Homeowner shoots mountain lion in Orange County back yard

AP ^ | 1/17/06 | n/a

[appleharvey]

Well, last night I shot an elephant in my pajamas...never mind.

[Blueflag]

"The incident will be investigated to determine whether the initial shooting was justified, he said."

OMG. I hope he has an atty already.

[Semper Paratus]

does issue permits authorizing the killing of mountain lions that pose a risk to people and domestic animals

So you have a mountain lion bearing down on you but you have no permit. Tell the lion to hold on while you run down to city hall?

[tcostell]

The state, however, does issue permits authorizing the killing of mountain lions that pose a risk to people and domestic animals.

...once it's actually killed something first as proof.

[rellimpank]

--more comments on this--

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1559762/posts

[rlmorel]

I think once a Mountain lion is in a heavily populated area and is in someone's back yard, it is a de-facto risk, and a high one, too.

Beautiful animals, but they are a predatory cat, and cats from house cats to tigers have many of the same characteristics, in the larger cats, fatal to humans.

[kenth]

A bureaucrat's universe.

[river rat]

Mountain Lions must be out of control in Kalifornicate...

Several months ago -- an adult Lion was killed two blocks from my home - which is fully residential and a half mile from the relative wilderness of the Santa Cruz mountains....

Lots of sightings of Lions moving through the yards and SCHOOL GROUNDS nearby..

In this area there have been a few very bad "incidents" involving Lions and hikers/runners/bikers...

Some of us go "armed" into the non Disneyland "wilderness"...


Semper Fi

[forester]

Sport hunting of mountain lions in California has been barred since 1972, initially through moratoriums and then when voters approved a ballot initiative in 1990 and rejected an attempt to overturn it in 1996. The state, however, does issue permits authorizing the killing of mountain lions that pose a risk to people and domestic animals.

Typical lazy reporting. This should read:

Bounties on mountain lions in California were discontinued in 1972. Hunting was outlawed in 1990 when voters approved a ballot intiative. A proposition to overturn this regulation did not pass in 1996. State employees of the Department of Fish and Game are allowed to issue depradation permits authorizing people to protect themselves and livestock from an expanding mountain lion population.

[Jack Hammer]

Wow - how did an elephant get into your pajamas???

[MineralMan]

A 12 ga. shotgun would have been a better choice. A head shot at that range would have been the end of the cat. Even a mid-body shot would have killed it. The 9mm needs better shot placement.

[Winston_Churchill0]

"Bill Hill, a former Stanton police officer and now a private investigator, told TV reporters he shot twice with his 9 mm pistol."

He should have tried a .45

[Iris7]

Inside of Trabuco Canyon itself is extremely expensive real estate even by Orange County standards. The canyon is controlled by old residents who allow no development. The land to either side of the canyon is densely populated. If you check real estate values you will find that Trabuco Canyon houses go for $2,000,000 and up. This is a place with boutique butcher shops and no supermarkets. These people have clout.

[pepperdog]

It's a mountain lion, it's killed lots of things or it wouldn't be alive. Now they must determine if it killed something they don't approve of. This is crazy, a mountain lion in your yard is a danger to anyone with half a brain.

[forester]

Most of the lions alive today have never been shot at...thus they have lost their fear of man to a certain degree. In our area, single males with no territory often are found wandering residential streets looking for pets to eat. Another example of why letting nature take it's course is not the best policy choice.

[massgopguy]

Like a Jogger with two children?

[Not A Snowbird]

I would recommend he modify his wrought-iron fence. If the rails are wide enough for the cat to squeeze through, they're wide enough for a kid to squeeze through.

[arizonarachel]

My father in law and his wife live in Trabuco Canyon - and I went walking with them when we visited them a couple of weeks ago into the little farm area. Now I'm worried about them, his stepchildren, and their dog - that they leave outside while they are gone...

[Preachin']

AP Makes this statement:

"The incident will be investigated to determine whether the initial shooting was justified, he said."

Then they immediately follow it with this one:

"Resident Laurie Hill said she saw the 90-pound mountain lion in the back yard of her Cimarron Lane home at about 7 a.m"

---

What on earth is there to investigate?