Suburban mountain lion
August 30, 2007
My mother, who lives in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a southeastern suburb of Tulsa, alerted me to this article. A mountain lion (also known as a cougar) was sighted on a hike-and-bike trail not far from her house.
I’ve posted about mountain lions moving into the suburbs, but a story like this brings it home. A cougar sighting isn’t cause for panic, obviously, and it might even be cause for delight. But I’d sure want to know about it if I had kids or pets in the vicinity.
Yeah, I think I’d be pretty nervous if a cougar was in the neighborhood. We can hear coyotes almost every night, but rarely see them, and I like to think they’re doing their part to keep the deer population in check. While we rarely see coyotes, there are reports that they are becoming bolder in other parts of the state and there have been more attacks on humans.
Hi, Kathy. Coyotes have been getting pretty bold in some west Austin neighborhoods, leading the city to trap some of them. The city is also working to educate people about discouraging coyotes from coming in their yards (don’t leave out pets or pet food, primarily). I’ve heard of a few attacks on children in New Jersey and California but nothing like that in Austin. —Pam
Just a week or so ago a cougar jumped through the glass door of a jewelry shop on the plaza in Santa Fe, NM. setting of alarms which drew police. They shot at it with a shotgun at close range and missed. It went into the restroom and sat down on the floor of the stall. Then a fish and game officer was called. He had to shoot it with a knockout dart in the chest which meant he had to lie on his stomach in the rest room and shoot under the stall. It takes about 15 minutes for the anesthesia to take effect. Needless to say he was pretty nervous. But the animal finally fell asleep and they took it about 100 miles a way and released it, still sleepy into the wild. Who was more scared? The cougar or the fish and game guy?
It would be nice to know if they were in the area, but no one had a clue about this guy. The truth is that the human/cougar contact is rare and fairly unpredictable. People are rarely hurt. Cougars are often hurt. Luckily the Santa Fe story came out well for all.
That must have been something! I’m glad the cougar wasn’t killed; it must have been as terrified as the people. But I wonder what led it to jump through the window? Thanks for your comment, Betty in New Mexico. —Pam
We heard coyotes at our last house, Pam, and there were bobcat sightings, but a cougar would be on quite another level. Kathy is right – they might like small children even more than small dogs and cats.
So is your mom packing her bags and heading for Austin?
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Not yet. 🙂 But she does have some concerns about the safety of her small dogs, which let themselves in and out at night through a small doggie door. —Pam
I don’t have a comment about mountain lions. Instead I just wanted to say that I love your blog! Your garden is an inspiration. I just love flipping through your pages and years and looking at all the work you have done. I am a fairly new gardener, only been at it for a year and a half, and I think I have learned more about plants, gardening and design from real life gardens like yours more so than any book, article or magazine! Keep the pictures coming so I can keep being nosy:-)
Rebecca in Dallas Tx
Thanks for your kind words, Rebecca. I’m so glad to hear that Digging has helped or inspired you in the garden. Come back anytime, and keep on digging! —Pam