Dead Cougar Is Linked to Attacks; Park Reopens

Forensic tests have confirmed that a mountain lion killed by authorities Jan. 8 was the one that killed a 35-year-old cyclist and mauled a second rider hours later on a trail in the rugged Orange County foothills.

The test results, released Monday, confirmed suspicions that the attacks were carried out by the 110-pound male lion that was shot by authorities.

Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will reopen today, though members of at least one biking club said they will stay clear of the trail for a while. Kevin Thomas, director of Orange County Harbors, Beaches and Parks, said the wilderness park, which stretches from Foothill Ranch into the Santa Ana Mountains, will resume its normal hours of 7 a.m. until dusk.

Thomas warned visitors to always remain cautious and alert in a wilderness area. The trail is popular with mountain bikers and hikers and is used by high school cross-country teams.

Tests on human tissue found in the stomach of the lion, estimated to be 3 years old, matched the DNA of Mark Reynolds. Blood evidence on the cat’s paws matched that of Anne Hjelle.

“There’s no doubt, as we suspected from the beginning, that it was the same mountain lion,” said Jim Amormino, Orange County sheriff’s spokesman.

Reynolds, 35, was riding alone about noon Jan. 8 and had apparently crouched to fix a broken bicycle chain on a section of the trail known as Cactus Ridge when he was mauled, becoming the sixth recorded fatality of a mountain lion attack in California and the first since 1994. Wildlife experts said that in that crouched position, the veteran bike rider may have appeared to be a child or even a small animal.

Hjelle, 30, was attacked later that afternoon and was saved by riding companion Debi Nicholls, who held onto Hjelle until the lion let go.

That night sheriff’s deputies, aided by a helicopter, shot and killed the lion. Deputies aboard the helicopter said the cougar was stalking the patrolling deputies just before the fatal shot was fired.

Hjelle and Nicholls are members of the Trail Angels, a Christian women’s riding club based at Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest.

Jacke Van Woerkom, who founded the group in 1999, said Hjelle, a former Marine and a fitness trainer nicknamed Top Sprocket because she is one of the group’s strongest riders, is doing well and in good spirits.

Members of the Trail Angels are apprehensive and emotional about returning to the Whiting Ranch trail, Van Woerkom said, partly out of concern about being attacked but mostly because they know how wrenching it will be to return.

“We all know what we have to face out there,” she said. “For most of us, it’s bringing back the memory of that night, and what Anne and Debi went through, and what Mark must have gone through.”

Van Woerkom said she fears more attacks could happen. She said she plans to carry pepper spray and a small knife when she does return to Whiting, her favorite place to ride, even though she hasn’t seen a mountain lion in her 10 years of biking and says there’s a better chance of being struck by lightning.

“If it gives you a couple of seconds, it’s worth it,” she said.

Van Woerkom said other seasoned riders would probably be back in the park “just to prove something to the world.”

The Trail Angels are planning a day of bike rides and hikes Saturday to raise money for the Anne Hjelle Foundation Memorial and, in Reynolds’ memory, the Children’s First Bike Fund.

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Into the wild

In reopening Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, officials issued the following safety tips for visitors:

Stay alert: Watch for alert notices and signs pointing out dangers posted throughout the park. Your safety cannot be guaranteed when entering wilderness areas inhabited by wildlife.

Stay informed: Contact the park office for special advisories or park updates.

Don’t go alone: Practice the buddy system: Travel in pairs or groups, and carry a cell phone.

Watch your children: All minors should have adult supervision.

Report sightings: Mountain lion sightings should be reported to the park ranger or other appropriate official immediately.

Los Angeles Times