County : Riley to Ask Supervisors to Oppose Lion Hunting

Supervisor Thomas F. Riley said Thursday that he will ask his colleagues to oppose a state proposal that could allow the hunting of mountain lions in the county, where two children were mauled by the animals last year.

Riley released a resolution that he said he hopes the Board of Supervisors will pass Tuesday, opposing any issuance of permits to hunt the cougars.

The supervisor said the county is taking part in a two-year study of the local mountain lion population to learn more about the animals. He also said that the county is trying to protect wildlife.

In addition, the county bars the use of firearms on county-owned lands designated as open space areas and “does not believe it prudent to permit hunting within close proximity to residential areas,” Riley pointed out.

The California Fish and Game Department three weeks ago proposed a mountain lion hunt that could result in the killing of as many as 210 of the animals statewide, including up to 20 in an area stretching from Los Angeles to the Mexican border, including all of Orange County.

A moratorium on hunting the cougars lasted from 1972 until last year. Although the ban was not renewed, permits to hunt mountain lions have not been issued.

Last March, 5-year-old Laura Michele Small was attacked by a mountain lion in Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park, east of San Juan Capistrano and a part of Riley’s district. Seven months later, 6-year-old Justin Mellon of Huntington Beach was also attacked by a cougar in the park, which was then closed and reopened under new rules limiting public access to many parts of the park.