Mountain Lion Pet Attack Sparks State Response

DOWNIEVILLE — Early Monday morning in Downieville, a terrifying incident unfolded when a mountain lion attacked a pet dog in a family’s backyard. At around 3 AM, a pair of dogs at a home on upper Main Street woke in a state of excitement. The behavior was not unusual when they needed to go to the bathroom at night, so their owner let them into their fenced backyard, which butts up against a hillside filled with dense brush. On doing so, however, she noticed a pair of eyes on the hillside and immediately called them back to the house. While one returned, one did not.

What followed was a horrifying yelp. The owner realized that not only was there a mountain lion on the hillside, there was another in the yard. She rushed back inside, where she immediately called her husband, who was in Sacramento after having just returned from a trip. The husband called the couple’s next-door neighbor, who, in less than five minutes, came to the backyard armed with a shotgun loaded with buckshot.

When the neighbor arrived, the lion was still sitting in the yard with the dog in its mouth, which the neighbor believed may still have been alive. He fired a warning shot into the air, hoping to scare the lion into dropping the dog, but instead, it jumped a retaining wall back onto the hillside with the dog still in its mouth.

The neighbor then shot and hit the lion from roughly 20 yards away, injuring it and causing it to drop to the ground a few feet from where it was hit. At the same time, a family friend, who was also called just after the neighbor, arrived on the scene with a hunting rifle. Seeing the mountain lion injured but not yet dead, he put it down with a shot to the head. The dog, having been removed from the mouth of the mountain lion, was at that point deceased. The Sheriff’s Office was immediately notified, but no officers were dispatched to the scene.

At around 5 AM, the husband reached Downieville after setting off right away from Sacramento. Upon reaching the house, he grabbed a shotgun and headlamp and headed to where the mountain lion lay to document it for authorities. Before he reached it, however, he became aware of movement above the lion’s carcass. After shining light from his headlamp onto the area, he found there was another mountain lion. To his astonishment, he realized that the one had returned to eat from the carcass of the other. The event was later confirmed by CDFW analysis. After a brief stand-off, the mountain lion ran away, with the husband firing a warning shot in its direction to ensure it would not return.

Later in the day, CDFW representatives arrived at the scene, conducted interviews, and removed the carcass to be examined. At least one house cat is suspected to be a victim of the mountain lion after having gone missing, so the husband requested stomach contents be examined for the potential to bring closure to the owner. Investigation of the carcass is ongoing. Through witness statements and picture evidence, CDFW was able to determine that three mountain lions were present, likely a mother and two juveniles. One juvenile was shot, and the other juvenile had eaten the carcass of its sibling.

In a phone conversation with the husband, a CDFW authority suggested that the park across the street should be closed while the situation was assessed. The husband notified a county worker, which brought about the closure of the playground, tennis court, and basketball court at the direction of the Sheriff’s Office.

Still, no representative from the Sheriff’s Office visited the area. Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher explained that he didn’t see that there was an immediate public safety issue requiring a deputy response, preferring instead to pass the matter to CDFW’s law enforcement division, which has more specific authority over wildlife encounters.

The next morning, at around 12:36 AM, a game camera the husband had installed the previous night captured the juvenile returning to the spot where the carcass had been removed. After the video was shared with CDFW, it became clear to them that these lions were dangerously comfortable around town and were not easily scared off, even by gunfire. A team of hounds was immediately dispatched to Downieville, arriving at approximately 2:15 PM. From the playground area, the hounds led their two handlers up the hill toward Oxford Mine Road in an effort to haze (scare away) the mountain lions.

According to the handlers, Jim Kincaid from the US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services and Libby Ehlers, Senior Regional Biologist with CDFW, dogs have been shown to be effective in flushing out mountain lions. They are a mixed breed with a better sense of hearing than most hounds, but they must be handled with care in populated areas due to their inability to distinguish between mountain lions and house cats. Kincaid and Ehlers were not surprised that the lion had eaten its sibling, explaining that once blood is drawn, instinct takes over, and the lions no longer recognize friend from food. While noting that lions generally prefer fresh kills, they were also not surprised that one had returned the next day. Despite spending several hours trekking in the woods around Oxford Mine Road, the dogs were not able to find any mountain lions. Ehlers hopes that signifies that they have left the area.

Kincaid says mountain lion attacks have become increasingly common since California protected the species by 1990 Proposition 117. Both bear and mountain lion populations have exploded in the state in recent years. Kincaid believes that the deer population will eventually suffer, leading to a collapse in big game food sources. In the meantime, however, human and pet encounters with both species have increased. Though Kincaid did not know if this lion had prior encounters in town, he says that when the barking of dogs isn’t scaring the animal off, it’s taken the first step toward habituation, a state that can be fatal both to people and pets and to the lion.

The Downieville incident is not isolated; in fact, another mountain lion killed a house cat in broad daylight in Loyalton on Tuesday, just 300 yards from the town’s elementary school. The event was seen just after school was released and at a location frequently trafficked by students, compounding public safety issues. Though the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office attempted to euthanize the lion, being in such a populated area meant they could only scare it out of the neighborhood. CDFW is also in the process of investigating that case and shifted many of its resources from Downieville to the Loyalton area on Wednesday.

The next steps in dealing with the remaining lions are unclear. Kincaid expressed disappointment at not being able to bring about a satisfying conclusion to the issues but noted that this is often the case. Several times, only another incident is able to bring about a depredation permit to have a mountain lion trapped and put down. Sheriff Fisher explained he would meet with a CDFW biologist on Wednesday to review both incidents and determine how to move forward. He expects CDFW will want to continue hazing in the Downieville area over the next few weeks but that the park will reopen only when the town goes some length of time without further sightings or issues.

The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office advises the public to stay safe and vigilant. To help prevent an attack, the Sheriff recommends keeping pets indoors, especially at night and when outside, to keep them on a leash. Avoiding jogging alone at dawn, dusk, or night can help minimize risk. If a mountain lion is encountered, stay calm and do not run, slowly back away, and if the lion acts aggressively, throw objects, yell, and fight back if attacked. Mountain lion sightings should be reported to the Sheriff’s Office by calling (530) 289-3700.