Mountain Lion Loose in Northern California Community

[C0RI0LANUS]

The mountain lion was initially spotted on Auburn Folsom Road and Eagles Nest, the Auburn Police Department said before posting screenshots of surveillance footage of the cougar. The Department of Fish and Wildlife was notified and residents who encounter the cat should call 911 or Fish and Wildlife officials at 916-358-2917.

Mountain lion sightings have grown in prominence since a deadly attack on two brothers last spring near Georgetown in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Facebook pages have been created to report mountain lion sightings in California. This sighting came nearly three weeks after a mountain lion was spotted in downtown Vacaville on 17 Aug.

Experts say mountain lions rarely attack people and they often try to avoid human interaction. The attack last spring was the state’s fourth that resulted in a death of the 21 known attacks since records started being kept in 1986.

Two isolated mountain lion populations in southern California’s Santa Ana and Santa Monica Mountains are at risk of local extinction, perhaps as soon as within 50 years, according to a study published in the journal Ecological Applications.

The study showed the extinction risk is due to low genetic diversity and mortality that affects the stability of the population. Mountain lion mortality is often caused by humans, but can also result from changes in the environment, such as wildfire and fluctuations in prey density.

Sources:

Mountain lion spotted in Auburn, according to police | Fresno Bee

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/local-extinction-southern-california-mountain-lions-possible-within-50-years

[hlthe2b]

1. Colorado and other Mountain communities see them (esp on their cameras after dark) all the time...

The attack on the young boy was distant from this area, but this video gives the impression of "rampaging" mountain lions. We are in THEIR territory and generally, the interactions are limited and nonconfrontational. But hysteric videos (just as those targeted at wolves for many decades) lead to the alternate impression and sadly, stir up those who want to just eradicate these beautiful animals.

Please have some perspective when you watch these tv news-sensationalized-for-ratings videos. Titles like "Mountain Lion LOOSE in Northern California Community" are hyperbolic. Of course, they are loose and in the area. They are wild animals in THEIR historic habitat--just as they are only a few dozen miles from ME.

[C0RI0LANUS]

2. Thank you for the info. I hope no one hurts the hungry mountain lion.