Lake County has long been known for its abundance of wildlife. Deer, bears, bobcats and other wildlife are often seen near the residential areas. One animal that appears to be on the increase are mountain lions.
Lake County has long been known for its abundance of wildlife. Deer, bears, bobcats and other wildlife are often seen near the residential areas. One animal that appears to be on the increase are mountain lions. Last year a mountain lion killed eight goats and a sheep near the Lakeside County Park. The lion was also spotted several times in the park itself.
In December a mountain lion killed several turkeys on a farm on Soda Bay Road. According to woman who owns the farm and raises turkeys the lion killed two of her turkeys and one evening she actually spotted the lion in a field near her home. She said she shined a flashlight on the lion and it jumped up into a tree. She also said that she trapped a bobcat that had been attacking her turkeys and killed it. She turned the carcass over to the local game wardens.
Mountain lions have a range of more than 30 miles and they are often spotted in the Clear Lake State Park. Two years ago a lion was spotted walking along the shoreline near Shag Rock in Clear Lake. Earlier that year a lion attacked a women’s dog in a mobile home park in Lakeport.
There have been no recent reports of attacks on humans no recorded attacks in Lake County since 1986, when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife began presenting data.
The last recorded attack — defined as physical contact — in the state came in September of 2014 in Cupertino, a non-fatal incident involving a 6-year-old boy. The most recent fatal encounter was at Whiting Ranch Regional Park in Orange County in 2004, when a lion killed a 35-year-old man. It was the first of two attacks at Whiting Ranch that year.
The deadliest year on record since 1986 tallied four attacks, two of them fatal. That was in 1994.
According to Department of Fish and Wildlife game warden Lt. Loren Freeman, mountain lions — also known as pumas or cougars — are a protected species and can only be killed if they threaten a person or livestock.
