Mountain lion kills horse on west end of Quincy
By Roni Java
A 32-year-old mare was killed by a mountain lion in the predawn hours of April 16 on the west end of Quincy, along Spanish Creek off Beskeen Lane, east of Gansner Park.
Accessed from the county park off Highway 70, as well as along Beskeen, the south side of the creek is a popular gathering place year-round for joggers, students, picnickers and families with pets.
The community is urged to exercise caution and be aware while in the area; mountain lions are nocturnal and opportunistic predators.
The lion was determined to be female and in the company of two “very tiny” kittens, according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials who worked with a licensed private tracker and verified the lion killed the horse for prey.
“We live in this beautiful area and it’s easy to let our guard down,” said DFW Lt. Kyle Kroll who oversees wildlife management in Lassen, Plumas and central Butte County. “We’re in the middle of amazing mountain lion territory. It’s not necessarily any more dangerous than anywhere else; it’s just good to be aware that this is their habitat,” Kroll noted.
More information on this story will be available in the April 25 edition of the newspaper.
&
With there population booming
We are not longer to hunt them
Expect more mountain lion killing
Good thing this time it was only a hourse
Population booming ? Really ? Do tell !
I don’t think that Mountain Lion warning sign is still up at the park, maybe someone should put one back up.
It killed one of my aunts alpacas this morning too!
I feel for whoever lost their mare, I would of been devastated. But, she’s just trying to feed her babies. If this place is commonly frequented, I wouldn’t think she’d go around there… I wonder what’s causing the wildlife to prey on domestic animals. Is there food source limited now or are they sick?
She’s not sick she has babies! She’s trying to feed them. The horses are easier to kill than hunting down something else in the wild
Lions eat meat. They don’t care if is domestic or wild. Domestic animals are easier prey. Lions, like bears, lose their natural fear of us over time & see us as a food source. I once saw a full grown male lion saunter slowly across the road in front of our car…he was as big as an African lion! My neighbor found a young one in her barn eating her goat one afternoon. She has 2 young children who play there all the time.
It is scarce and getting more so with the re-introduction of wolves. Wait till they start eating everything
If the lions are nocturnal, why did I take a minute and a half video of a full-grown lion walking thru my yard on Monday? Also, if they are nocturnal why on June 6th last year did a lion kill and devour a young buck in my back yard between the hours of 8am and noon? They are not afraid; even in the video we tried to scare if off and it could hardly care.
Linear thinking would suggest that all this strange lion behavior coincides w the recent appearance of the wolves in Plumas County. Wolves sit at the tippy top of the food chain..apex preditors…..I surmise they are consuming the lioness’s usual and customary food source.
Wolves in Plumas County, like since OR-7, or surrounding Plumas as in the Lassen and Shasta pack? I’m out of the loop and curious about any recent developments.
Yes, there is a pack in Indian Valley that arrived last year. There has already been a documented livestock killing.
So ….are. Waiting until some human becomes lion fodder before something is done to remove the threat ?
You obviously don’t have a real understanding of Felis Concolur. Mountain lions are one of the more passive big cats. Unless I was within close proximity of their cubs, or it was very very hungry, they won’t bother you. They are AMAZING critters.
Seriously? … who told you that? A passive carnivore? If they are here, they are hunting for food. A lion ate my best 300 lb heifer in Madera county. I’m in Nor cal now & my neighbor found one in her barn eating her goat. There is plenty of deer & antelope here. But domestic animals are easier prey.
If you’re going to pretend to be so knowledgeable on the subject, maybe you should start by spelling “concolor” correctly.
“one of the more passive big cats”
More passive compared to what…African lions? Bengal Tigers?Haha, that’s saying a whole lot!
Hilarious.