected by following these four simple steps.

 Step 1. Bring Your Pets Indoors

Keeping your animals inside helps prevent diseases and also protects them from mountain lions, but we understand this is not always possible.  And besides, isn't part of the reason you are living away from the city is so you and your animals can have plenty of open space and not be cooped up all day?  While your pets are safer indoors (and we suggest you keep them inside whenever possible or if there has been a recent lion sighting), they are typically not at great risk from mountain lions in your yard during the day.  Lions are usually most active at night.  You will increase your pets' safety and keep them happy by simply bringing them indoors between dusk and dawn, as well as accompanying them on late night bathroom outings

If having your animals sleep inside the house is not possible... for example you have large dogs, a herd of sheep, or a goat that just snores too loudly, then secure them for the night in a fully enclosed structure like a shed, barn, or one of MLF's lion-proof small Livestock Enclosures.  For larger ranching operations where this is not an option, please see step 3 for tips on keeping free range animals safe from predators..


Step 2. Keep Mountain Lions Out of Your Yard

Compared to people living in urban areas, living in lion country increases your chance for an encounter with a mountain lion. However, just because there are lions in the area does not mean one is living in your backyard. miles or more and they spend most of their time traveling throughout their territory.

Therefore, an easy way to keep lions away is to be sure you are not attracting their natural prey - deer - to your home or garden.  The California Department of Fish and Game's A Gardener's Guide to Preventing Deer Damage has tips on which plants to grow and which ones to remove.  Brush in general is not only a fire hazard, but it can also provide comfortable hiding places for mountain lions.  So clear bushes from around your home... especially if they are the type deer like to eat, and install proper fencing to keep wildlife out and protect your garden.

Raccoons and feral cats are also common lion food, so do what you can to avoid attracting them.  Store your pet food in a secure enclosure and whenever possible feed your animals indoors.  Your garbage cans also provide a magnificent party buffet for wild animals... and it may not be long before a lion decides to crash the party and eat the guests.  The problem is your pets may also be added to that menu.  Close the buffet by securing your garbage cans.

 Livestock husbandry is often a messy business.  Just like people can't help themselves from buying that great smelling popcorn at the movie theater, mountain lions may be tempted to come into your yard for a quick and tasty meal should they catch a whiff of one.  The smell of blood from sick, injured, dead, or newborn animals usually indicates easy prey and will attract mountain lions to your property.  Clean up the source of these attractants and place vulnerable animals within a secure enclosure.  See our Animal Husbandry page for more details on how to protect breeding and injured animals.  

Step 3. Keeping Livestock Safe in Open Areas

If the size of your ranching operation does not permit you to follow the previous steps, or if you have implemented them and are still having conflicts with mountain lions, consider researching and investing in some of these additional predator aversion techniques. 

• If a covered livestock pen is not an option, you may need to build a tall fence. Mountain lions have been known to jump 15 feet vertically.
• Trained livestock-specific guard dogs are reputed to scare off mountain lions.
Timer and/or motion sensor alarms with flashing lights, loud noises and sprinklers can often frighten a predator.  Though no official studies have been conducted for these aversion techniques on mountain lions, they may work, and can also provide an added bonus of scaring other pesky neighbors who show up uninvited, learn more.
• Talk with MLF staff and other animal owners on our forum to see how they are handling similar situations.

Step 4. Now Spread the Word

After following these simple steps be sure your neighbors are taking the same precautions. While your animals may be safe, a neighbor's actions can still attract mountain lions into the area and increase everyone's chances for a conflict.

While you may understand how to live peacefully with the local wildlife, please keep in mind your neighbors may not. Their call to a government agency may result in the death of a mountain lion. Please think your actions all the way through and do what is best for your community. Help your neighbors by referring them to our website or by printing and distributing some of the brochures listed below. Invite your local 4H and FFA clubs to contact MLF for help or tips for protecting their animals.

Four ways you can help:

Donate                       Join MLF                       Volunteer                      Cougar Clippings

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Mountain Lion Foundation PO Box 1896 Sacramento, CA 95812 916-442-2666      800-319-7621 Copyright 1988-2009 www.mountainlion.org Masthead Design Courtesy of MLF Volunteer Jenny Swartzbaugh