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Mountain lion spotted near elementary school in Meyers


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A mountain lion was seen near the Environmental Magnet School in Meyers on Monday morning.

El Dorado County sheriff’s officials said the animal was walking in someone’s front yard about 9am July 30.

“It did not appear threatening or injured, and then walked away from the area,” sheriff’s Lt. Pete Van Arnum told Lake Tahoe News.

He is asking people to be on alert, especially with the number of children in the area playing at the school and attending the nearby child care center.

This is the second mountain lion sighting in the county in the past few weeks. The other was near the meadow area between Hunkpapa and Golden Bear Trail.

Mountain lions are native to this area, and travel and hunt throughout the Sierra and Lake Tahoe Basin.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

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Comments (16)
  1. Toogee says - Posted: July 30, 2012

    Was riding my bike yesterday evening and saw that big buck (8-10 pointer, still covered in fuzz) in that wooded area between Sierra tract and Golden Bear. Saw him in the meadow between Pioneer Trail and the STPUD plant a couple of weeks ago. Must be what that mountain lion is looking for. I’ve seen deer plenty up in High Meadows and on Heavenly but only a couple of times here in town.

  2. Dumbluck says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    I’ve seen several deer now in that exact same meadow that Toogee was referring to. I’ve been assuming that deer are migrating from over the mountain, from the Genoa area, where food is maybe not as plentiful as before, to down here, bringing the lions with them. My wife saw a deer cross Highway 50 near Meeks just a few days ago.

  3. Bob says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    Let’s hope they don’t start attacking bikers and hikers.

  4. orale says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    We all need to be on alert. Its so dry the animals are on the move. The bears have been active in my neighborhood and mountain lions have been spotted nearby, so when I walk my dog at night I do it in a well lit area and his little butt is leashed. Common sense people. We chose to live here in the forest near wild life.

  5. Lisa says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    Bob, even in very good lion habitat, it is EXTREMELY rare for a Mt. Lion to attack a human. I would be thrilled to see one when out (though I admit it would really be thrilled and scared at the same time).

  6. John says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    The Forest Service and others are doing a good job of thinning forests. That is allowing more light to hit the ground, and more light on the ground means more brush and browse is growing. More food means more deer. More deer means more lions and other predators. I also see more rabbit and quail. All of this stems from having more open forests that actually have some wildlife value.

  7. Robert Stiles says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    Wasn’t there a story last year of a mountain lion attacking a mountain biker down in Orange County? I think we should all be alert while outdoors. I was biking up Oneidas last week when I heard a noise off to my left. In first gear I wasn’t going very fast. It was a huge black bear not more than 10 ft from me. We held eye contact for quite awhile. A mountain lion would literally scare the heck out of me. I would of got off my bike and probably turned around.

  8. Steven says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    Did who ever reported the sighting get any pictures?
    Lets seem them, please.

  9. Dick Fox says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    Oh Please, I would just shoot any dang mountain cat tried attack me. And they make some durn fine stew meat if you have a hankerin’.

  10. John says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    Oh Dick, I dont think it quite works that way my man. Not that cat isnt good to eat, it is very good. But in the very very very rare instance that a cat attacks the first thing the person knows is that their neck is broken. Now in your case, I might recommend lathering up with some doe urine and giving it a shot though. Either way it works out its no great loss.

  11. Rick says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    Dick, your belief you would simply shoot the dang lion is akin to believing not wearing a seat belt so you can leap from the accident is the best course of action. There are 1.5 billion recreational visitors days a year in cougar country in North America and your risk of being attach is 1:several hundred million. 99.999% of time you see a cougar nothing untoward happens – just a great experience. The majority of attacks in the last 40 years in NA, the victim never saw the cougar. There have been 13 attacks in California (more cougar habitat than any other state or Canadian Provence and way more people) the last 28 years and in 20 of those 28 years, there were no attacks. Man up and simply enjoy nature.

  12. Winger1 says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    Its a lion… In whiting ranch in so cal people were disemboweled and half buried by mountain lions. This is not something you should hope to see in the wild but if so stand tall. This is somewhat concerning and exciting at the same time.

  13. Rick says - Posted: July 31, 2012

    Winger1, the vast majority of the time (99.9%) when you see a cougar it will be a truly enjoyable experience and generally a fleeting one. Attacks are enormously rare. Of the 13 attaches in California during the last 28 years, only 3 were fatal. A mt biker was killed in Whiting park in 2004 and another mt biker was attacked and survived by the same young cat. 20 out of the last 28 years had no attacks. So you are much more likely to experience some other problem (a fall, dehydration, being lost, lightning, cardiac event, other people, etc). So if you see a cougar in the wild, enjoy, I have observed cougars on six separate occasions. All memorable and quite safe. Rick

  14. Winger1 says - Posted: August 1, 2012

    Point taken and i for the most part agree with what you are saying, but I was mountain biking whiting in 2004 around when that happened.  I have also seen 5 cats in the wild.  One over my head in an oak tree that looked like he meant business.   These are wild animals and if hungry don’t follow any rules.  I  Also remember an attack in Caspers park where a little girl was taken by the head.   They are majestic beautiful creatures and should not be hunted but I somewhat disagree with your stance of siting back and enjoying the experience as if you see one it is sure to be an adrenaline rush especially if it’s eyeing you and not running.  If you are confronted by one, again stand as tall as you can and don’t run.    Watch your kids and stay in groups.  
    http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/lion/attacks.html

  15. Rick says - Posted: August 1, 2012

    Hi Winger1, appreciate your comments. I have conducted scientific research on the cougar for over 3 decades in California and so my comfort level comes from my familiarity with their behavior and ecology. We suggest to people to stand tall because of the relationship with predator size and prey size, but in reality, no body has ever really tested the notion if you stand tall you reduce your chance of an aggressive encounter. An 80lb female can bring down an 800lb bull elk, so does standing tall work – who knows. Humans are probably attacked so infrequently because (speculation mind you) we are atypical in that we stand on 2-legs and their natural prey is disproportionately large ungulates – in other words we look weird. An overview of all of the attacks over the last 120 or so years suggest that the extremely remote chance of an attack is slightly lessened if you travel in groups. For those who are concerned I suggest hiking or biking in groups. I choose to regularly hike and bike by myself, not because I am antisocial, simply because it is often difficult to match schedules with my friends or family. I think about cougars ever minute I am in the field, but never in disconcerting way. So in my case, when I see a cougar again, odds are very strong I will find it enjoyable and not particularly concerning. Rick

  16. Winger1 says - Posted: August 1, 2012

    Thanks Rick… I appreciate the discussion and perspective you add to wildlife topics. You seem to know your stuff… I have a passion for wildlife and volunteer at the wildlife center but won’t claim to be an expert in any way. . My apprehension of mountain lions only comes from the fact that I grew up a couple miles from whiting ranch, so perhaps I’m jaded though I still love and respect them. Thanks again..