Mountain Lion Badly Injures Calif. Woman

[ElsewheresDaughter]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=718&e=3&u=/ap/20040109/ap_on_re_us/mountain_lion_attack


LOS ANGELES - A mountain lion attacked and severely injured a bicyclist in an Orange County park and may have killed a man whose body was found nearby, authorities said.



The 2-year-old male cat, which weighed about 110 pounds, was later shot and killed, and its body was taken to a laboratory for testing, said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the California Fish and Game Department.

Anne Hjelle had been riding with a friend in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park shortly before dusk Thursday when the mountain lion attacked her, said Orange County Fire Capt. Stephen Miller.


The lion pounced on the 30-year-old's back, grabbed her by her head and began dragging her, said her friend, Debbie Nichols. Nichols said she screamed for help and grabbed Hjelle's legs in a struggle to free her.


"He dragged us down ... about 100 yards into the brush and I just kept screaming," Nichols said. "This guy would not let go. He had ahold of her face.



more..

are the mountain lions starving to death due to their food suppy being gone because of the wildfires?....are they now so hungry that they need humans?...this is so sad

[a_random_joel]

1. Jeez... Another cat thread?

I feel bad for the victims.

[NickB79]

2. So, is this the same one from yesterday, or a new one?

And if this is a new one, was it done by the same cat or two different ones?

Hmmm, methinks I'll need to bring something a bit more powerful than pepper spray if I finally get to visit the redwood forests of California.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

3. this is a new one...2/3 hrs ago it broke

[NickB79]

6. Wow, that's some pretty crappy luck

What do they say, you'd have a better chance of being hit by lightning than being attacked by a cougar? But two in a row, damn that's sad.

[n0_data]

7. I don''t think so

The description of the cat is the exact same -- 2-year-old male cat, 110 pounds. Also the description of the victims are the same.

It might be new on yahoo, but I'm pretty sure it's the same story.

Edit: Here it is

[davidinalameda]

4. it's not in the forests

it's along bike paths

just another example of animals fighting back when humans invade their territory

we push into once natural areas, deplete the resources and wonder why wild animals come into those areas

[ramapo]

5. It was a wilderness park

Sorry for the victim but animals will act like animals

[davidinalameda]

8. why the hell did anyone build a bike path

in a wilderness park

isn't that like serving up bike riders for brunch to the animals?

[JohnOneillsMemory]

9. Mtn Lions are in my area in Marin County. Gonna be a lil more cautious...

I've met folks who've seen'em in the area I go hiking in Fairfax, CA.

When I first moved out here and started hiking in the Marin headlands, I was glad to see the warning sign about mountain lions posted at the foot of the trail. Good to know that nature still exists at all.

They are nocturnal and tend to be seen around dawn or dusk. I've heard about victims in Colorado and Orange County and I'm going to be more wary in my hikes. Nasty way to die...

[David Zephyr]

10. Which is Why We Never Venture into Our Front Yard At Night.

ElsewheresDaughter, the fires did make the situation worse. Nightly we have 7 to 8 deer roaming down my street looking for food and water.

The Angeles National Forest begins at my front yard so we never, ever venture out to the front yard after midnight where all of the critters (mountain lions, bears, deer, coyotes) live and play...sometimes roughly.

Dwickham's post is correct. We humans have pushed animalkind into smaller and smaller boxes. I chose to live where I do because I truly despise city life, but to make the godalmighty dollar I live in Los Angeles County. So by day, I'm with the humans, but at night and on weekends...nature, precious and serene nature!

And if a mountain lion eats me up, well good for her or him! I hope I'm tasty when they gobble me up and hopefully the owls and snakes can join in afterwards leaving something for the smaller critters, too.

Go mountain lions!