Carson City Sheriff: Steer clear of Mountain Lion with cubs in Lakeview Area; Plus, tips on handling surprise encounter
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Sat, 09/10/2022 - 10:40am
A report of a 200 pound mountain lion mother with cubs has local law enforcement on high alert.
The lion has been spotted in the area of County Line Road over the past week, including a sighting of the lion eating a deer in one resident's yard, as well as an alleged attack between the lion and a pet dog.
"This is a mother lion with cubs," said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong. "This is a reminder to everyone that, if encountered, she could become aggressive and you should not approach, interact with, or get near the lion in any way."
Furlong said that the Nevada Department of Wildlife is currently assessing the situation, and in the meantime, he urges Carson City citizens to be on alert while in the Lakeview Area.
"Stay alert if you plan on being in the more remote areas (of Lakeview)," said Furlong. "The mama lion could be possibly aggressively if cornered. I think wildlife would say under most circumstances, the lion will still steer clear of human behaviors, but a surprise encounter could be very dangerous.”
According to the National Parks Service, here's what to do if you encounter a mountain lion:
If you see a mountain lion:
- Stay calm. Hold your ground or back away slowly. Face the lion and stand upright.
- Do not approach a lion. Never approach a mountain lion, especially one that is feeding or with kittens. Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.
- Do not run from a lion. Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal. Make eye contact. If you have small children with you, pick them up, if possible, so they don't panic and run. Although it may be awkward, pick them up without bending over or turning away from the mountain lion.
- Do not crouch down or bend over. Biologists surmise mountain lions don't recognize standing humans as prey. On the other hand, a person squatting or bending over looks a lot like a four-legged prey animal. If you're in mountain lion habitat, avoid squatting, crouching, or bending over, even when picking up children.
If the mountain lion moves in your direction or acts aggressively:
- Do all you can to appear intimidating.
- Attempt to appear larger by raising your arms and opening your jacket if you are wearing one. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly in a loud voice.
- If looking bigger doesn't scare the mountain lion off, without crouching or turning your back, start throwing stones, branches, or whatever you can reach in its direction (e.g., toward it, but not directly at it). Aim for the ground in front of it; don't throw things directly at it just yet. Think of these as warning shots. You aren't wanting to hit and unnecessarily injure the mountain lion, but you do want to show it that you can defend yourself and potentially injure it. And that will hopefully deter it from approaching any closer.
If the mountain lion continues to move in your direction:
- Start throwing things AT it. Again, your safety is more important than the mountain lion's, so you should feel free to continue to escalate the level of hostility to intimidate and scare off the mountain lion. Initially during this stage, aim for its body as accurately as you can, but avoid aiming at its head. Aiming at its head could result in the cat being blinded in one eye, which could make it more dangerous to other hikers who later visit the park. Mountain lions are very dependent upon their sight—particularly depth perception—in order to successfully hunt their natural prey. Many of the relatively few attacks by mountain lions on humans in the USA are by individuals who are injured, stressed, and/or hungry. A hungry, stressed mountain lion with only one good eye, upon observing an abundance of slow, frequently inattentive* bipeds on park trails may attack one of us humans, hoping for an easy meal. (* Put your earbuds and smart phone away and enjoy the natural quiet while you hike.)
If the mountain lion attacks you:
- Fight back! A hiker in Southern California used a rock to fend off a mountain lion that was attacking his son. Others have fought back successfully with sticks, caps, jackets, garden tools, and their bare hands. Since a mountain lion usually tries to bite the head or neck, try to remain standing and face the attacking animal. Also, if you have a backpack, try to position it to serve as body armor or a shield.
