MacKinnon said an “interesting part of the flyer is the abilities of a mountain lion.” Cougars can bound up to 40 mph, reach sprint speeds of 50 mph, and walk at 10 mph, a pace “much faster than humans.... They can leap 15 feet up a tree” and climb over a 12-foot high fence. The abilities of the mountain lion, MacKinnon stressed, are “not to be taken lightly.”The flyer concentrates on personal safety, but also offers suggestions for lessening the chances a cougar will enter your property, such as landscaping for safety by removing plants that provide cover and vegetation that attracts wildlife attractive to the predator mountain lion. The flyer - compiled from official wildlife sources - notes that if encountered, it is essential not to run from or past a cougar, an action that might trigger its natural instinct to chase. Make eye contact, stand your ground, pick up small children if possible without bending or crouching down - actions that to the cougar eyes make the human resemble four-legged prey - or turning away.A vital tip is if you encounter a cougar make yourself appear larger, more aggressive. Open your jacket, raise your arms, and throw stones, branches, etc., without turning away. Wave raised arms slowly, and speak slowly, firmly, loudly to disrupt and discourage predatory behavior.MacKinnon said the flyer will also be available for downloading on the city’s website.
Flyers in response to rising cougar sightings to be distributed
March 20, 2009
Santa Paula Police Department
Santa Paula Police will be targeting more than 1,000 households Saturday to distribute informational flyers in response to the rising number of mountain lion sightings.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesSanta Paula Police will be targeting more than 1,000 households Saturday to distribute informational flyers in response to the rising number of mountain lion sightings. According to SPPD Chief Steve MacKinnon, the flyers will be distributed by SPPD Reserves, Explorers, and “probably Citizens Patrol as well,” to households in areas where cougars have been spotted in increasing incidents for more than a month.Just this past week there have been numerous sightings of mountain lions in residential areas, especially neighborhoods in the vicinity of creeks and canyons. On Saturday flyers will distributed from at least Pleasant Street “north, going up the mountain” in the Oaks section of the city, as well as the residential area on the opposite side of Ojai Road.“In round figures,” MacKinnon said, “we’ll probably distribute 1,000 to 1,200 flyers based on the sets of REVERSE 911® notifications” conducted after several of the mountain lion sightings. The “significant number of sightings over a prolonged period of time” prompted the flyers, he added. “It’s something we’re concerned about, and we want the residents” to be aware “of what to do and what not to do... and the real safety concerns we have while this is going on.”
