Mountain lion in Southwest Austin?

[KevinFromTexas]

Yikes. I live about 5 miles from here, though. Still, a mountain lion in Austin?! I'd reconsider riding alone at the Veloway off S. Loop 1.

From the Austin American-Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/news/conten...15mtlions.html

Mountain lion in Southwest Austin?
Wildflower center closes hiking trails, although it says there probably isn't a cougar around.

By Marty Toohey
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Friday, December 15, 2006

First off, it might not have been a mountain lion. Could have been a dog, could have been a bobcat. Studies show that an overwhelming majority of the time, it's not actually a mountain lion.

But then again, it might have been a mountain lion that was spotted Nov. 27 in Southwest Austin near the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The sighting is unconfirmed.

In response, the center temporarily closed its four miles of hiking trails Nov. 29 as a precautionary measure. If there are no more sightings, the trails will probably open in early January, spokeswoman Michelle Bryant said.

Experts with the center and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department say mountain lions, which are also called cougars and pumas, pose minimal danger to humans.

John Young, a mountain lion expert with the wildlife department, said Austin is not a suitable habitat, and "99.9 percent of the time, a mountain lion is going to see a person and go the other way."

A 1991 study analyzing attacks in Canada and the United States, cited in Wildflower pamphlets, found 53 documented attacks by mountain lions over the previous 100 years, nine of which were fatal.

Young gets called to several mountain lion sightings each year. He said he hasn't actually found evidence of one. Usually, he finds dog tracks.

He found no evidence of a mountain lion at the wildflower center, he said, and if one was there, it has probably moved on.

Mark Simmons, an ecologist with the wildflower center, said the possibility that a mountain lion passed through the greenbelts around Austin could be viewed as good news.

"If you've got the predator at the top of the food chain here, it shows the (ecological) system is functioning" in the greenbelts, he said. "Austin should be proud of that."

He added that although attacks have happened, "I think you're more likely to be hit on the head by a coconut than be attacked by a mountain lion."

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by The article

He added that although attacks have happened, "I think you're more likely to be hit on the head by a coconut than be attacked by a mountain lion."

[Boquillas]

Why on earth would they close the hiking trails? I would love the opportunity to see a mountain lion! The odds of being attacked by one are very remote-- those that have attacked humans in the past were old and weak/emaciated-- desperate animals--and even then, they usually attack solo hikers or people with small children or dogs. A few years ago they did a radio collar study of mountain lions in the Big Bend Region (which has one of the strongest populations of desert lions outside of CA) and noticed they liked to sit by the trails in the Chisos Basin and watch people go by, just like curious housecats. For the duration of the study, with thousands of people walking by, there was not one attack, and few visitors spotted the mountain lions. I would bet they have a small population in Hill Country ecosystems, as they prey almost exclusively on deer, and there's a ton of them in Texas. They have a huge range, too, because they are solitary hunters. If there was one in Austin, it might be gone now, anyway.

[potts]

From what I understand, Mountain Lions are moving increasingly eastward as a result of being pushed out of their natural habitat so I wouldn't be too surprised if it really was one. When I lived in northeastern Missouri one was caught on film a couple years back just a few miles from where I lived. Yikes!

[Double L]

At least there isn't much of a potential threat to anyone.