This is a mountain lion taken a couple days ago in a neighboring county after it killed 9 of this boy's goats. It didn't eat any of the goats, just killed them and left them. It weighed in excess of 180 pounds! There has been 4 or 5 other lion attacks on livestock in the same area within the past few months. It's uncertain if the same cat was responsible for all of them or if there are multiple cats doing this. Either way, I'm glad they got this one and hope the livestock producers in the area start looking into a LGD to protect their animals.

This is typical of many predators no matter which they are, makes you sick and really mad. And the damned people who say , oh don't hunt or shoot them for they have to eat too. Mostly the defenders live in cities and never have to deal with the wanton destruction and heart break that the livestock people see and feel whether a young lad or a rancher or anyone else trying to raise their animals.

But I can't understand whay the humans ever wait to happened with them the worst ant then think how to prevent the problems.They must and they can protect their livestock.The M.Lion is a native hunter of this land...

Garu, the reason this country is unable too live with nature in harmony, they have forgoten the ways of their ancestors. It is very difficult to convince people to look to the old ways, they resist because they have been taught to look to the future and not the past. The people here reject their ancestors ways as being to slow, to simple, to old and not modern enough.

Not all, but the majority listen to teachers that tell them the old ways are in the past, leave them there, my father was that way, I try not to be,and have sought the old teachings. I agree with you completely.

http://thebeefjar.com/2012/03/15/guest- ... mentalist/

Here's an article about it. Apparently they have a guard dog, but as you guys preach so often, one wasn't enough. I can't imagine one 120 lb dog being much of a discouragement to a cat this size.

The other real problem here in CA is that voters decided in 1990 to ban the hunting of mountain lions. Since that time, their numbers have grown significantly and they've lost much of their fear and respect for humans. In the meantime, their natural prey, deer, are dropping in numbers, partly due to increase mountain lion predation (a lion will kill about 50 deer per year) but also due to loss of habitat and winter range to land development. This all combined has led to an increase in conflict between mountain lions and humans in California. I watch the news from San Fransisco and Oakland and there are frequent sightings of mountain lions now around schools and parks in communities surrounding the cities. Every couple years you hear about a hiker or cyclist being attacked. So these cats are now encroaching into more urban areas as well.

My gripe with all of this is why the voters were allowed to decide the management of a wildlife species in the first place? The average voter has no concept of how to maintain a healthy, balanced population or what that even looks like. They think these cats are beautiful and mysterious so let's not shoot them. THAT decision should have been left to trained, experienced wildlife managers who make decisions based on fact, not emotion. The HSUS had a hand in this 22 years ago and they're still at, leading voters to ban morning dove hunting in Michigan last year. This was just the beginning, believe me.

A lion is nothing compared to a pack of the big Canadian wolves, even the lion will loose with them and less you have good LGD's and enough of them for your livestock that savy working as a pack, that was built for the specific purpose for which they have been bred for centuries for, the protection of their shepherds and their charges, you will loose also.

Oh this is a tragedy, yes. Hopefully these people, when they begin again, will 'dog up' and get a few more dogs to help out. I hear from lots of people in Cali the lion situation all over, is getting out of hand...they are showing up in neighborhoods taking out pets....

As you well know cousin, you can lead mules to water but getting them to drink sometimes is a different story.

I've always heard accounts where packs of domesticated dogs will tear through livestock like this - but I've never heard about a big cat going on a killing-spree like this. I was under the impression that they tended to eat what they kill. Is this common?

The apex predators in N. America for whatever reason will kill domestic and also some wild prey, wantonly and maybe eat nothing. Maybe they are full or because they have no fear or maybe there has been so much game after people settled and created better habitat. Not that smart to know. Ask a Biologist, maybe, maybe no.