Information from PA on Lion Attack (what is wrong with this picture?)
Jun 23rd, 2008 by admin
Fact. In February a lion took a housecat sunning itself on a ledge, ignored its owners who were sitting closeby.
Fact. In the spring a neighbor complained that the man across the road was feeding raw chicken to a mountain lion.
Fact. June 12. A couple walking their dog saw the lion behind a barbed wire fence on the alleged feeder’s property. Lion hissed and laid back its ears, telling them not to come closer.
Fact. June 13. Same couple were stalked and followed home by same lion who them at same place. They call Game & Fish, who say there will always be a lion in this area.
June 17. People across the road from us see the lion foraging in their trash can.
Fact. June 18. Couple wake up to find the lion on their deck. Husband shoots over lion’s head with a shotgun. Call Game & Fish, who tell him next time to shoot to kill.
Fact. June 18, an hour later. Man who was stalked meets lion on his morning walk. Shoots at lion with beanbag pellet, may have hit it in the flank.
Fact. June 18. Neighborhood (all nine houses strung out on a couple of miles of rough dirt road) buzzing about lion sightings.
Fact. June 18. Several calls to Game & Fish, who say they need proof the animal is dangerous and, what’s more, they’re going on vacation.
Fact. June 18. Maybe a mile and a half across very rough terrain a man is taken by lion.
Fact. June 19. Man missing, brother calls Search and Rescue who see lion, call Game & Fish. Shoot at lion, hit it but very brief blood trail.
Fact. June 20. Find body of missing man about 80 yards from house wedged between rock and tree. Partially eaten. Autopsy shows puncture marks on his neck and shoulders. Cause of death confirmed as a lion attack.
Now Game and Fish and Wildlife services are forced to hunt a man killing mountain lion in the heat of summer with dogs not a good situation.
May I point out that while most of our state wildlife people are terriffic there is a definite push to put wildlife over people and far too much top down decisionmaking. I don’t know if this is one of those situations. But I do suspect there was no reason for this poor defenseless handicapped man to have been repeatedly placed at such terrible risk nor anyone else in that community. When the lion is caught we will post it here. Until then lets all just hope and pray poor Robert was the last victim.
Some may think that a lion attack has nothing to do with the wolf reintroduction program. However, in as much as the afore mentioned lion and the wolf are managed by the same agency, it raises interesting questions regarding “management” by NMGF.
If you recall, there has been a regular witch hunt conducted by NMGF against ranchers regarding the “baiting’ of wolves. When in fact they were doing nothing more than carrying out normal ranching operations. Will there be such an investigation of the individual who allegedly had been feeding the offending lion raw chicken Thereby habituating it to a human/food mind set? Possibly setting the stage for a mans death? What do you think? I’m guessin’ not.
NMFG was repeatedly informed as to the lions activity and whereabouts over a period of months. NMFG took no action.
IS this not the same sort of ineptitude and foot dragging we have seen in regard to reported wolf kills and sightings?
NMFG tells a resident to kill the lion, then when MNFG is put in a position to do the same, they botch the job.
Much like with the wolf program. The onus falls on the local resident. The only diffrence being that the wolf gets a free pass. The lion gets dead.