Hikers Return to Caspers : Undeterred by Lion Warnings

Felix and Christina Vega parked their Volkswagen in the Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park in San Juan Capistrano and glanced at the signs warning visitors that they were now in mountain lion country.

The couple shook their heads and laughed.

“You can walk here safer with the lions than you can in downtown Los Angeles,” said Felix Vega, 33, of Long Beach, who came to the park with his wife for a picnic. “Hey, this is relaxing compared to the city.”

A steady stream of hikers, campers, curiosity seekers and picnickers descended on the park Friday when it reopened after a 10-week closure. The park had closed after a mountain lion attacked a 6-year-old Huntington Beach boy on Oct. 19.

New Regulations

Visitors to the park Friday met new county regulations, including mandatory wilderness permits they must fill out, acknowledging that the 7,600-acre park’s inherent dangers such as mountain lions, rattlesnakes,

poison oak and rugged terrain. The regulations also require that visitors stay together in groups of two or more at all times and restrict minors to picnic areas or the visitors’ center.

There were more visitors Friday than expected, said Senior Park Ranger Bruce Buchman. “Usually, we are fairly light this time of year. But it’s probably because of the holiday, so more people are using the parks,” Buchman said. About 70 people had filled out wilderness forms by noon on Friday.

The county Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the new regulations Nov. 5 after the October lion attack on Justin Mellon, who suffered cuts on his head, arms and legs. He needed 100 stitches to close his wounds.

The incident was the second attack in the park last year. In March, a mountain lion severely injured 5-year-old Laura Michele Small of El Toro. She remains partially paralyzed, with loss of sight in one eye.

New Signs Posted

Buchman said county officials have posted approximately 50 new signs throughout the park, warning visitors about the lions and stating the new regulations. The signs range from poster-size bulletins in the restroom facilities and picnic areas to smaller ones staked out on the park trails.

Ron and Denise Dorn, visiting from Lubbock, Tex., brought their son, Jeremy, 20 months, to visit the park’s museum. Denise Dorn, who has visited the park before, said the regulations made sense.

“Everybody should keep an eye on their kids here,” Dorn said. “That’s only common sense. I wouldn’t let my kid out of my sight with or without the signs.”

Most visitors do not seem to mind the extra paper work and the new regulations. Russ and Donna Potter, residents of Dana Point, filled out forms at the park’s main gate so they could camp until Sunday night.

Not Afraid

“We heard about the lion attacks, and we heard about the opening of the park,” Potter said in his camper. “But nothing beats the serenity here. We prefer the quiet, and we are not afraid of the lions.”

“It’s kind of exciting to have lions around, but they are not something to be afraid of,” said Christina Vega.

Hikers Neville Hamilton and his wife, Diana, of Huntington Beach, agreed. “We would like to see one (a lion),” Hamilton said. ‘But we don’t mind just hiking in the mountains.”