Local jogger sees mountain lion in Mohr-Martin neighborhood Around Town, posted by Editor, Pleasanton Weekly Online, on Apr 16, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Police are warning residents using rural pathways in the Pleasanton area to be on the lookout for mountain lions after a jogger reported running into one Tuesday morning.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, April 16, 2009, 12:08 PM
Posted by AVHS Dad, a resident of the Stoneridge Park neighborhood, on Apr 16, 2009 at 1:16 pm AVHS Dad is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
My wife and I have been walking there for years and have never seen one. Heard rumors of them but never seen them. We've seen buzzards, turkeys, skunks, deer, foxes and a multitude of squirrels, but never a mountain lion. We'll keep an eye out though.
Posted by Stacey, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Apr 16, 2009 at 1:38 pm Stacey is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
Posted by PastResident, a member of the Vintage Hills Elementary School community, on Apr 16, 2009 at 2:48 pm
We used to live in the Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood and frequently walked along the creek. A couple of years ago, there was an actual confirmed siting of a mountain lion in the Mohr neighborhood near the school. My daughter did a science fair project on urban wildlife. She collected footprints of animals encased in mud and had them on display. One of the footprints was from a mountain lion and was found beyond the Stoneridge extension area. Nearby were deer prints. The science teacher confirmed the print as lion prints as dog prints are often mistaken for lion prints.
If you walk down the creek, be diligent, have your eyes open and walk in a group or with a dog. We are in their territory and yes, they have made their home within our city bounderies.
Posted by AVHS Dad, a resident of the Stoneridge Park neighborhood, on Apr 16, 2009 at 4:18 pm AVHS Dad is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
@ Stacey: BAH! I blame the proposed Parcel Tax!!!!
Posted by Stacey, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Apr 16, 2009 at 9:43 pm Stacey is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
AVHS Dad,
It was in the General Plan from 1966! It used to say that mountain lions needed to be relocated to your area to mitigate development in the Pleasanton Ridge. Wasn't it disclosed when you purchased?!
Posted by AVHS Dad, a resident of the Stoneridge Park neighborhood, on Apr 17, 2009 at 9:19 am AVHS Dad is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
@Stacey: OMG! That darn developer never disclosed that! I'm calling my lawyer! Time for another frivolous lawsuit!
@Jerry: That will only work if you can outrun your dog.
@Jarhead: Careful. You'd more likely shoot a jogger than a mountain lion.
Posted by AVHS Dad, a resident of the Stoneridge Park neighborhood, on Apr 17, 2009 at 10:15 am AVHS Dad is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
Posted by Einstein, a member of the Mohr Elementary School community, on Apr 17, 2009 at 2:46 pm Einstein is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
A mountain lion was spotted in the same area 3 years ago.
Posted by Not sure, a member of the Lydiksen Elementary School community, on Apr 18, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Not sure.. if Stacey was being sarcastic but mountain lions do need space to roam. They need at least 25 to 50 square miles. As we build more homes, roads and buildings we are bound to run into them.
In Cuyamaca State Park (In So. California) there was a project to study the habits/reactions of these mountain lions. They found that most of them liked to roam at night and that they were roaming closer and closer to urban areas even going as far as crossing major highways in order to get into open space areas.
If you "run" into one...
Most mountain lions will try to avoid confrontation, give them a way to escape.
Stay calm. Stop and backup slowly if you are able to do so.
Never run away from a mountain lion. Running stimulates a mountain lions natural instinct to chase (there was a recent study done that showed some success by running, but until more cases are studied the general consensus is not to do it.)
Be sure to always make contact with the lion by looking over its head and stand up as tall as possible. By making yourself look larger, it intimidates the lion and often makes them turn and run.
Open your jacket and flap it about, yell, throw stones but make sure you react so that the cat knows that you are the one in control, not him. If there are children present, pick them up immediately and never turn your back on a lion, or squat down while retrieving the child.
Never squat or bend over at anytime. Research has shown that when a human bends over that person looks like four legged prey to a large cat of any type.
If the lion behaves aggressively, throw stones, branches or whatever you can get your hand on without crouching down or turning your back.
If you are attacked, fight back. Never succumb or roll into a ball. Hit as hard as possible especially to the head area. If you can retrieve a stick or large rock ,use it as a weapon. If face to face with the cat, go for the eyes by clawing or throwing dirt in the face of the cat. Mountain lions will usually strike the back of the head and especially the neck.
It is important to remain standing as long as possible. Once you are on the ground you have decreased your chances for survival.
Posted by unclehomerr.., a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Apr 19, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Dick...
Something about shoot 'em, shovel a grave, and 'shut-up'. That might not be quite right, but it's close.
In my case, I've been walking around the house trying to look larger.. but, all I'm accomplishing is hitting my head on the ceiling and having my trou drop!
Posted by MIchelle, a member of the Mohr Elementary School community, on Apr 20, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Anyone that thinks there are not mountain lions in our town and the surrounding rural areas is absolutely wrong. I have lived here for 35 years and have seen them and/or their tracks at Ausutine Bernal Park, Pleasanton Ridge Park, The Moeller Estate area, the Arroyo trails, Oak Tree Farms area, and in my most frequent walking area--Martin Avenue Greenbelt. I ride my horses in the ridge and have had encounters. There is an over-populatioon of deer on the ridge, so we have lions than normal. We also occasionallyl have a small deer population in the Mohr-Martin area.It is too bad that the mountain lions can't help us with the wild turkey population. There are also bobcats, coyotes, and fox in all of these areas. We could use a few more perigrine falcons to help us with the pigeon population. I think the mountain lion needs to be located and relocated, or it needs to be located and humanely or otherwise euthanized.
Posted by Gennady, a resident of San Ramon, on Aug 14, 2009 at 10:46 pm
I work at Koll Center Parkway and sometimes go for hikes at lunch in Pleasanton Ridge Park. I did it today, August 14th 2009 at about 3 p.m., and saw a mountain lion first time in my life in the wild. Kinda scary...
I parked at the bottom of Longview, hiked up to the water reservoir in Augustine Bernal Park and continued south along the ridge. I saw the mountain lion about 300 yards from reservoir in wooded area above the trail. It was leisurely moving between the bushes. The animal was the size of a big labrador. I'm not sure if the cat saw me, but I got a little scared for sure. I stopped, picked up a rock and slowly started backing down the trail. The animal disappeared behind the bushes and never saw it again. Maybe I should have continued on my hike but did not know what to expect from a big cat. So I cut my walk a little short today.
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