CA lion trapped and killed

[Emily]

after attacking pet donkey

http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/news/new ... p?c=229059

E-mail this article to a friend | Printer friendly format

Mountain lion killed in Pine Grove
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
By Josh McCoy

The mountain lion responsible for killing a donkey in Pine Grove was killed Friday.
Photo by: Courtesy to the Ledger Dispatch


The trap used to snare a mountain lion after it attacked a donkey in Pine Grove.
Photo by: Josh McCoy

A 140-pound mountain lion was trapped and shot in Pine Grove Friday, after it killed a miniature Sicilian donkey on a small farm on Lupe Road, according to the donkey's owner, Peter Hansell.

Hansell found his 400-pound donkey, which he had used at charity events in the county, disemboweled and partially eaten near the bottom of his 5-acre parcel early Friday morning, he said.

After talking with local officials, Hansell estimated that the lion attacked around 5:45 a.m., jumping onto the donkey's rump and using a paw to eviscerate it from the side. A lack of tracks and scattered blood in the pen indicated that the donkey had been attacked and killed in the spot where it slept. The lion ate only the soft tissue of the donkey's anus before escaping, Hansell said.

"I'm not happy," Hansell said multiple times as he prepared to transfer his remaining donkey to a safe location for the night.

The area around Hansell's lot is moderately populated, with a mix of 5-acre and 1-acre lots dotting the heavily forested landscape between his house and Ridge Road. Hansell said the attack caused him to fear for people in his neighborhood who frequently go for walks in the early morning. "This animal crossed the line," Hansell said. "This was a very dangerous situation."

"It was kind of creepy," added 14-year-old Justin Splawn, one of Hansell's neighbors. Splawn said he helped his father attend to their horses after Hansell told them about the attack.

The loss was particularly hard for Peter's wife, Ann, who noted that the donkey's name was Chocolate and that, despite donkeys' social tendencies, this one had always preferred to sleep alone at the bottom of the pen. "This was my baby for 18 years," she said.

Peter said the donkeys were a popular attraction at several events in the area, including Sutter Creek's annual Duck Race, a nativity scene in Jackson, and Frontier Day in Amador City. The mild-mannered gelding gave rides to kids, posed for pictures and helped raise funds for a variety of charities, including the A-PAL Humane Society, he said.

A sheriff's deputy first responded to Hansell's call. Hansell said the case was deferred to Laurie Knowles, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Fish and Game, who arrived a few hours later with local trapper Bill Watkins. Neither official responded to calls about the incident. Watkins set up a large cage with a trap door, according to Hansell, near the pool of blood where the attack occurred. The right rear flank of the donkey was hung in the back of the cage for bait.

Watkins was reportedly confident that the same cat would return Friday night, and left instructions with Hansell for where he could be reached. At 7 p.m., shortly after dark, the cat entered the cage while Hansell was still in his yard, he said. Watkins killed the lion by shooting it between the eyes.

"It took 15 minutes for it to die," Hansell said of the large cat. "A cat that size could have killed and eaten anything it wanted."

Last year, two mountain lions were killed in the county, according to Kyle Orr, a public information officer with Fish and Game. Across the state, 70 problem lions were killed. Numbering between 4,000 and 6000, the lions have a unique "protected species" designation under California law. Orr said game wardens are responsible for deciding which lions pose a threat to people, livestock or pets, but he encouraged residents to call any law enforcement agency if a problem with a lion arises.


Josh McCoy