Biker Killed by Mountain Lion

One mountain biker is killed, another injured by a mountain lion in
Orange County, California...The lion is still on the loose.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/2752128/detail.html

"Dennis" wrote in message
om...
One mountain biker is killed, another injured by a mountain lion in
Orange County, California...The lion is still on the loose.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/2752128/detail.html

Knowing the screwy politics of California they will now ban biking in Orange
County to prevent any injury to wild lions

I don't know what the solution is. Do you hunt down the animal for
killing even though that's what it does. If it were a domesticated dog,
we would put it to sleep. Do we kill bears that have attacked humans?
What's the manner we deal with mountain lions?

How should this be handled?

If you think about the effects that the severe drought and fires would
have had on the normal prey of the mountain lions, it's not too
surprising that they are becoming more agressive. With bears, I
believe that we do kill the bear if it becomes necessary because the
idea of a bear thinking human=food would lead to more attacks. I
can't see how it would be different with the lions. On the other
hand, I don't know what time dusk is in this park, but the lions
supposedly hunt near dawn and dusk. If we persist in cutting back
territory for the lions and then running around near their hunting
times on a year that we'd expect them to be hungry, why shouldn't we
expect attacks? Maybe the answer is to be louder and make sure the
cats are cleared out before they see humans and think human=food.

"DH" wrote in message ...
I don't know what the solution is. Do you hunt down the animal for
killing even though that's what it does. If it were a domesticated dog,
we would put it to sleep. Do we kill bears that have attacked humans?
What's the manner we deal with mountain lions?

How should this be handled?

"DH" wrote in message ...

I don't know what the solution is. Do you hunt down the animal for
killing even though that's what it does. If it were a domesticated dog,
we would put it to sleep. Do we kill bears that have attacked humans?
What's the manner we deal with mountain lions?

How should this be handled?

Man in his present state of society cannot really coexist with the big
killer carnivores. Even in a place like Yellowstone it is an eternal
dilemma. Complete separation of man and killer beast is the only
solution, even if it means that you have got to kill off all the big
carnivores. That historically is how the problem has always been
handled of course until fairly recently.

With the danger of these animals going extinct due to man's occupation
of every habitable square inch of the earth's surface we (the more
advanced Western civilizations) have decided to save them from that
fate. I am afraid however that zoos are the only solution. Sad but
true! Or does any one here on this newsgroup wish to sacrifice his
life so that the beasties can live? As Lorenzo would say, I thought
not!

The only solution that occurs to me is to set aside really enormous
kingdoms of nature (bio-preserves) and keep man away from them except
as infrequent visitors. This might be the best possible use for huge
areas of Canada and Siberia as well as central Asia and other
wastelands scattered about the earth. That is actually what we are
attempting to do right now but on a much smaller scale, but man pokes
his nose everywhere, even in places like the back country of
Yellowstone and Glacier.

But Orange County in Southern California should not be set aside for a
nature preserve for killer carnivores. Actually, I am not much in
favor of there even being bears and wolves in Yellowstone. To see a
pack of wolves ripping and tearing some poor beast apart while it is
still living is a horror not to be forgotten.

Since man has taken over the earth anyway we might as well design it
more to suit our purposes. We are going to exterminate the Wild and
maybe it is good riddance. We came from the Wild ourselves in terms of
our evolution but now maybe it is time to cut the tether. We shall
become like the Gods and rule without reference to anything outside
ourselves. Of course, we shall end up living in a world where our only
companions will be cockroaches and rats, but that is all we deserve
anyway.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

"Mark Leuck" wrote in message news:j3sLb.3746$sv6.16225@attbi_s52...
"Dennis" wrote in message
om...

Knowing the screwy politics of California they will now ban biking in Orange
County to prevent any injury to wild lions

Lot of truth in that comment! Way over half the state is wacky, on
one side or the other, always disagreeing, and the seasoned natives
must appear "out to lunch" mentally. What a country!

Chris Jordan
Santa Cruz, CA.

On 9 Jan 2004 10:31:35 -0800, (Edward Dolan) wrote:

This might be the best possible use for huge
areas of Canada and Siberia as well as central Asia and other
wastelands scattered about the earth.

Hell, it sounds like a great use for California.

(Dennis) wrote in message . com...
One mountain biker is killed, another injured by a mountain lion in
Orange County, California...The lion is still on the loose.

"on the loose" ?

As in, trying to live where it has for tens of thousands of years
while idiots keep riding around in its habitat?

Idiot quote of the day: "This mountain lion was hunting and I don't
now why. I've never seen behavior like that. It was just unreal."

Here's why: It was hungry and in its turf. What is so unreal about
that?

"DH" wrote in message ...
I don't know what the solution is. Do you hunt down the animal for
killing even though that's what it does. If it were a domesticated dog,
we would put it to sleep. Do we kill bears that have attacked humans?
What's the manner we deal with mountain lions?

How should this be handled?

Domesticated or wild, animals that kill a human for any reason are,
and should be put down. Your sympathies are misplaced, a mountain
lion killing a humans is not "what it does". This is a deadly
abbreration that I'm sure has left family and friends of the victims
devastated. I'm equally sure that the encroachment of humans into to
the previouslly wild domain of forest creatures has created havoc with
their ability to survive and otherwise thrive. It's a problem, but
having group thearapy for a killer mountain lion wont resolve the
problem.

Bill

One mountain biker is killed, another injured by a mountain lion in
Orange County, California...The lion is still on the loose.

"on the loose" ?

As in, trying to live where it has for tens of thousands of years
while idiots keep riding around in its habitat?

Idiot quote of the day: "This mountain lion was hunting and I don't
now why. I've never seen behavior like that. It was just unreal."

Here's why: It was hungry and in its turf. What is so unreal about
that?

It's unusual because Mountain Lions, as a species, do not hunt humans. This
lion is different. Around humans, they have been timid, shy, and reclusive.

Pat in TX