CA lion attack

[Emily]

from the Eureka Times-Standard
http://www.times-standard.com/news/ci_2 ... d-national

Mountain lion attack at Crescent Beach in Redwood National and State Parks
The Times-Standard
Posted: 05/10/2013 12:33:09 PM PDT
Updated: 05/10/2013 12:34:53 PM PDT



From State Parks:

At approximately 7:30 pm on Thursday May 9, 2013, an off-duty Park Ranger was attacked by a mountain lion on Crescent Beach within Redwood National and State Parks. Crescent Beach is located off Enderts Beach Road just south of Crescent City, CA. The ranger was fishing on the beach accompanied by his dog. The park ranger witnessed his dog being chased by an animal that he quickly identified as a mountain lion. He yelled at the lion as the animal approached him. The lion attacked the ranger who responded by striking it with his fishing pole and kicking the animal several times. The lion swiped at the ranger at least once, tearing his jeans, but without causing any bodily injury. The lion eventually ran off. Both the park ranger and his dog were unhurt in the attack.

The park ranger contacted California Fish and Wildlife Officers and National Park Rangers who immediately responded to the scene. Enderts Beach Road and the Nickel Creek Campground were cleared during the search for the mountain lion. Both have been re-opened to the public today. The lion was spotted hiding in driftwood near the location of the original attack around 9:00 pm and was dispatched by Fish & Wildlife Officers around 9:15 pm. The attacking animal was a sub-adult which is classified as a younger, not fully grown animal, but independent and no longer dependent on its mother. The lion carcass has been sent to the California Fish and Wildlife Forensics Lab in Sacramento

for further analysis. More details on the age, gender, size and condition of the animal will be released after further analysis.

Mountain lion sightings in Redwood National and State Parks are regularly reported by visitors and employees. Attacks on humans are extremely rare on the north coast. The only other reported mountain lion attack in the parks occurred in January 2007.

In this particular incident, the individual who was attacked responded swiftly and appropriately by not running away from the attacking mountain lion and fighting back aggressively, striking the animal with his fishing poles and kicking the animal until the mountain lion retreated.

[Al Vallejo]

I thought it was illegal to kill lions in CA?

[Emily]

Not if you're a fish cop...

[outlaw13]

There are more Mt. Lions killed in California by depridation permits than were being killed annually when California had a season.

[azhoundhunter88]

see wat happens when they close hound hunting on lions in states. good job california

[Dale T]

Fish and Game est. that when the state passed prop 117 the state had 4,000-6,000 lions and today when you look Fish and Wildlife est. California's Lion population is 4,000-6,000 lions so in the 20+ years that California has had the Lions under "special protection" and has been spending the $30,000,000.00 per year, every year for Lion habitat the population hasn't changes, best I can tell they must be spending that 30 MILLION on birth control!

[outlaw13]

One thing that is for sure is that someones pockets are getting fat on that money. I also don't believe that a proper study has been done recently to accurately portray the lion population.