California wildlife authorities are urging residents of a small Central California city to lock up their pets and safe livestock after a sequence of mountain lion assaults.
A number of animals have been killed within the Monterey County hamlet of Corral de Tierra, about 12 miles east of Monterey, officers stated.
Residents have stated that household canines, a miniature horse and goats have been killed over the previous couple of weeks, native tv station KSBW reported.
“I might hear rustling on our porch,” Corral de Tierra resident Michael Antle informed the tv station. “Our household canine was taken off of our porch. The next night time, the lion got here for our goat and really took the goat to the identical spot. Didn’t eat both animal, so I feel it’s out to kill.”
Antle stated the primary assault occurred Dec. 21, round 12:30 a.m.
Different residents have stated they noticed a creature lurking round.
Personnel from the California Division of Fish and Wildlife confirmed Wednesday afternoon that there had been “mountain lion conflicts” in and round Corral de Tierra.
Krysten Kellum, a division spokesperson, stated the variety of assaults within the space was unknown — as was the variety of mountain lions concerned.
She did say, nevertheless, that the assaults occurred throughout night and early-morning hours, when the predators are lively.
She additionally stated the animals that had been killed weren’t secured for the night time.
“That’s all we’re asking folks to do: Convey your canines in at night time, night time pen livestock,” she stated, referring to corralling the animals right into a securely fenced space.
In response to the assaults, the company is looking on residents to doc all encounters with mountain lions on the Division of Fish and Wildlife web site.
“It will be important that individuals report these incidents,” Kellum stated.
The division additionally advises deer-proofing property to keep away from attracting a mountain lion’s foremost meals supply, eradicating dense vegetation to scale back hiding areas, putting in outside lighting and securing animal enclosures.
If these steps don’t work, Kellum stated different choices would possibly embrace trapping and probably utilizing nonlethal projectiles, akin to paint balls, to ward off, haze and deter them.
She stated, nevertheless, the scenario in Corral de Tierra hasn’t reached that degree of severity.
“We simply need residents to undergo these processes and never give attention to potential worst-case situations,” she stated.
