This past week I was reading an article in the Los Angeles Times written by Steve Hymon regarding the mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains. Our property is at the top of Trancas Canyon Road and is adjacent to the Santa Monica Mountains National Park. In 1994, a very large mountain lion passed through our backyard area and then entered our vineyard where we were working.
The mountain lion stopped and sat down about 150 feet away from myself and our workers. It was very clear that it was not afraid of any humans. After about two or three minutes, while he casually looked around and scratched behind his ears, he finally got up and slowly walked along the vineyard’s main access road down to our riding arena and from there went over the side of the hill towards Trancas Creek.
We had advised the National Park Service, but they dismissed the sighting. My next sighting was brief but was of a very young mountain lion in 1995 on Yerba Buena Road.
In 1996, one of our dogs, a German shepherd was attacked. We were never certain that it was the mountain lion. However the dog had multiple bite wounds on the top of her neck and back. They were deep puncture wounds on each side of her spine. They were different from a dog bite.
Last summer, two of our Saint Bernards were killed within a few days of each other. The Saint Bernards enjoyed living within the fenced in area of the vineyards. One of the Saint Bernards was more 180 pounds, the other was about 110 pounds. Both times the lion had to jump over the vineyard’s 5-foot high perimeter chain link fence to gain access to the Saint Bernards.
The mountain lion that killed the smaller of the two dogs, not only jumped over the 5-foot-high perimeter fence, but then jumped back out of the vineyard area with the dog. Think of the power these mountain lions must have to be able to jump over a five-foot high chain link fence with a 110-pound dog in its mouth.
This time, Fish and Game and the National Park Service were notified, but no action was taken. It is clearly evident by the movement of the other wildlife in our area if there is a mountain lion nearby. When the mountain lions are in the area, the deer and coyotes are gone. When the deer and coyotes return to the area the mountain lions are gone. It is just that simple and it’s a cycle which occurs multiple times each year.
Mr. Hymon’s article raises the question, if the National Park Service has any liability if one of the mountain lions kills a $200,000 horse, but what happens when one of these lions kills a human? These mountain lions are predators and by the behavior we have witnessed they are not afraid of humans, and therefore humans are a target.
We have horses, dogs, cats and birds. We have lived in Malibu for more than a decade. We love and respect nature as well as wildlife. However, with the human population which surrounds the area that these mountain lions roam and the unsuspecting visitors of the Santa Monica National Park, these mountain lions should be moved out of the area. This is a very dangerous condition.
We are concerned that the National Park Service and the other governmental agencies will continue to monitor these mountain lions and dismiss this dangerous condition in the name of research.
Isn’t that like monitoring known terrorists but not doing anything about them because they do not believe terrorists are dangerous?
Gary Peterson