Mountain Lion Sighting Twice This Week
My father-in-law spotted a mountain lion at Reino & Play Del Rey near the north end of Lake Chesbro on both Mon July 7 and Tue July 8 between 6:30-7:00am. The lion is approximately four feet long nose to tail. He appears to be a juvenile.
My father-in-law spotted the lion from our back porch which backs up to Reino. He and the cat had eye contact as the cat slowly made his way down the hill behind our house. He appeared to be foraging for food as he was pawing at and looking around on the ground. It took him about 20 minutes to walk down a reasonably short hill. As the cat jumped from the hill onto Reino street above our deck, my father-in-law slowly walked sideways toward our back door and went inside. The cat continued down Reino toward Camino Del Lago into our neighborhood.
On Tuesday morning at the same time, my father-in-law took three pictures of (assumingly) the same cat walking the same path as Monday morning. Security was notified on both occasions and digital photos were emailed for them to be forwarded to the biologist at the Dept of Fish & Game.
Everyone please be careful!
After posting, Michelle sent along these photos, taken by her father-in-law. Each photo is cropped from a much larger picture.
From last March, see a story and a couple of dozen member comments after a mountain lion was spotted in a Murieta neighborhood.
Actually Bobcats have a very short stubby tail, probably 6" at the most.
http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=41
My in-laws saw a mountain lion again tonight (Wed) around 7:30pm and have more pictures which we will likely post tomorrow some time. I wasn't home to see the lion, but in the new pictures, the cat looks a lot bigger than in the previous pictures. My father-in-law believes it's possibly a different cat altogether. One picture is of the cat silhouetted against the sky at the top of the hill that's a pretty good distance from where he took the picture and if you know the distance, you'll agree it's a large cat! This time the lion was walking back UP the hill he had come DOWN on Mon and Tue mornings. Just like in the morning, he leisurely walked the length of the hill, taking about 20 minutes to get to the top. At one point, he even laid down in the grass for a while. We have a picture of this. If this is the same cat, I have to wonder if he's spending the entire day in our neighborhood, going down the hill and into the neighborhood in the morning and up the hill and out of the neighborhood in the evening. If it's a different cat (which we believe it is due to the difference in size), the color is the same and since the first and second sighting appeared to be a juvenile, this could be it's mother. At today's sighting, two of our neighbors also saw the lion from their golf cart and two security vehicles followed the lion at the top of Camino Del Lago out toward Lake Calero. That brings the total to 6 people (that I know of) who have seen this cat(s). I called security tonight to see if I could find out what security found, if anything, and was told by dispatch "From what I heard, it's not a lion. It's a cat." I assure you and both of my in-laws will attest that this is absolutely 100% NOT a domestic cat. While the lion seen Mon and Tue mornings was relatively small (about 4 -5 feet across from nose to tail), the lion sighted tonight was bigger than that. This "cat" is large! There is not doubt in my mind that this is a mountain lion. For the record, I am posting this information because I feel I have a duty to inform my neighbors and those who walk to the back lakes that there is a possible danger. I pray nothing comes of this cat or any cat's presence in our community. That said, if something were to happen I would not be able to sleep at night knowing I didn't do everything in my power to provide some level of warning.
The top picture looks more like a mountain lion. I think the bottom two look different and look like a house cat, but I am not convinced it is a housecat. I understand these pictures were reduced for .com.
I have read many articles regarding the fish and game and mountain lions. I am sure fish and game will do anything to help, but I am curious what fish and game is doing about these sightings? Have they responded to our community yet? What was fish and game's response regarding these pictures? Remember, these lions will sit in trees where you can't see them. This may be where they are during the day.
Since a few people have seen this lion a couple times this past week, then we should take some safety measures immediately.
I believe you that it is a big cat of some type. The only thing I question is a Mt. Lion has a really long tail that actually can drag on the ground a bit. But maybe a juveniles tail hasn't grown out enough yet??
