OJAI : Campers Warned About Lions in Park

Park rangers in Los Padres National Forest are issuing warnings to campers about mountain lions in a three-square-mile area of the park near Wheeler campground north of Ojai.

Rangers and trail crew members this week will stop all of the campers they encounter in the area. They will tell campers that they are in mountain lion territory and will explain what to do if they encounter one.

Warning signs have been posted in English and Spanish at Holiday and Wheeler campgrounds, along Ortega Trail and on a nature trail in the area.

The increased warning comes after a couple camping in Wheeler campground last weekend fought off a cat that attacked their 100-pound German shepherd.

Rangers said the case is isolated but not surprising. California Department of Fish and Game officials estimate that nine lions roam every 100 square miles of the park.

“When you come to a national park, you are entering their home,” said George Garcia, a biologist for the U.S. Forest Service District in Ojai. “People have alternatives if they don’t want to experience bears, rattlesnakes or mountain lions. They can go to the beach, or Magic Mountain, Disneyland and Dodger Stadium.”

Fish and Game spokesman Patrick Moore said mountain lions are attracted to campgrounds by quickly moving people and pets that look like prey to the cat.

“They are not like bears in the sense that they are not scavengers,” he said. “Children and pets make high-pitched noises and smell good to the cat. Most of the adults attacked have been moving quickly, jogging, bicycling or skiing.”

Two people were killed last year in attacks in San Diego and El Dorado counties--the first fatal attacks in California since 1910. Four dogs have been attacked by cats in Ventura County in recent months.

Moore said people can avoid attacks by keeping pets and children close to them, and standing tall, yelling, and waving without making any sudden moves if they are approached by a lion.