Cougars still less dangerous than people

VIC LEIPZIG AND LOU MURRAY

When in cougar country, walk loudly and carry a really big stick.

The mountain lion attack on two Orange County mountain bikers on

Jan. 8 has provoked a lot of discussion about big cats. Our readers

enjoy mountain and foothill habitats for recreation and may be asking

themselves how safe it is to venture there now. We spend a lot of

time in areas where mountain lions roam, yet we’ve never seen one in

the wild. We think Orange County’s parks and open spaces are still

relatively safe.

Enjoying nature has always had its risks -- injuries from falling

down, severe blistering rashes from exposure to poison oak, Lyme

disease from tick bites or Hanta virus from rodent feces. People can

die from rattlesnake bites or killer bee attacks. People can simply

get lost and die of dehydration or exposure. An attack by a mountain

lion is pretty far down on the list of what is likely to harm us.

Nevertheless, when we lead birding field trips, we instruct people

on what to do in the improbable event that we see a mountain lion. We

have participants practice a defensive response by having them stand

close together, shout and wave their arms. The idea is to appear too

big and rowdy to eat. In general, cougars are fairly timid and can be

backed down. Even after a lion has seized its prey, it can still be

forced to drop the victim if confronted vigorously.

While this technique works well for groups, a solitary person who

actually gets attacked is not likely to have the time or opportunity

to use scare tactics. The reason is that mountain lions attack from

behind, taking their victims by surprise.

A group of people is not what they set their sights on. Lions tend

to choose children or small women if they’re stalking humans,

preferably someone alone. They look for someone who appears to be

helpless, like someone hunched over tying a shoe or taking a picture

of a flower. Under those circumstances, it would be too late to

appear intimidating.

We’ve been fascinated with the suggested responses to cougars that

this latest cat attack has prompted. Some people have advocated

carrying firearms into the wilderness, but firearms are illegal in

county parks. In our opinion, guns present a greater danger than

cougars.

Some have advocated carrying a whistle or pepper spray, but that

would be of potential benefit only if you were not the one attacked.

If a lion has grabbed you from behind and has your head it its mouth,

we don’t think you’re likely to be able to use pepper spray or blow a

whistle.

Our hearts go out to the friends and family of Mark Reynolds, who

was attacked and killed on Jan. 8. Accidental death is sad and

tragic, whether it occurs in the wilderness or on the freeway, but

death under such unusual and traumatic circumstances seems even more

horrid. We also extend our sympathy to Anne Hjelle and her family.

She was attacked and dragged into the bushes a few hours after the

attack on Reynolds. She survived only because of heroic actions by

her friend and two passersby, who confronted the lion and

successfully fought it off.

As more and more people move into mountain lion habitat, the

number of attacks has increased. Yet they are still exceedingly rare.

In the United States and Canada combined, there were 14 reported

attacks in the 1970s, 22 in the 1980s and 41 in the 1990s. Only 12 of

those 77 attacks were fatal. While there has been a dramatic rise in

attacks, taking a walk alone after dark in many urban areas is still

riskier than hiking in the mountains.

Hunters will probably use these recent attacks to push for

reinstatement of licenses to take cougars. They say that the cats

have become unafraid of humans because they aren’t hunted. Seems to

us that if a cat is hunted, it’s generally killed. That wouldn’t do

much to teach it to be afraid of humans.

We don’t think reinstating hunting season for lions is the way to

go. Hunting them and shooting them with rubber bullets or paint balls

might teach them to avoid humans. The lion would survive and continue

its role in the ecosystem of keeping the deer population in control

and the state could collect a $2,500 license fee. But we’re not

really in favor of this either. There is no real evidence that lions

are becoming less afraid of humans. The most likely cause of the

increased attacks is simply an increase in the number of people who

enter lion country.

Mountain lions could be hunted and darted with a tranquilizer gun,

then radio-collared and monitored. They would learn to fear humans

and science would benefit. Keeping track of their movements would

allow potentially troublesome cats to be dealt with in some

appropriate manner. But in today’s budget climate, we don’t see any

agency coming up with the funding to tag and track the half-dozen

mountain lions that call Orange County home.

So in the meantime, go into the wilderness in groups of two or

more, avoid prime lion-hunting time of dawn and dusk, carry a big

walking stick and don’t act like prey. Remember, you have far more to

fear from the acts of your fellow humans than from mountain lions.

* VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and

environmentalists. They can be reached at [email protected].