There's a cool video of a Mountain Lion walking and laying around on this website:
http://www.desertusa.com/video_pages/m_lion_movie.html
http://www.desertusa.com/may96/du_mlion.html
If I didn't know the person reporting these lion sightings and all I had to view as evidence was these pictures, I too would question that perhaps this was a housecat. If a person were standing on the hill in the picture, could you tell how tall they were without something familiar beside them to provide a point of relative size? Please know that my in-laws both saw this cat or cats with their own eyes from a distance between 25' to 300' away. They are not ones to mistake a housecat or even a feral cat as a large wild animal. My father-in-law is 6'2" tall and when this cougar jumped from the hill onto Reino street which is 25' above our back deck, he told me his adrenaline was flowing and he questioned whether he could get to the back door quickly enough if this large cat decided to run and pounce on him. Do you really believe a grown man would have such a visceral experience from 25' away if this were a housecat or even a feral cat? As for us living in the "cat's" domain, I couldn't agree with you more. I absolutely respect that we are sharing the land with these animals and they were here first. I wouldn't want any harm to come to this animal or animals. That said, these 3 sightings this week have made the simple task of retrieving my mail unnerving! I haven't mowed the lawn because my 3 1/2 year old son usually plays on the driveway while I mow, edge and weed, and I'm not comfortable with him being that far away from me with this possible danger present. These sightings have changed my lifestyle for the time being. I usually go on walks in the morning or late afternoon and honestly, I'm just too rattled. I would not be opposed to relocating this wild cat to a place farther in the hills where he can find food to eat without potentially endangering the relatively large number of residents and pets that live in our neighborhood. The Dept of Fish & Game sent a letter to several residences who contacted them following the lion sighting in May and we have a PDF of that letter. I believe I will cut and paste it into a separate forum posting for anyone who would be interested in seeing it. I also plan to contact the two names with phone numbers presented on their letter to ensure their awareness of our 3 sightings this week and to share our photographs.In the meantime, I'd like to share some tips for lion safety found on the website that Beth recommended:
- How to reduce the chances of an attack when encountering a Mountain Lion:
- Avoid hiking alone, especially between dusk and dawn, when lions normally do their hunting. Make plenty of noise while you hike so as to reduce the chances of surprising a lion.
- Always keep children in sight while hiking and within arm's reach in areas that can conceal a lion. Mountain Lions seem to be drawn to children.
- Hike with a good walking stick; this can be useful in warding off a lion.
How to reduce the chances of an attack when encountering a Mountain Lion:
- Do not approach a lion, especially if it is feeding or with its young. Most lions will avoid confrontation. Give them a way to escape.
- Stay calm and face the lion. Do not run because this may trigger the lion's instinct to attack. Try to appear larger by raising your hands.
- Pick up small children so they don't panic and run. This will also make you appear larger. Avoid bending over or crouching.
- If the lion acts aggressively, throw rocks, branches, or whatever can be obtained without turning your back or bending over.
- Fight back if attacked. Since a mountain lion usually tries to bite the head or neck, try to remain standing and face the attacking animal. People have successfully fought back with rocks, sticks, or bare hands.
Everyone please stay aware and safe!
Here is a letter received from the Dept of Fish & Game regarding the mountain lion sighting in May. It has some good information about mountain lion behavior and precautions we can take to keep ourselves safe.
They're back! Ryan, way bad to rouse fictitious Chupacabra (or Bigfoot?) sighting. And twice with same posting? Thought you were a computer whiz. Seriously the cat critter(s) are nearby preying for food as they should, and Murieta as a "circled wagons" enclave in their open rural territory is ripe. An abundance of new fawns harbored here is easy bounty. Can corroborate Michelle's concerns: a "cat" as depicted in pic#1 came stalking through our Murieta perimeter barbed wire fence on mid-Puerto late 06 July. Two fawns had been nesting between our, and our neighbors house to that time. After that Sunday, one, and now both fawns have "disappeared". So just be careful out there. P.S., new/day-old fawn just appeared 10 Jul alongside our house; hope we/its mom can give it chance for survival.
Hi Terry. Firstly I am SHOCKED that you think there is anything ficticious about The Chupacabra. I happen to know for a fact that "The Chupa" is alive and well and is hungry for RM blood.
The next thing you will be telling us is that Communism, No Nukes, Drugs, and Terrorism are all some strange social control mechanism?
Secondly, no...I know nothing about computers...never have, never will.
Beware of The Chupa 
I run around both back lakes several mornings a week and have encountered several coyotes and a couple of bobcats (one at the tennis courts). I have always shouted and clapped my hands loudly at them until they went on their way. My hope for the next person who sees this lion is to (instead of watching it for 20 minutes!) make as much noise as possible to scare it back into the woods. Otherwise, you are basically saying "welcome to the neighborhood, come and go as you please". Yes, I know they were here first but, there is PLENTY of uninhabited space for them to roam and they need to be shown again and again that they are not welcome in the neighborhood. Let's all try to keep our streets as safe as possible. Thanks!
I think that makes perfect sense. Thanks for the idea, Jerri! I should mention that there have been no additional sightings since Wed night. On Thursday morning, we had a family of turkeys roosting on our back patio railings, and it was then that I realized I hadn't seen any wildlife (except the cat) for the past 3 days! Since Thursday morning, I've seen turkeys, deer, skunk, and raccoons. In other words, I think the mountain lion has left the area. The other animals feel safe enough to return, and I have felt much more at ease myself. Thank goodness!
Ryan, apparently computer illiterate "cat" Chupa has been satiated on RM blood for just now, as no further sightings nor "noise" reported. Sadly, also all the new fawns we witnessed have likewise disappeared. Any connection? Haven't yet consulted Snopes legends vis-a-vis feline version of "known" canine Chupacabra. Seriously folks, all have posted good comments on the danger, just be on guard; Safety and suggested precautions against predators are always prudent.
