Quote Originally Posted by andtckrtoo View Post
That is scary! I'll bet he had an adrenilin surge the likes of which he's never had!

Here in the Bay Area we have mountain lions as well. I would like to know when that rider was cycling as most cat attacks are early in the morning (dawn) or later in the evening (sunset). You rarely see a cat mid day.

The problem with mountain lions is that they have been federally protected for so long that they have lost their fear of humans, and they starting to over breed, forcing the younger cats into more populated areas (they have huge ranges) and to consider prey not typically considered (like pets and humans). I'm not saying that I agree with killing any that have shown up in neighborhoods, etc, but we've had a few found in trees near elementary schools in well populated areas. If you tranquilize them and move them, they simply return. I wish there was a better way to deal with the young cats.
Cougar protection is on a state by state basis; each state establishes it's own laws regarding hunting limits etc. Eastern subspecies are on the endanagered species list, western ones are not. In fact every state west of the Mississippi allows cougar hunting to some degree except for California.

The habitat encroachment issues is the real issue. There is a very interesting book The Beast in the Garden: The True Story of a Predator's Deadly Return to Suburban America that is an easy, factual read that explores all sides of the cougar issue in a balanced fashion.