Evidence of 6 Cougars Found in Park Area

There appear to be at least six mountain lions living in the vicinity of the Orange County wilderness park where two children were mauled this year, state wildlife experts said Monday.

“It is too early to say that lions are super, superabundant down there. But there is certainly a viable lion population in and around the area,” said Fish and Game Department biologist Terry Mansfield, who headed the survey team.

The 10-day survey was carried out earlier this month in a 15,000-acre area that included the Starr Ranch Audubon Sanctuary and the 7,500-acre Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park, where the two attacks occurred.

In counting the lions, researchers relied on paw prints, droppings, scratchings and evidence of deer and opossum kills.

Ongoing Survey

The tentative count, part of an ongoing survey, casts doubt on previous estimates that there are only 1,000 of the big cats in the entire state, Mansfield said.

But he said the numbers have not caused alarm among state wildlife management officials.

“It would just be premature to say that this is an artificially high or low concentration,” he said.

Orange County Parks and Recreation Director Hal J. Krizan said he was surprised by the finding that there are at least six mountain lions roaming the area. But he said he agrees with state officials that the count is no cause for alarm.

The county-owned Caspers Park has been closed to the public since the most recent mountain lion attack on Oct. 19, when a 6-year-old Huntington Beach boy was mauled.

Nature Trails

County officials have decided that when the park is reopened on Jan. 2, children will not be permitted beyond a picnic area near the park entrance. In addition, adults venturing onto nature trails and into campsites will be required to travel in groups of two or more.

After an earlier attack last March 23, which left a 5-year-old El Toro girl partially paralyzed and without sight in one eye, three mountain lions were trapped in the park.