EDITOR: With fangs that can snap a spine in a single bite, claws
like switchblades and the ability to leap 18 feet from a
standstill, the cougar is a killing machine.
– from The Beast in the Garden by David Baron.
EDITOR:
With fangs that can snap a spine in a single bite, claws like switchblades and the ability to leap 18 feet from a standstill, the cougar is a killing machine. – from The Beast in the Garden by David Baron.
Impressive statistics and ones that made me read on to learn more information, as I live in an area that has become home to at least one mountain lion and her cub.
Building a home in the Jackson Oaks area 17 years ago, we were drawn by the natural landscape and the wildlife you could often observe. It soon became apparent that the wildlife was much more abundant and “friendly” than we had expected.
However, learning to do without the beautiful plants and flowers I love (deer food), replanting landscaping that wild pigs destroy, using innovative ways to keep trash and pet food out of raccoon and other varmints’ reach, was a price we willingly paid to live in this beautiful and quiet neighborhood.
Our grandchildren could roam the property, climb oak trees and explore. Other than a few ticks, we always felt the children were safe.
Recently, we heard of mountain lion sightings in Palo Alto and then in Morgan Hill. We were still not alarmed. Surely the mountain lion is afraid of humans and wouldn’t deliberately attack one.
Then in March, our neighbors found a half-eaten deer carcass in exactly the area our grandchildren play. This is at the end of a lane and just a few feet away from homes. Later, a fawn’s carcass was found.
The city’s animal control officer, state Fish and Game warden and a county Vector Control specialist confirmed that at least one large (150-200 pound) lion and a cub had set up their lair under a redwood tree at the end of a neighbor’s driveway less than 12 feet from our lane. Bones and other remains left little to the imagination.
Recently a neighbor went looking for her dog and came upon the lion. Fortunately, she was able to safely get home. According to the experts, the lion has lost its fear of humans and in fact, don’t know the difference between a human and a deer. Deer is on the mountain lion’s food chain, so you can see where my conclusions lead me. Our neighbors can clearly hear the growls and snarls of the lions during the night.
The mountain lion has no natural predator. Since we know there are at least three lions in the area, left alone, they will continue to proliferate and need more and more food. I do not want this food to be a grandchild, neighbor or myself. We were advised on preventive measures to take to discourage the cats and they have been taken.
However, wearing a bell, carrying an air horn and pitch fork to take out garbage and keeping children in the house is not conducive to a peaceful way of life. We should not have to live in fear to garden and enjoy the outdoors as we once could.
According to statistics, 20 years ago there were approximately 2,000 cats in the Bay Area. That number has grown to 6,000 identified cats. These are not endangered species and they are growing bolder and bolder.
At the risk of offending some, I consider human life more valuable than an animal’s and I feel I am fighting for some human’s life; If not for one of my family, for someone in Morgan Hill. If nothing is done, it is only a matter of time before a citizen of Morgan Hill or a beloved pet is attacked.
As I read the Reader’s Digest article about Boulder, Colo., describing the death of a young 18-year-old jogger who was eaten and a 28-year-old young lady that was attacked by two cats while hiking in hills very similar to Jackson Oaks, I lost my sense of safety and security in the belief that if left alone, cats will not attack and they are more afraid of us than we are of them.
A week and a half after the young jogger’s death, police in Colorado Springs shot and killed a 151-pound lion as it tried to leave a porch with a cocker spaniel. Under the town’s new rules, any lion frequenting a city or town would be captured and relocated, and any lion deemed a substantial threat to public safety would be killed.
In the article, officials stated that they felt deep remorse over the death of this young man, and felt that if they had at least set some traps, this attack might never have occurred. “We might have – could have – saved a life.”
I do not want Morgan Hill officials to have to face this same tragedy. I suggest that steps be taken to capture or, if necessary, kill the three lions we know have made Jackson Oaks their home. We are in the city limits, we are citizens of Morgan Hill and we are asking for the city’s help and protection.
Ken and Carole Eoff,
Morgan Hill
