Mountian Lion Attack!!!

[grannydea]

Oh my God.
I just read this in the news about bicyclists attacked by a mountian lion in California. Does anyone know this gal Anne Hjelle or her friend Debbie Nichols who was with her and how Anne is doing? They were apparently riding in an orange county park.

[Shimpie]

Really scary :eek:

Check out this link.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20040109-1706-mountainlionattack.html

I had every intention of biking/botanizing at Whiting Ranch this Saturday too. I'm not so sure anymore. I've always been aware of mountain lions out there. I see their tracks all the time. A mountain lion attack is sometimes in the back of my mind when I bend down to look at a plant (mountain lions know you're most vulnerable crouched down). However, it's the last thing on my mind when I'm riding. That must have been one super bold cat to take down not one but two humans, and one on a moving bike!

The appearance of more mountain lions in Orange County only makes sense. The extensive wildfires in LA County to the north and in San Diego County to the south would have squeezed the cats right into the middle. More cats per acre means less food. An attack on a human was almost inevitable. :(

-Shimpie

[kpc]

Apparently mountain lions are skittish any contact with humans is rare. So, I'm thinking this animal was crazed or desparate. Do mountain lions get rabies?
But I do feel very bad for the victims. How horrible.

[Irulan]

apparently they are getting bolder as they get accustomed to humans being in what was once thier domain. The meshing of the what was once wilderness with habiations. NPR did a really interesting interview with a guy who has been studying this, here's the link, you'll need to listen to the audio file.
NPR interview with biologist (http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1580004)

Irulan

[bikerchick68]

my understanding of what happened is that a male cyclist had a mechanical problem and stopped... got off his bike and was squatting down to try to fix whatever went wrong... (I believe he was part of Chris Carmichaels mechanic team) anyone, by squatting he appeared very small and the lion attacked and killed him... the recent fires have severly depleted the lions normal food supply... so the lion dragged him off and half buried him as tehy do... when the 2 females rode by the same spot the lion attacked looking to protect it's meal... a natural instinct.

IF you ever encounter a mtn lion (rare but obviously happens) get off your bike and hold it over your head... the bigger you appear the less likely the cat is to attack... also yell and make lots of noise while holding and shaking the bike... the bad news is if you try to race the lion, you will lose. So make a stand and appear BIG!