Mountain lion kills 1, injures 1 mountain biker

[Don Vito Corleone]

Yow! From here:

WHITING RANCH, Calif. -- A sheriff's deputy has shot and killed a mountain lion that may have been responsible for two separate attacks on bicyclists in an Orange County, Calif., wilderness park.

Orange County Fire Captain Stephen Miller said the lion attacked a female bicyclist shortly after 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.

The cat dragged the woman by her head.

After the lion grabbed the woman bicyclist, several other mountain bikers started throwing rocks at the animal until it fled. A friend of the woman who was bicycling with her tells a TV station she grabbed the woman's legs -- but the mountain lion kept on pulling.

The injured woman remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Later, near the location where the female cyclist was attacked, the body of an unidentified man was found at the top of a trail, near a bicycle. They couldn't immediately confirm whether he also was attacked by the mountain lion. Examinations will be done on the man's body and on the mountain lion.

"We don't know how long he's been out there," Miller said. "But it's pretty obvious that an animal was involved in this (death)."

The animal will be taken to a laboratory where a necropsy will be performed.

 

[Fausto]

Damn. I have enough to worry about already with psycho motorists....now I have to worry about large angry animals too? :Q

 

[SaltBoy]

Too bad it didn't attack Kim Bauer...

 

[newbiepcuser]

Wow, I mountain bike near there. :Q

 

[v3rrv3]

Originally posted by: SaltBoy
Too bad it didn't attack Kim Bauer...

What would Jack Bauer think about that? 😱

 

[Azraele]

A sheriff's deputy has shot and killed a mountain lion that may have been responsible for two separate attacks on bicyclists in an Orange County, Calif., wilderness park.

Brilliant. They don't even know if they got the right one. So rather than relocating the animal, they just kill it. Typical. I'm sorry for the people that got attacked, but the animal is only doing what instinct dictates. Humans as the "higher" species, should realize that.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Azraele

A sheriff's deputy has shot and killed a mountain lion that may have been responsible for two separate attacks on bicyclists in an Orange County, Calif., wilderness park.

Brilliant. They don't even know if they got the right one. So rather than relocating the animal, they just kill it. Typical. I'm sorry for the people that got attacked, but the animal is only doing what instinct dictates. Humans as the "higher" species, should realize that.

The way I read it, they knew it was the lion who attacked the woman, but were not sure of the nexus to the dead cyclist.

Frankly I can't see that it would be responsible to relocate a mountain lion that had attacked a human - I respect and appreciate animals as much as anyone, but once it has demonstrated a willingness to attack humans, the animal should probably be destroyed in my opinion. I do regard it as highly unfortunate that humans have intruded on the habitats of mountain lions and other creatures to the extent that these situations occur - I agree that the lion was just being a lion, and it is a shame it had to die.

 

[Descartes]

Two dead animals of appreciable beauty and intellect; it's unfortunate.

 

[sygyzy]

Originally posted by: Azraele

A sheriff's deputy has shot and killed a mountain lion that may have been responsible for two separate attacks on bicyclists in an Orange County, Calif., wilderness park.

Brilliant. They don't even know if they got the right one. So rather than relocating the animal, they just kill it. Typical. I'm sorry for the people that got attacked, but the animal is only doing what instinct dictates. Humans as the "higher" species, should realize that.

Actually I was watching video of this as it unfolded. They had rescue personnel trying to get to the victim(s) but the lion wouldn't let go. It was guarding its kill. Finally they dropped a sheriff on the scene so he could try to protect the paramedic's while they worked. So they know which one did it. They were staring right at it.

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Two dead animals of appreciable beauty and intellect; it's unfortunate.

There is nothing unnatural or morally wrong with killing predators who prey on your kind. Even if they're pretty.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: Descartes
Two dead animals of appreciable beauty and intellect; it's unfortunate.

There is nothing unnatural or morally wrong with killing predators who prey on your kind. Even if they're pretty.

I don't think that's what he's saying. As I said above, I think it was appropriate to kill this lion, but still think it is unfortunate that it had to happen.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: Descartes
Two dead animals of appreciable beauty and intellect; it's unfortunate.

There is nothing unnatural or morally wrong with killing predators who prey on your kind. Even if they're pretty.

No, it really isn't natural to kill in cold blood, with a gun, a mountain lion that attacked bikers when you know it was only doing what it was made to do. This is assuming it didn't have rabies or something.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: phantom309

Originally posted by: Descartes
Two dead animals of appreciable beauty and intellect; it's unfortunate.

