Beware of Big Cats Without Candy Bags

They won’t be wearing costumes this Halloween. They won’t even pester neighbors for candy and other goodies. But in their made-by-nature regality, these creatures may provide a real fright among the make-believe monsters.

Several mountain lions have descended recently from the wilds of the Santa Susana Mountains into a Granada Hills neighborhood, and officials say the presence of the animals could make Halloween a little more scary for parents and children trick or treating in the area.

“This is a rare situation,” said Gary Olsen, district supervisor for the Department of Animal Regulation. “Parents and children should stay in groups and use caution.”

Sunday, residents spotted two mountain lions, or cougars, in the 13000 block of Jolette Avenue, Olsen said. In the 13400 block of Mission Tierra Way another mountain lion was seen Saturday, and Oct. 18 a fourth was spotted in Omelveny Park.

“We’ve had somewhat of an onslaught . . . because of the drought,” Olsen said. “All the animals are coming out.”

The nocturnal lions come down from the mountains following deer, he said. Other animals, such as black bears and coyotes, have also been spotted in the same neighborhoods.

But children out on Halloween, a night of fun and thrills, might want to pet or chase the animals.

“A mountain lion is a big, pretty cat,” Olsen said. “The closer you get, the prettier it is. There could be some real attraction for a child.”

Normally, the animals will retreat in the presence of humans, Olsen said.

“They don’t like the upright posture,” Olsen said. “They don’t like the smell. They just don’t like human beings so they usually take off.”

But a sick or injured animal may react differently, so parents in hillside neighborhoods should “use all precautions.”

If a mountain lion is seen, “slowly move back and give the animal an opportunity to get away. Give it an out. . . . Do not confine the animal,” Olsen said.

Don Mullally, senior gardener at Omelveny Park, said many visitors have spotted mountain lion tracks and some have seen the animals.

“These animals have probably been up there watching humans,” Mullally said. “They’re not afraid to come down anymore.”

Laura Small, a 10-year-old El Toro girl, was mauled in 1986 by a mountain lion while she and her mother searched for tadpoles at the Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park east of San Juan Capistrano. In August, Small was awarded $2 million by jurors who determined that Orange County was responsible for the attack.