An Orange County park was temporarily closed Tuesday after two people reported seeing mountain climbers the previous day.
In some of the incidents, bicyclists chased down a mountain lion following a cliffside trail, in behavior that wildlife officials described as normal.
Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will be closed until further notice “out of an abundance of caution,” OC Parks said.
Park staff are working with researchers from the California Department of Fish and wildlife biologists at UC Davis’ wildlife They plan to place cameras around the park to track animal activity and look for evidence such as new tracks and scat, he said.
UC Davis Biologists are also reviewing video provided by one of the bikers, who reported the encounter to authorities, Kennedy said.
A video posted on Facebook on Monday shows a mountain biker coming out of the brush to follow the cyclists on the side of the trail, which was hit by a mountain on the other side. Cougar continues to thrive as bikers clamor for its return. At one point, it stops and looks at them looking back, they look guilty, jump to the side of the track just before they reach them. ABC7 first reported on the video.
“This is out-of-the-ordinary behavior,” said Cort Klopping, a spokesperson for Fish and Wildlife. Pumas generally avoid people – to the point where a human is a thousand times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion, he said.
It’s unclear why the animal is of such interest to cyclists, Kennedy said. Some online critics of the video thought the mother was trying to move the bikes away from her cubs. In February, researchers located a mountain lion in a field in Orange County that was pregnant at the time, Kennedy said. UC Davis scientists confirmed the colorful lady was at the Whiting Ranch on Monday, but it’s not clear if she still had butterflies with her.
Based on the video, UC Davis biologists believe the mountain has a gender imbalance – showing behavior related to curiosity, rather than abuse, said Kennedy. It is not clear whether the same lion was involved in both sightings, he said.
Lindsay Velez, who lives in Rancho Santa Santa Margarita, said she ran into two mountains in the mountains on Monday as she left the trail, as she was preparing to go with her 12-year-old daughter. They showed him this video and warned him, he said.
Elezez said he knows mountain lions live in the area: “I carry Bear Fall with me everywhere, not bears.” But there seems to have been an uptick in activity in the past week, he said, adding that a friend reported seeing a lion in his backyard at night.
With its rugged hillside and dense brush, the park in the foothills of Santa Ana has a history of Mping Mountain lion activity. There have been mountain lion attacks there since 2004, Kennedy said, leading to the death of Marku Reynolds, 35, who was killed when he fell on his way to fix his bicycle chain.
Still, Reynolds’ death was only the sixth in California, according to the reporting period. Since then, one death has been recorded – that of Taylert Robert Claude Brooks, 21, who was killed by a mountain lion while hunting deer in northern El Dorado County last March.
Those who encounter a mountain lion should take care not to chase it back and make themselves appear as large as possible by extending their arms and making a lot of noise, Klopping said. They should return slowly, rather than rushing, and take care not to lie or bend, he said.
Pets should be kept open so they don’t get close to the animal, and small children should get close, it’s appropriate for older shoulders, he said. People should also make sure the animal has a clear escape route, she said.
People can reduce the risk of such encounters in areas prone to bicycling or jogging at dawn, and it’s best to participate in those activities in groups, Klopping said.
