California wildlife authorities are urging residents of a small Central California town to lock up their pets and secure livestock following a series of mountain lion attacks.
Multiple animals have been killed in the Monterey County hamlet of Corral de Tierra, about 12 miles east of Monterey, officials said.
Residents have claimed that family dogs, a miniature horse and goats have all been killed over the last few weeks, local television station KSBW reported.
“I could hear rustling on our porch,” Corral de Tierra resident Michael Antle told the television station. “Our family dog was taken off of our porch. The following night, the lion came for our goat and actually took the goat to the same spot. Didn’t eat either animal, so I think it’s out to kill.”
Antle said the first attack happened Dec. 21, around 12:30 a.m.
Other residents also have claimed to see a creature lurking around.
Personnel from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed Wednesday afternoon that there had been “mountain lion conflicts” in and around Corral de Tierra.
Krysten Kellum, a department spokesperson, said the number of attacks in the area was unknown — as was the number of mountain lions involved.
She did say, however, that the attacks happened during evening and early-morning hours, when the predators are active.
She also said the animals that were killed were not secured for the night.
“That’s all we are asking people to do: Bring your dogs in at night, night pen livestock,” she said, referring to corralling the animals into a securely fenced area.
In response to the attacks, the agency is calling on residents to document all encounters with mountain lions on the Department of Fish and Wildlife site.
“It is important that people report these incidents,” Kellum said.
The department also advises deer-proofing property to avoid attracting a mountain lion’s main food source, removing dense vegetation to reduce hiding spaces, installing outdoor lighting and securing animal enclosures.
If those steps don’t work, Kellum said other options might include trapping and potentially using nonlethal projectiles, like paint balls, to chase away, haze and deter them.
She said, however, the situation in Corral de Tierra hasn’t reached that level of severity.
“We just want residents to go through these processes and not focus on potential worst-case scenarios,” she said.
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