Dear Editor,
The piece in the Times by Angela Ruggiero about my finding the deer carcass was well done.
However, the end result of my sending pictures of the carcass to friends in the community was the removal of the carcass. Precisely what I did not want. It’s my own fault. I should have realized that the photos would get to someone who would notify the authorities.
I did not authorize the forwarding of the photos by others, but I did not prohibit it either. I should not have shared the discovery with anyone in the community and I certainly will not do so in the future.
There are a number of reasons for not disturbing the carcass. A lion well fed on it’s natural prey is a less dangerous lion. It is much less likely, if it would at all, to prey on domestic animals or people, if it has experienced successful natural prey kills. The carcass would have fed the lion for at least a week based on the rate of consumption I observed. Removing the carcass means the lion will need to kill again, sooner than later.
Deer are vectors of disease bearing fleas and ticks. The more deer, the more fleas and ticks carried into people’s yards where they can on feed pets, children and adults. Deer also love to trim roses to the point of total destruction.
Lions have been spotted on El Toro and around the community quite often. El Toro is climbed by numerous hikers in groups and singly, and to my knowledge no one has even been threatened by a lion. Lions have apparently taken down sheep in the city limits. That is to be regretted, but anyone raising domestic animals ought to provide protection for them.Â
If the lion is a real threat to people, trap it and relocate it. Removing a carcass that is actively being consumed does no good at all.
Gary Borgnino, Morgan Hill
