The mountain lion, also called the cougar or puma, is native to Southern California, including the high desert, and throughout most of the United States.
A cougar is an opportunistic hunter. His preferred diet is deer, but may also consist of bighorn sheep, squirrels, skunks, rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, fox, livestock, poultry, dogs, cats, and even porcupines.
Like all species of predatory wildlife, cougars do not differentiate, prey is prey. Cougars are stealth, strong, and formidable hunters, and are at the top of the food chain in California, but they don’t know that, they’re just another species of wildlife native to our region. When we choose to move into mountain lion territory, just as is the case with coyotes and other predatory species, this is what we have signed up for, and we need to take appropriate precautionary steps, just in case.
Mountain lions became protected in California in 1990 with the passing of Proposition 117, the California Wildlife Protection Act. Only problem mountain lions may be taken, and only with a permit. Seeing a mountain lion in your community is not an emergency, but obtaining a photo, and contacting CDFW with your photo to inform them of the sighting may be helpful. CDFW does not come out due to a sighting. Consider yourself lucky to be one of the very few people who actually gets to see a mountain lion!
No one may cause harm to a cougar simply because it is seen, even on your own property. Doing so is illegal, and carries stiff penalties. Many mountain lion reports turn out to be coyotes, bobcats, or light-colored, large dogs.
If you have seen a mountain lion prowling around your property, keep all pets, children, and yourself indoors. They are normally only passing through, and have very large home ranges. Before you know it, they’re normally gone. Attacks on humans are VERY rare. If you enjoy the outdoors, chances are you have been close to a mountain lion without ever knowing it.
If you catch a mountain lion in the act of attacking your livestock on your own property, you do have the legal right to protect your livestock. Should you have to take matters into your own hands, place the weapon on the ground at the site, do not disturb deceased livestock, the cougar, or even the soil (this includes leaving your footprints, etc.) and contact CDFW immediately. Fortunately, such incidents are extremely rare in our region. Always remember, firearm ordinances must be adhered to based on your location.
If you have lost livestock or pets (on your own property only) and can provide evidence that a mountain lion is responsible, contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at 916.358.2900 immediately. If you have had an animal attacked and killed, do not move the animal and try to avoid stepping on tracks or areas of soil disturbance. You may be able to obtain a depredation permit, issued by the Department. If you are issued a permit, we can then assist you in removing the problem cougar. Please alert us to the problem at 760.961.5980. We cannot obtain a permit for you, the permit must be issued to the landowner or tenant after CDFW investigation and determination.
If you do encounter a mountain lion, whether you’re on your own property or elsewhere, here are some helpful tips.
What To Do if You Encounter A Mountain Lion
The best way to avoid encounters with mountain lions on your own land is to make certain that you, as well as all of your neighbors, follow all of the “Keep Me Wild” guidelines below. This includes keeping dogs from roaming. Keep your pets indoors, especially at night, install motion sensor lighting close to your home or barn (not constant lighting), and keep all poultry and livestock, especially small to medium-sized livestock housed safely, especially at night. Do not permit rodent populations to escalate in rural regions, they are a prey source for several local species, all of which a mountain lion may consider a potential prey source.
Preparedness on your part is often the difference in whether a predator (dog, coyote, bobcat, owl, hawk, or mountain lion) passes by your home because nothing grabs their attention, or are attracted to something viewed as prey.
Children should always be supervised when outdoors, regardless of where we choose to live.
Excerpt from Outdoor Magazine: California Dept. of Fish & Game: May, 2012
HOW SAFE ARE HUMANS WHEN LIONS ARE CLOSE BY?
“DFG does not consider mountain lion sightings near human habitation a public safety concern as long as the lion is not exhibiting aggressive behavior towards people. Mountain lions occur most anywhere you can find their primary prey, which is deer. As you likely know, deer not only live in remote forests, but also in green belts, parkways and riparian corridors along rivers. As such, mountain lion sightings in these areas are not uncommon, and DFG receives numerous reports of lions in these settings every month. Mountain lions are considered beneficial in these settings as they maintain healthy deer herds by keeping their populations in check.
DFG has scientific evidence that mountain lions inhabiting areas close to humans are no real cause for concern. We have either conducted or been associated with mountain lion studies that have monitored their movements in such areas. We typically capture mountain lions and place a radio collar on them in order to track their movements. The information gleaned from these collars has provided some illuminating results. They have indicated that mountain lions regularly use such areas more frequently than we have previously thought, and that these lions generally attempt to stay away from people.
For example, in Southern California, university researchers have placed collars on these big cats in a heavily used park. They also placed trail loggers and remotely triggered cameras along popular trails to estimate human use. Surprisingly, the results indicated that some lions were mere feet away from people who were unaware of the lion’s presence. During the course of this study, no reports of aggressive lion behaviors were ever reported to the researchers or park personnel.”
For a more detailed brochure that you can print, click here: Mountain Lion Brochure
High Desert Wildife Trapping Mountain Lion Control