2/18 - 6.9 - 01:13:19 - CHINA-RUSSIA-NORTH KOREA BORDER REGION
2/22 - 6.0 - 07:00:55 - TONGA REGION
18 - GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIFORNIA (from 2.5 to 3.6)
4 - HAWAII
1 - ARKANSAS
1 - NEW YORK
3 - OKLAHOMA
1 - NEW MEXICO
1 - NEW JERSEY
1 - NEVADA
2 - BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
1 - NORTHERN YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA
Plus a whole bunch in the rest of California and Alaska, and a few in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The rest of the Ring of Fire was pretty busy, too.
(note: Green Mountain Falls and Crystola are both 'just over the mountain' from my parents home, maybe 10 miles away, as the crow flies. As I've written before, mountain lions have been sighted here over the years, as well.)
From The Mountain JP, Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Killer Mountain Lions Still On The Loose In GMF
By Rick Langenberg
Wildlife authorities are still searching for two mountain lions - a mother and cub - who leaped into a residential yard just off the main street of Green Mountain Falls, dragged away and killed a 15-pound dog.
The incident, which has left many residents on the edge, occurred when the mother lion was apparently teaching her cub how to hunt.
The death of a small Cavashon mix happened in less than a minute.
A humane trap, baited with deer meat, was installed in the area in an effert to capture the killer lions. In addition, town officials have distributed cougar safety tips at the local post office. However, no traces of the culprit lions have been evident, with some speculating that the big cats may have left the area.
In fact, authorities have reported little sign of mountain lion activity since the latest attack. Though authorities have cited the possibility that a mountain lion devoured a goat in the Crystola area recently, that animal death hasn't definitively been attributed to a cougar assult.
Even with the lack of sightings, the recent big cat attacks have prompted many concerns amoung local residents, who are wondering how they can protect their kids and pets in mountain lion country.
Green Mountain Falls Marshal Randy Ford notes that contrary to certain Colorado Division of Wildlife guidelines, residents are allowed to protect themselves, their families and their pets from attacks by lions or any other wildlife within the city limits of Green Mountain Falls. "They can certainly protect themselves and their animals. We just don't want people to shoot them (mountain lions) on sight," said Ford. The use of deadly force to fend off attacks should be done as a last resort, explained the marshal.
That said, he maintains that residents certainly have the right to defend themselves, their family members and pets from dangerous assaults and doesn't discourage people from carrying licensed weapons during outings in the wild, such as in the National Forest.
According to DOW guidelines, people can shoot a lion, if they or members of their families are under attack. But the DOW rules are ambiguous when it comes to a pet getting assaulted, with the DOW not giving pets any more rights than mountain lions. The DOW, through its web site postings and brochures, has stressed that the Pikes Peak region is mountain lion country.
As for other protection measures, the Green Mountain Falls Marshal's Office plans to continue to monitor the playground of the Ute Pass Elememtary School during recess and lunch periods when many kids are outdoors. Authorities are advising parents to keep close tabs on their kids while they play outdoors. In addition, local officials are doing their part in educating residents about cougar safety tips.
In the last few months, locals have occasionally seen cougars right in the middle of town. Ford believes there are about a dozen mountain lions who roam the region, consisting of a 70-square-mile area. There have been more than a dozen sightings in the last few months in the GMF area, with the big cats in some cases basking in the sun in a residential yard, or even strolling down the mian street. "They are pretty lazy," quipped Ford, who says the lions won't try to conceal themselves unless they feel threatened.
In addition, Ford says bobcat sightings have also been prevalent in the last few months. "That is something we have never seen before," said the marshal.
Speculations persisits that big cats have moved in closer to town due to more challenging hunting conditions on Pikes Peak or the increased number of deer in town.
Still, mountain lion encounters are extrememly rare, with only about 50 recorded human/mountain lion encounters in the last 50 years throughout the country, according to Backwood Home magazine.
"You mainly don't want to make yourself a target of opportunity," warns Ford.
For more information, call 227-5200
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