State wildlife authorities want to know more about some alarming signs posted recently on the Loop near La CaΓ±ada with a warning about a mountain lion.
The signs reference stalking behavior but arenβt clear about what the cat may be stalking. βIf a person was being stalked, we definitely want to know about it,β said Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman Mark Hart. βWe need to talk to the people who saw that behavior.β
The warnings were taped at both ends of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge on the Loop as it follows the CaΓ±ada Del Oro wash about a quarter of a mile northeast of La CaΓ±ada.
They tell people to beware of βa large mountain lionβ in the area that is βactively stalking and killing prey to include dogs.β
βUse caution especially during evening hours,β the signs say.
The warnings showed up this week, not long after a family dog was attacked and killed in the backyard of a home in the neighborhood adjacent to the bridge.
An undated photo taken by Leroy Johnson shows a mountain lion standing on the wall of a home.
Hart said the attack was initially reported to Game and Fish on Monday.
No one witnessed the dog being killed, Hart said, but the homeowner on West Saddlehorn Drive later called back to say that a security camera recorded footage of a mountain lion near the residence.
Anyone with additional information or who sees a lion in that area is asked to report it by calling the Game and Fish Departmentβs 24-hour dispatch center at 623-236-7201.
A lion entering someoneβs yard to prey on a pet is generally not enough to warrant action by wildlife officials, but aggression toward people is another story, Hart said.
Even so, human encounters with mountain lions are rare and attacks on people even more so. By some estimates, fewer than 30 people have been killed by mountain lions in North America over the past 100 years.
Domestic animals usually arenβt so lucky. Hart said Game and Fish fields several reports a year of predators going after backyard pets. Coyotes are the most common culprits, with bobcats a distant second.
Hart said this recent incident is a good reminder not to leave dogs, cats or other animals unattended outside for any length of time, especially at night.
βA six-foot wall is nothing to a coyote or a bobcat or even a mountain lion, which has a vertical leap of 15 feet,β he said.
If you do encounter a mountain lion, do not approach the animal. Make sure it has a way to escape.
If it approaches you, stand and face it, stay calm, speak loudly and make eye contact as you back away slowly. Do not run as it may trigger the catβs instinct to chase.
Make yourself seem larger by raising your arms or opening your jacket if youβre wearing one. Throw rocks, branches or any other objects you can reach without crouching or turning your back on the lion.
If attacked, fight back with anything you can find, including your bare hands, and try to stay on your feet to keep the cat away from your head and neck.
As for this recent lion sighting, near a major wash at the western edge of Oro Valley, Hart said it literally comes with the territory.
βThatβs near the base of Pusch Ridge,β he said. βItβs not surprising that thereβs a mountain lion in that area.β
