Neighbors may recall a post in January with pictures of deer and a concern being discussed about the ever tamer deer attracting mountain lions.Well, last night I got the email below via the neighborhood email loop (you can subscribe here).
So on our way out to dinner (yum) this evening we stopped at the trail head to see what kind of kill it was David had seen. We easily found the carcass of a young doe.
Sure looks like the work of a lion to me. I took a few pictures with my phone. Note the wide shot where you can see Norah standing just off the road through the trees. That's where the carcass is.
------ Forwarded Message
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:37:16 -0700
Subject: mountain lion kill
Today we found a fresh mountain lion kill about 50 ft off the road across the street from my house at the top of Tanoble Dr. It is right by the trail head for the crest trail. Please be careful if you are hiking in the trails!
David Lewis
Tanoble Dr.
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We should be careful about assuming this was a mountain lion kill without some more information, like a sighting. Certainly coyotes are much more common and quite capable of killing a deer (they are known to kill elk). According to www.sheepscreek.com/rural/pred.html mountain lions cover their prey. Coyotes are apparently known to eat the abdominal cavity of their prey, sort of how it looks in the pictures. Not that it couldn't be a lion. We certainly have them, and we should all be careful on the trails and avoid hiking alone.
ReplyDeleteChecking in more than a day late and some short. I agree with Patrick. Lions generally break the neck of their prey. If there were tooth marks on the neck, that might tip the balance toward lion. Pug marks in the dirt would prove it. Too late now though. Although I seriously doubt that a bear was responsible, we did have lots of evidence of bear activity a week or so before that, including one lovely "gift" discovered in the yard on a morning scat scan. Note: Don't leave the gate open. Photos available on request.
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