Mountain Lion Attacks Woman Hiking in Central California

[CShine]

A woman was attacked by a mountain lion while hiking in central California, but was rescued when her friends stabbed the animal with a knife and threw rocks at it, officials said. Shannon Parker suffered deep lacerations to her right thigh and injuries to her eyes during Saturday's attack, said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game. Parker, 27, of Santa Monica, was transferred to UCLA Medical Center, where she underwent reconstructive surgery Sunday morning, Martarano said. Parker's family asked UCLA not to release her condition, hospital spokeswoman Rachel Shampeau said.

Authorities said Parker was hiking with three male friends about 20 miles north of Kernville when the 70-pound female lion attacked her, Martarano said. The lion ran off after Parker's friends stabbed it and threw rocks at it.

The lion left a bloody trail as it fled, and was later shot and killed by U.S. Forest Service officers and state game wardens, Martarano said.

The lion "appeared to be emaciated" and officials will do a necropsy Monday to determine whether it was sick or injured, Martarano said.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBGN2OQZVD.html

[Tellurian]

1. Most likely had cubs to feed...

for her to go out on a limb like that..

[pinniped]

2. Don't mountain lions usually attack solo targets?

Maybe she was lagging behind her friends about 20ft?

[daleo]

3. This happens once or twice a year in Alberta and B.C. as well

Usually the cats are sick and hungry.

I recall biking on a rail trail in Central B.C. a few years back (Kettle Valley) and coming across the corpse of a coyote, then another one a little further up the trail. We figured they were probably jumped by a mountain lion, as the corpses were at points on the trail where there was elevated land above the trail (sort of cut into the side of a hill). The coyotes had obviously been dead for months, though.

A few weeks later a lady was jumped and killed, while on horseback, by a mountain lion, a few dozen kilometers from that area. It was quite a sad story.

[Jacobin]

4. Mountain lions eat meat

Homo sapiens are meat.

What's the big surprise?

[Jack_DeLeon]

11. "Ah, negative I am a meat popsicle"

[lanparty]

5. Pedestrian attacked by Ford Expedition ...

Detroit - A lone pedestrian was attacked by a lone Ford Expidition on Monday night. Apparantly, the woman was running when the incident occured.

Local residents have called for the hunting and killing of Expiditions in response to the incident. "We can't have all these deadly beasts running around. They could kill our kids or our pets."

However, local automotive protection groups have pointed out that the Expidition serves an important part of the highway ecosystem. "The Expidition is an APEX fuel predator. It serves to wean the herds of dilapidated vehicles that need to be replaced by newer models."

The woman involved in the incident says she bares no ill will against the Expedition as a species. "It just came whats natural to it. Overly large vehicles just run things over. I'm amazed the thing can even see over it's own hood."

Motor vehicle experts noted that the woman was carrying a small flask of gasoline. "Expiditions are particularly drawn to gas. After the Expedition was put down, we found it had a nearly empty gas tank. As you know, supplies of gasoline have been short in the area lately. We advise hikers and joggers to avoid carrying petrochemicals which could attract Expiditions and other SUVs including the dreaded HUMMER."

Local lawmakers have been quick to react. One has even proposed hunts on Expeditions and Hummers to weed down their numbers. "They're dangerous vehicles that could strike at any time. We have to make the crosswalks safe for human beings. All these 'auto first' people are just freaks who value automotive life over human life".

[mike1963]

6. I'm sorry for this woman and for the cougar also.

We humans have proliferated so much, the other species are left without habitat, and the irony (in the proper sense rather than the erroneous usage that's popular that should be "coincidental") is that we're upsetting an ecosystem that might not be able to sustain itself and thus threatening our own existence. Which might not be a bad thing...:eyes:

In some ways we are parasites who haven't evolved enough to understand that killing the host doesn't make for long term survival...

[Dr Fate]

7. She was in HIS house dammit.

I'm no PETA type- but it aint fair. Why did they have to shoot the fella??? Couldnt they have transported him deeper in the forest?

[discordian]

8. The story says the cougar had been stabbed...

Maybe it was in really bad shape after the incident and had to be put down. A dying, bleeding, cornered mountain lion is a very dangerous thing.

[Dr Fate]

9. Ahh- good point. But they always shoot the thing regardless...

...I always feel bad when they do that.

Perhaps shooting the injured animal in this case was actually the humane thing to do...

[Jack_DeLeon]

10. I agree with you.

I can understand someone killing an animal like that in self defense.

However I always hate how if an animal attacks or kills a human and escapes, then the authorities go out and hunt it down, even if it is no longer threatening humans.

If some human attacks or kills me or someone I care about it would be illegal for me to go and hunt them down for revenge. So why do people do it to animals?

If anything it should be the other way around.