Wolf Crossing

 
   
New Mexico Department of Game and  Fish Media contact: Dan Williams, (505)  476-8004

Public contact: (505)  476-8000 dan.williams@state.nm.us 
FOR IMMEDIATE  RELEASE, JUNE 23, 2008: 
SEARCH CONTINUES  FOR LION THAT KILLED PINOS ALTOS MAN PINOS ALTOS, N.M. –

New  Mexico Department of Game and Fish officers and U.S.D.A. Wildlife Services  agents used dogs and snares this week in a continuing effort to find or  catch a mountain lion that killed and apparently ate parts of a Pinos  Altos man last week. Medical investigators confirmed Monday that Robert Nawojski, 55, died from injuries sustained in  a mountain lion attack near his home in a wooded area of Pinos Altos north  of Silver  City.

Nawojski, who  lived alone in a small mobile home, was believed to have been attacked by  the lion late Tuesday or early Wednesday last week. Searchers found his  body June 20, a day after his brother reported him missing.   It was determined that  Nawojski, who according to relatives like to bathe and shave on a rock  ledge about 60 yards from his house, was attacked just below that ledge.  The lion then apparently dragged the body a short distance, and then ate  and buried parts of it.

A Department of Game and Fish  officer initially was called to the scene Thursday night when a search  team looking for Nawojski found a mountain lion near the trailer home. The  officer shot and wounded the lion after it would not leave the yard. After  the lion ran off, the officer discovered the door to the house open, the  water running, and Nawojski’s false teeth on the  table.

Rick Winslow, the Department’s  large carnivore biologist, said fatal attacks on humans by mountain lions  are tragic and very uncommon. It has been decades since one occurred in  New  Mexico. He said such attacks typically are by  young, hungry animals looking to establish their own territory.           “Attacks by wildlife may  become more frequent as our growing population expands into the  urban-wildland interface,    ” Winslow said. “New Mexico has a healthy population of  mountain lions and people who live around them must learn to take  precautions and avoid dangerous encounters.”

Nawojski became only the  second human fatality involving a mountain lion attack in recent  New  Mexico history. In January 1974, an 8-year-old boy  from Arroyo Seco was killed by an emaciated 47-pound female lion. The boy  and his 7-year-old half brother were playing about a half-mile from their  home when they were attacked by the lion. The lion was later killed by a  neighbor. Winslow estimated there are  2,000 to 3,000 mountain lions in New  Mexico, including a population in the Silver City - Pinos Altos  area.

If you live  in lion country Here are some tips to protect  yourself, your family and pets:

•  Watch the  kids: Closely supervise children  and make sure they are home before dusk and not outside before  dawn.

 •  No hiding  places: Trim or remove vegetation  around the house, and close off open spaces beneath porches and decks so  lions won’t have places to hide.

 •  Lighting:  Install outdoor lighting so you can see a lion if one is  present.

 •  No  prey: Don’t feed wildlife,  especially deer, which are lions’ favorite  prey. If you  encounter a lion:

•  Don’t run! If you come  across a bear or a lion, stay calm and slowly back away while continuing  to face the animal and avoiding direct eye contact. Pick up small children  so they don’t panic and run, which can trigger the animals’ instinct to  chase.

•  Travel in groups: There is  strength in numbers, and most bears and lions will respect that and leave  the area.

•  Make yourself big: Hold out  your arms and spread your jacket so the bear or lion doesn’t consider you  its prey. Don’t kneel or bend over, which could trigger an attack.  

 •  Back away: If the animal has  not seen you, slowly back away while making noise so it knows you are  there. If it still approaches, stand tall, yell, rattle pots and pans or  whistle. If you are on a trail, step off on the downhill side and give the  animal room to pass.

 •  Don’t mess with mama: Never,  ever, get between a mother and her cubs or  kittens.

•  Never offer food: Offering  food to a bear is inviting it to stick around. When it’s done with your  friendly offering, it may consider having you for  dessert.

•  If you are attacked: Fight  back aggressively, using anything you can reach as a weapon.

Do not play  dead.   

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