California woman punched mountain lion in effort to save her dog

[Satanica]

A southern California woman punched a mountain lion and tried to pry its jaws open to save her dog from an attack in her backyard, but the pet was killed, officials said.

The woman suffered a minor cut after the mountain lion attacked her miniature schnauzer on Thursday in the city of Simi Valley, the police Sgt Keith Eisenhour told KNBC-TV.
[....]
The police commander, Adam Darough, told the Ventura County Star that responding officers saw the mountain lion eating the dog in the backyard but it quickly took off into the hills.

The attack happened about 35 miles north-west of downtown Los Angeles in a neighborhood adjacent to wildlands.

It followed a report that another dog was injured by a mountain lion in the same area late on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, there were mountain lion sightings in the area that led to a search by police, a Ventura county sheriff’s helicopter and animal control officers.

Nothing was found and police said at the time that it was believed the animal had fled back into the hills.

Many mountain lions in the area and in wildlands to the south are being studied by biologists with the Santa Monica Mountains national recreation area to determine how they survive in habitat increasingly fragmented by development and freeways.

Darough said the mountain lion seen on Wednesday had a tracking collar but officers could not see if the animal that attacked the dog had a collar.

California woman punched mountain lion in effort to save her dog

Miniature schnauzer was killed and its owner suffered a minor cut in attack in Simi Valley

www.theguardian.com

 

[Muriel Schwenck]

Idiot.

 

[Satanica]

Talk about picking your battles. She's lucky; her dog, not so much.

 

[Norcal Skim]

Reminds me of advice from an old surfer friend:
If you get attacked by a Great White, punch it in the nose.
If that doesn't work, poke it in the eye with your bloody stump!

 

[Keepalowprofile]

My friends chihuahua was just picked up by a hawk and dropped from about 15 feet up in the air. Poor little thing was spurting blood from the claw Mark's and suffered a broken leg and pelvis.

Pretty horrible when you cant let your animals in your own fenced yard.

 

[Sejanus]

Coyotes are the issue around here.
Nature pushes back when we encroach on wildlife.

Get another dog and a firearm.

 

[sayitaintso]

Out here near the Santa Monica Mountains we have a huge problem with mountain lions and coyotes. People spot them on their properties all the time yet California Department of Fish and Wildlife put a three strikes restriction where the owners must take non lethal steps to deter the threat because their populations are in danger. After the third time you spot it you need a depredation permit. Might be too late by the third time.

 

[Alf]

I was hunting quail south of Tucson when a coyote came to within 20 feet or so of me. B'rer Coyote was hunting too, and since people weren't on the license he didn't think to look for any.

He was going from bush to tree to grass tuft, sniffing and looking for something that coyotes think is tasty. When he got about as close to me as I wanted him, I talked to him. "Hey. How're you?" He froze, looking frantically for wherever that noise came from. "Doing any good today?" He found me then. His eyes got big, and I could just about see the thought, "Oh shit I fucked up", forming in his head. Then he turned and ran at a sprint for the horizon.

--Al