Big worries over big cats grip Atherton residents Big worries over big cats grip Atherton residents (November 10, 2004)

By Andrea Gemmet
Almanac Staff Writer

A crowd of Athertonians hoping to be reassured that something would be done to rid their neighborhood of mountain lions didn't get the answers they were looking for at the November 5 town meeting.

The annual meetings, sponsored by the Atherton Citizens Crime Prevention Task Force, usually focus on predators of the human variety, but a string of big cat sightings in west Atherton beginning this summer took precedence over criminal activity.

Explanations that California voters made mountain lions a specially protected species that cannot be hunted or harmed unless they pose a direct threat to public safety did not go over well with the residents gathered in Foley Center at St. Joseph's School.

The restive group squirmed through a half-hour presentation on mountain lion traits and habits by Deborah Bartens, the naturalist for the city of Palo Alto, and vocally rebelled when Atherton police Chief Bob Brennan attempted to enforce the evening's written-questions-only policy.

The large felines are solitary, elusive and extremely efficient predators that will eat almost anything, from rodents to raccoons, but in this area feed primarily on deer, Ms. Bartens said.

Don Kelly from the state's Department of Fish and Game got an unenthusiastic response to his safety suggestions, which included hiking or jogging in pairs or groups, and carrying flash lights, air horns or pepper spray. When he advised residents who had seen mountain lions to always keep a camera handy, there were snorts of derisive laughter.

Staring glassy-eyed at the audience were a stuffed and mounted mountain lion sitting in an attentive pose and a much smaller, curled-up stuffed bobcat.

Despite pleas to keep emotions out of the equation, it was clear that emotions were running far too high to be quashed.

"What constitutes a threat? If it eats a 2-year-old, then is it a threat?" one man burst out.

Chief Brennan was applauded when he reassured people that if a lion cornered Junior in the back yard, "and I get there and the lion is still there, I'm going to take care of it."

"I know there's the kill-them-all side and the save-them-all side, and we're (looking for) the middle ground," said Chief Brennan. "If you take one out, another (lion) will just take its place."

He said that not all of the reported mountain lion sightings have panned out -- some have been the much smaller bobcats, and others were just very large house cats.

Mountain lion sightings in neighborhoods near the Bear Gulch Reservoir west of Alameda are consistent with the behavior of juveniles who have just been kicked out of the den and haven't claimed a territory of their own yet, Mr. Kelly said. Normally, mountain lions stay far away from people and avoid populated areas, but the immature "teenage" lions are curious, he said.

"How many of us have had teenagers? And how many of us have had teenagers who acted rationally?" he asked, getting some supportive chuckles from the crowd.

He advised parents to supervise their children when they play outside, and to keep landscaping trimmed back, especially near the house and any play areas. Anything that attracts prey -- plants tasty to deer, fruit left to fall from the tree, low brush that provides ground cover for rodents -- is going to attract the predators that hunt them, he said.

Fish and Game officials advise people to install motion-sensitive lights in their yards, keep their pets from roaming, keep their cats indoors, and do not put out food for wild animals.

Mountain lions are most active at night, and the ones seen during the day are usually sunning themselves, said Mr. Kelly. "They're not in a feeding mode," he said.

INFORMATION

** Report mountain lion sightings or dead animals suspected to be the victims of mountain lions to the California Department of Fish and Game's dispatch center, 24 hours a day, at (916) 445-0045.

** If a mountain lion is threatening people or pets, call 911 immediately.

** Mountain lion safety tips and other information is available at www.dfg.ca.gov/lion/.

What to do

The California Department of Fish and Game recommends the following for those confronted by a mountain lion:

** Do not run.

** Face the lion and make eye contact.

** Stand up tall, raise your arms; try to appear as large and threatening as possible.

** Pick up small children, but try to avoid bending down or turning away from the lion.

** Fight back if attacked.

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