Mountain Lions: What you need to Know
June 13, 2000
By Steve Elliott, Bee Staff Writer

SANTA NELLA - If you want a lesson in instinctive fear response, sit 10 feet away from a mountain lion in pull pursuit of a deer.

If you want to know how the cats act and why, come to a two-hour presentation today at San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area.

The training will be led by Bruce Elliott, a retired biologist with the state Department of Fish and Game. He now works with the Mountain Lion Foundation to raise awareness about issues facing lions in the state.

The focus of the session will be safety and ways to reduce conflicts between humans and lions on public lands.

"Many of our park rangers want to be able to talk about lions and lion safety in an informed way, and there really wasn't a resource," said Lynn Sadler, executive director of the foundation.

The training, Sadler said, will combine the biological science stuff with interesting facts about lions that rangers and others can tell. (Like lions can leap from the ground to a branch 16 feet in the air.)

Lion attacks are rare. According to the foundation, 13 people have been killed in cougar attacks in North America in the past 100 years. That compares with 1,3000 deaths by rattlesnakes and 4,000 by bees.

The foundation offers safety tips for people who live in or visit mountain lion territory:

• Don't feed wildlife and don’t leave pet food outside.
  
• Keep pets secure. Roaming dogs and cats are easy morsels for mountain lions.
  
• Don't approach mountain lions. Most want to avoid humans, so give them time and room to get away from you.
  
• Keep your kids close in mountain lion country, especially between dusk and dawn, when the animals hunt.
  
• Hike or camp in lion country with a companion. Never run from a lion. It triggers their prey drive. Instead, make eye contact and stand your ground. Try to make yourself look big and aggressive. Raise your arms or a jacket. Speak slowly and loudly. Throw stones and branches, if you can, without bending or turning away.
  
• If attacked, try to remain standing to protect your head and neck, and fight back. The lion is looking for a meal, not a fight.