Did anyone see yesterday's interview on Good Morning America of a 5 year boy that was attacked by a Mt. Lion while hiking on a trail with his family. Click below for complete story.
This dispels two ideas that Fish and Game continues to recite. One, Mt. Lions are shy and normally do not attack humans and two, hike in groups to prevent an attack. As we hear more and more about these attacks I think F&G needs to update their Mt. Lion profile.
Father Saves Son From Wildcat Mauling http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5416030&page=1
This morning while finishing the 9th hole on the South Course our group spotted a rather large Bobcat behind the green going from the river side toward the rocks on the right. It dissappeared behind the rocks into the brush. It was only visable for 10-20 seconds but it definately was not a house cat.
Steve Mobley, necessary to hijack your UFO thread from that other blog due to OPSEC considerations. Too many eavesdroppers over there sniffing at this vital Homeland Murieta Security issue. After all, loose lips sink ships! and a much more conservative, less talkative audience resides in this venue. You posted this picture, captioned the UFO was observed hovering briefly in Hanson’s mid-Puerto backyard, and headed towards RanchHQ off Latrobe.
Well yeah, by definition a UFO is just that, an Unidentified Flying Object, and becomes just another normal Flying Object, once identified by sane people. Fortunately the Navy was on this all along and had it identified and tracked as just another feeble attempt by the earlier reported Chupacabra (goat sucker), aka disguised Sac-Squatch Ryan, to suck more RM blood, maybe this time from Ranch’s or Jonah’s errant cows in undeveloped RM lands, since no goats here. We confirmed with Snopes that no, it’s not Squatch’s cousins Yetti, Chupacabra, Big Foot, nor Abominable Snowguy, since they are not licensed to fly. Its Squatch alright, seen earlier chilling in his winter lair in a Sac brewery, confirmed with this finding in the wreckage.
Of note, the kids you related, who called for help and were blown-off by RMA and CSD, thought it was a flying cowpie. Also, that cowpie is not to be confused with the fresh cowpies tossed into the middle of BODs’ deliberations, such as on cable or security issues, which naturally no one wants to touch. So when they then called U.S. Air Force, responsible for the North Murieta no-fly zone, naturally USAF ground troops reported GOA, gone on arrival, when they later showed up. USAF couldn’t get airborne for a timely intercept, since SecDef Gates temporarily grounded them due to some minor annoyances, something to do with handling pesky nukes, I believe. Naval Air had intercepted these kids calls, and immediately responded with Tactical Aircraft located at the Murieta Airport, ironically based here to protect the Middle Murieta no-fly zone, and with Marklin responsible for monitoring the Southern no-fly zone, near the airport. Thus the need for the OPSEC in keeping this quiet.
The Rules of Engagement, ROEs, necessitated clearance to fire on Squatch’s craft, from higher authority. So Navy Air immediately contacted the self-proclaimed dream team Commander-in-Chief, The Abominable Changer (no link with steady-as-she-goes Snowguy) and his side-kick dual CINC Hillarious. They in turn consulted with their top military advisor, generally weasel clark, who said “take no POWs, this looks like another Waco”.
It was a Murietas Turkey Shoot with obvious results.
This photo, taken by that same Navy TacAir fighter in a multi-mission Bomb Damage Assessment, BDA role (SSD Air was likewise unavailable), is all that remains of Squatch’s craft, downed on Latrobe road, fortunately short of its mission obviously on RanchHQ. Just as Squatch Ryan admitted, he is not very technically savvy, as can be witnessed by the materials he used in its construction. Squatch escaped legitimate detainment by Security, as the USAF reported, GOA, so he’s back afoot, where he can be much more treacherous than in the air, probably lurking across the river in the South. And Navy Air is on top of that. If any expert photo analysts probe our TacAir fighter photo , they will see the Yellow Bridge in the distance, over the canopy. Local Navy Air, being experts in interdicting lines of communication, is considering “dropping the bridge”, if Squatch shows signs of attempting a river crossing over that chokepoint. This would obviously be coordinated with RMA, CSD Security, RMCC, FOC counselor Wilbur (for POW tribunal habeas corpus legal stuff)… and RMDCCC for environmental concerns. Navy subs also have that other nasty endangered creature Nessie, stealthily contained in the river and out of the kids’ swimming pool at Clementia lake. So rest assured, there is already much more behind the scenes activity in keeping Murieta safe and secure. The status quo looks good. So… Mobley for CSD Board- Preserve Murieta!
T. Hanson, Naval Aviator Extraordinare
Hey Michelle, maybe you should go stand next to the cat so we can have a size comparison...LOL JUST KIDDING!!!!
I saw one out there in Feb/march when I was getting my family pic's done... Thanks for the heads up and stay safe, thats really scary to have them in your yard like that.
Thank you :)
Joined: 2007-09-02