On June 13, 2020, a juvenile mountain lion was shot and killed following an attack on a four-year-old child who was running between two groups of adults in Blue Sky Ecological Preserve in Poway, CA. The child suffered minor scratches to his back and is thankfully recovering. My heart goes out to the family of the child as it was surely a traumatic event. 

This incident is no fault of the family involved nor is it the fault of the lion - rather, it’s the inevitable result of a loss of habitat. While I understand that the dispatching of a lion is sometimes necessary when deemed a threat, I’m proposing the following change to further educate the public visiting these sites in the hopes that further awareness will limit these interactions and hopefully prevent the further deaths of one of our state’s last wild creatures:

Every location where a mountain lion is killed in the state as a result of human interaction should have permanent signage added to trailheads with the date of the lion’s killing and an explanation of what can be done to prevent these interactions. While existing signage does warn the public about the dangers posed to humans, adding the date of the animal’s death to permanent signage emphasizes the very real consequences of not taking every precaution in their habitat - to both human and animal.

I’ve included a template below:

“On 6/13/2020, a mountain lion was euthanized here as the result of a rare attack on a child. REMEMBER - you may see houses from this trail, but this is not a developed urban park. 

Small children look like prey to these predators and must be kept close-by at all times. Letting children wander unattended not only puts them at risk, but that of our wildlife as well. With fewer  than 4,000 mountain lions left in the state, your actions can help prevent further loss of life. Remember - this is their only home.”

I’m disturbed that this is the second incident in a little over a year in San Diego County where a lion has been killed for a similar reason. I certainly don’t blame families for exercising their right to enjoy our public lands, nor do I blame lions for following their instincts - both have a right to co-exist on these trails as peacefully as possible.

According to California Department of Fish and Wildlife figures from July 2018, there have only been 16 verified mountain lion attacks on humans in California since 1890, six of them fatal. With the two incidents in San Diego County that have happened since, it’s clear that encroaching developments and the loss of wildlife corridors is leading to increased interactions.

Permanent signage highlighting mountain lion deaths and the encouragement of improved conduct on our trails and in our parks can help contribute to the conservation of this great species. I hope you’ll join me in signing this petition.