Why Did the Department of Fish and Game Kill an 80-Pound Mountain Lion in Sunland?

By Simone Wilson Tue., Apr. 24 2012 at 10:30 AM

KTLA

R.I.P.

An officer-involved shooting in Sunland last Friday afternoon -- between a warden and a young male mountain lion -- has L.A. animal advocates calling for justice.

According to Department of Fish and Game (DFG) spokesman Andrew Hughan, a resident of the foothills near the Angeles National Forest called 911 after spotting a mountain lion in her garage. The LAPD was first on scene, but no blood was shed until a DFG warden showed up, according to Hughan.

By that time, says the DFG spokesman, the lion had moved from the garage to "some wooded area near a couple houses."

But that apparently wasn't far enough to put the public out of danger.

After using his best judgment, the warden decided to "dispatch" the intruder, says Hughan. In other words -- blow its brains out and haul it away, like a certain DFG commissioner on his day off.

But at least when Dan Richards murdered his mountain lion (in Idaho, where it's legal), he feasted upon it and compared it, delightedly, to pork loin. The 80-pounder killed in the Angeles Forest foothills, on the other hand, seems to have died for nothing.

None of the neighbors who spoke with KTLA had been approached by the lion. DFG spokesman Hughan, however, argues that the warden on the other end of the gun is an "extremely competent" guy ("I know him very well," says Hughan) who made the best possible split-second decision based on the circumstances.

"It's exactly like a SWAT team would do," says Hughan. "The level of force depends on the situation."

To those who argue the lion could have been tranquilized, Hughan responds: "Putting a tranquilizing dart is not like the movies. It takes 10 minutes or more for darts to take effect. ... If you dart that lion and it runs out onto the 210 at 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, you can imagine the carnage."

(Actually, you don't have to imagine. Gory photo evidence here.)

He says the giant black bear famously tranquilized near Glendale a couple weeks ago appeared so terrified that, unlike Friday's mountain lion, DFG officers determined he would sit still and cooperate if tranquilized.

"If that bear had mauled the guy on the cellphone, we would have killed that bear, too," says Hughan.

One KTLA reader argues that humans can easily shoo mountain lions away themselves, and need not call upon wardens with guns:

"Next time one of the Sunland invaders who are living among the resident mountain lions sees one of the big cats, just get a couple of pots and pans and bang them together loudly. The mountain lion will leave the area."

What do you think? Should DFG's public-safety policy err a tad more sympathetic on the side of Angeles Forest natives?

[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

Tags:

Angeles National Forest, Department of Fish and Game, mountain lion, Sunland

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Jane St. Clair

Daniel Sforz is quoted an interview with the Santa Monica Patch that Fish and Game did their best. Totally disagree. They weren't prepared for this inevitable situation. This city is bordered by mountains. This needed to be a protocol and he, as a captain, didn't have it in place. Beyond bad: NOT to have this contingency, given where Santa Monica is located. I've watched over the years how this city has set the precedent for the country in a number of "earth friendly" and forward-thinking ways: the Big Blue Bus, water reclamation, the bag tax, SM City College, and KCRW's amazing community building efforts, etc. This situation shows that Fish and Game and the SMPD are not up to this standard where stewardship and wildlife is concerned. There need to be serious questions asked in high places: WHY NOT? It costs a fortune to live in this city and state, given the economic climate and our taxes need to be paying the salaries of people who are as sharp, forward thinking and pro-active as possible. There are many competent candidates out there, I'm sure, who could've have handled this differently.

Dennis Geiger

Ca. Fish and Game Wardens have lost their way. With out notice wardens raided a Georgetown historical bar and confiscated a mounted woverine that has been in that bar for over 50 years claiming it is unlawful to have an endangered species in the bar. Is this a gestapo tactic or what? Andrew Hughan and all Fish and Game officials should be ashamed of themselves.

Riot Nrrrd™

I live in Sunland and quite a number of us are Not Happy with how this incident ended.

Fish & Game responded to one of our fellow citizens; you can read it here:

http://mopandbucket.blogspot.c...

Joe Smith

Thank God they finally killed it. They killed two bob cats in the area too thankfully. They have been killing all of the neighborhood chickens. I've lost 12 chickens and almost a goose but my dog scared it away before it was killed. All night all we hear is them killing chickens and goats, harassing the horses and other pets. About time their gone so we can sleep at night. Now I can let my dog out at night without worrying. It's easy for people who didn't have to live in fear of it day and night to get upset. It was only to be a matter of time before this lion was going to kill a kid. It had no fear of humans.

John Doe

Really, chickens! Is that even legal in L.A. city limits. Are you the jerk harboring that idiot rooster who keeps me awake because he's a city rooster and doesn't know the difference between 6 A.M. and midnight? And a coyote will get your dog just as readily as a cougar. Just food for thought. And Jane Doe is right.

Reason255

So you are too lazy or cheap to protect your chickens and we have to kill any wild animal trying to survive by finding an easy meal?

You act like its personal or something. You live near open land and set out "bait" - what the heck do you expect?

Leave the lions alone. They are doing what nature intended. nothing more.

Jane Doe

Loose chickens. Well, now we know what drew the lion to this area. Mountain lions are simply a given in mountain and foothill areas of California. Perhaps you can protect your animals by keeping them in a simple, safe enclosure rather than trying to exterminate an entire keystone wildlife species instead.

Joe Smith

I guess we are suppose to put out horses and goats in the house. The chicken do go into the coup at night but sometimes they do have to go outside. These cats jump a 6 foot fence without any problem.

Had to watch one of the cats tear apart a few of my neighbors goats. They had no fear of humans and where killing day and night just to kill. Not eating what they killed just killing and leaving.

Hope you never have to see that or clean up the bloody mess and pieces of your animal left behind. Or the death screams from animals all night

Worry about your own neighborhood. This is a residential neighborhood not the mountains.

Thank God they killed this cat and the two bob cats last month before a neighborhood kid would have been killed.

John Doe

Goats in a residential neighborhood? So should we send out Animal Regulation for a visit, or would you like to cite the LAMC which permits this?

Pat

The DFG should adopt a more lenient attitude toward mountain lions and bears if those animals are not doing anything to endanger anybody. The fact that the lion was in a wooded area near several houses doesn't necessarily mean the people inside or not at home were in any particular danger. If there were people home at the time, all they had to do was stay indoors, keep the kids and pets inside as well, and let the DFG tranquilize the lion. There was no need to kill it no matter how long it took the tranquilizer to do its work; they could have simply followed it until it collapsed onto the ground and then haul it away.