Living Among Lions on the San Francisco Peninsula

November 2, 2011 at 12:09 pm · Filed under Land Protection, Land Stewardship, Mountain Lions, Native species, Windy Hill OSP

Via Wikimedia Commons

A map of mountain lion sightings in residential areas in the San Jose Mercury News suggests that the cats are coming from the greenbelt of open spaces on the west side of Highway 280 — which includes several POST-protected parcels. One puma was spotted in Windy Hill. (POST Conservation Project Manager Abigail Adams also recently spotted a paw print on a POST easement near San Gregorio.)

That’s a good thing. More open spaces, along with a ban on hunting in California, are beginning to boost the predators’ numbers. Officials estimate there are 6,000 of them in the state.

Admittedly, it’s scary to spot a mountain lion on your block or to find one napping in your tree. But you are more likely to be killed by a deer than by a mountain lion, according to Zara McDonald of the Felidae Conservation Fund. The cats, by predilection, avoid humans whenever they can. In fact, some trackers have found evidence that humans have come within 50 feet of a mountain lion without ever knowing it was there.

When a puma ends up on Alpine Road, it’s probably looking for a mountainous throughway of another sort: Wildlife corridors are a vital ingredient for keeping puma populations healthy. When they can’t find natural throughways, pumas sometimes revert to highways and suburban byways, neither of which are good news for people.

Take another look at the Mercury map: You’ll see that almost all of the sightings are on the boundary of an open space or in a stretch of developed land between large open spaces.

So treat the cats with some respect if you happen to see one — and be sure to follow the experts’ best recommendations for not having a conflict with it.

You can make your home less appealing to a wandering mountain lion by avoiding feeding any wildlife that it might prey on. Make your best effort to keep deer away by landscaping with plants they don’t like to eat. Keep pets indoors. Motion-activated lighting can also repel the cats.

To steer clear of mountain lions in wilderness areas, avoid hiking alone or wearing headphones. Keep children and dogs close to you. Never approach or run away from a mountain lion, if you see one. Instead, make an effort to appear bigger by raising your arms. If all else fails and you are attacked, fight back! One 60-year-old woman likely saved her husband’s life by repeatedly jabbing an attacking puma with a ballpoint pen!

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