At the risk of starting a politically incorrect thread here, nature exists in a balance of the food chain. In most places in the world, humans are at the top, or close to it due to our brains, our weapons, etc. In the case of the CA overpopulation of Mtn. Lions, a decision was made to make it illegal to hunt them, for sport or food many years ago.
IMO, the result is an upset of the natural balance, just as if the coyotes are removed, the rodents overpopulate. I am not in favor of eradication, in principle. I do think, however a well-planned thinning of predators is not a bad thing.
Who is native? Are you? Were your parents? Mine were. My Grandparents crossed the "pool" from Russia. Does that make any of us more valuable in the food chain? I grew up in an area with wide open spaces to ride my horse to the top of a hill that is now a huge shopping mall. Cats have been seen even down there in the city in the creeks..searching for food..domestic cats and dogs mostly.
Moving into the habitat of these animals, combined with a ban on hunting has caused over-population, expanding territories, and generations of cats who do not look at humans as predators. I moved from the area I grew up in (that was rural at the time) to the foothills near Auburn over 20 years ago..a human example of expanding territories, I suppose. Overpopulation caused me to want more room than the city would allow. I saw cat tracks 2 feet from my hot tub on several occasions. They never bothered my horses or my dogs, but Akitas are pretty capable.
So, what solution do you propose?
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. ~ John Wayne
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> From: mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: PHPALS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; Ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [RC] FW: Mountain lion attacks 4 horses
> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:35:36 -0700
>
> April 25, 2008
>
> Santa Rosa Press Democrat (California)
>
> Mountain lion attacks 4 horses
>
> A year-old mountain lion attacked four horses off Stony Point Road in
Santa
> Rosa on Tuesday night.
>
> The horses' injuries range from claw marks to puncture wounds. They were
> expected to recover but were exhausted from the ordeal, Mary Quinn, their
> caretaker, said.
>
> Quinn said all the horses had been originally rescued from abuse and
> remained skittish after the attack. The mountain lion apparently climbed
> into the enclosure and went after the horses.
>
> The horses were attacked by dogs three years ago, Quinn said, and likely
> drew on their memory of that attack to work together to fight off the
> mountain lion. "They are very capable of protecting each other,"
Quinn said.
>
> A mountain lion expert with the Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner's
> Office confirmed the attack and suggested to Quinn that she purchase
> undomesticated donkeys as guardians for her small herd, Quinn said.
>
> Donkeys will fight mountain lions, she said.
>
> Joe Montoya of the Agricultural Commissioner's Office could not be reached
> for comment.
>
> -- Laura Norton
>
>
> Mike Sherrell
>
> www.postindustrialhorsemanship.com
> 707 887 2919/fax 707 887 9834
> Sebastopol, CA
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