There is nothing unnatural or morally wrong with killing predators who prey on your kind. Even if they're pretty.

No, it really isn't natural to kill in cold blood, with a gun, a mountain lion that attacked bikers when you know it was only doing what it was made to do. This is assuming it didn't have rabies or something.

"Cold blood" sounds awfully melodramatic to me. They apparently shot the lion because it would not allow rescuers to get close to the alive-but-hurt female victim. Realistically, the lion had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and attacking the wrong creature. IMO any reasonable person (especially someone in the life-saving business) would have shot the cat under the circumstances.

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: Azraele

A sheriff's deputy has shot and killed a mountain lion that may have been responsible for two separate attacks on bicyclists in an Orange County, Calif., wilderness park.

Brilliant. They don't even know if they got the right one. So rather than relocating the animal, they just kill it. Typical. I'm sorry for the people that got attacked, but the animal is only doing what instinct dictates. Humans as the "higher" species, should realize that.

Yeah, they should have shot your stupid ass. Poor kitty.

KK

 

[Talon02]

Lion - 2
Man - 1

 

[miniMUNCH]

Originally posted by: Azraele

A sheriff's deputy has shot and killed a mountain lion that may have been responsible for two separate attacks on bicyclists in an Orange County, Calif., wilderness park.

Brilliant. They don't even know if they got the right one. So rather than relocating the animal, they just kill it. Typical. I'm sorry for the people that got attacked, but the animal is only doing what instinct dictates. Humans as the "higher" species, should realize that.

Are you for real?! Relocate a mountain lion to where? Tons of study has shown that prediatory animals, even dogs, learn from just one attack that humans (kids predominantly in the case of dogs) make easy prey. That lion would've attacked more people.

I don't think you would feel that way if the victim were your wife or daugther.

 

[Ranger X]

I work near there. :Q

 

[KarenMarie]

The deeper man's greed for bigger houses, wider roads and more shopping malls, the less habitat wild animals have. So, we keep pushing them back and pushing them back while taking their homes, and wonder why they attack people.

😕

 

[0roo0roo]

creepy, reminds me of a documentary i saw about primitive humans, they showed a skull that had distinctive toothmarks from a big cat...a bite that would mean that the primate was being dragged by the head....

don't go hiking alone...biking alone...unarmed 🙂 btw, update, they found human remains in the big cats belly! a little more detail, but nothing on the stomach http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/7678334.htm

 

[skyking]

The sheriffs killed the lion with his service weapon, it was stalking them too!

It had zero fear, and figured man to be a handy food source. I've seen them in the wild before, but always running like crazy to get away from me, so I'd say this one needed to go.

 

[LAUST]

Damn them animals for Fvcking with us on OUR PLANET!!!!

 

[m2kewl]

she was biking in mountain lion domain, what did they expect, a "hello" and milk and cookies??!

 

[cliftonite]

I have absolutely no problem with this.

 

[Sketcher]

Originally posted by: KarenMarie
The deeper man's greed for bigger houses, wider roads and more shopping malls, the less habitat wild animals have. So, we keep pushing them back and pushing them back while taking their homes, and wonder why they attack people.

😕

No argument that as people take over more land, animals suffer. However, I don't think that land encroachment was the reason why Timothy Treadwell and girlfriend were stalked and eaten by Brown Bears in a remote location in Alaska. Neither do I think it's the reason the Mountain Lion in its own habitat determined that bicyclists were lunchable. The fact is that these animals are predatory in nature and there's nothing in their understanding which tells them that humans should not be on the menu. Neither of these deaths were in an environment where the animal was forced to react. One thing that is recognized in the wildlife community is that once a predatory animal takes to killing people, it tends to continue doing so. It's important to value life. But put the appropriate value on that life. Far too many people pity the animal before the human. That is... unless it's you who's being munched on or perhaps someone you know.

 

[StormRider]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
creepy, reminds me of a documentary i saw about primitive humans, they showed a skull that had distinctive toothmarks from a big cat...a bite that would mean that the primate was being dragged by the head....

don't go hiking alone...biking alone...unarmed 🙂 btw, update, they found human remains in the big cats belly! a little more detail, but nothing on the stomach http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/7678334.htm

Gross, the poor guy was disemboweled... what a horrible way to die.