Mountain lion sightings close Orange County park

An Orange County park was closed Tuesday after two people reported seeing a mountain lion the day before.

In one incident, a pair of bikers filmed a mountain lion chasing them up a hill, behavior that wildlife officials say is unusual.

OC Parks said in a statement that Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will be closed until further notice “out of an abundance of caution.”

Park staff are working with California Department of Fish and Wildlife researchers and biologists at the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center to better understand mountain lion behavior, Danielle Kennedy, public information officer with OC Parks, said in an email. They plan to place cameras around the park to track animal activity and look for evidence such as fresh tracks and scat, she said.

UC Davis biologists are also reviewing video provided by a bicyclist, who reported the incident to authorities, Kennedy said.

A video posted on Facebook on Monday showed a mountain lion emerging from brush chasing bicyclists along a trail, which faced a steep hill on one side and a steep drop on the other. Cougars continue to thrive as bikers clamor for a comeback. At one point, it stops and looks back at them, then seems to charge, jumping to the side of the road before it reaches them. ABC7 first reported on the video.

“This is very unusual behavior,” Fish and Wildlife spokesman Kurt Kloeping said. Pumas generally avoid people – so much so that one is a thousand times more likely to be attacked by lighting than by a mountain lion.

It’s unclear why the animal was so interested in the bicyclists, Kennedy said. Some online commenters of the video speculated that it was a mother trying to get the bikers away from her children. In February, researchers contacted a female mountain lion in Orange County who was pregnant at the time, Kennedy said. UC Davis biologists confirmed the captive female was at the Whiting Ranch on Monday, but it was unclear if she still had cubs with her, and the mountain lion captured on video was not captive and unknown to biologists, Kennedy said.

Kennedy said that based on the video, UC Davis biologists believe the mountain lion — a juvenile of unknown sex — is exhibiting behavior related to curiosity rather than acting defensively. It’s unclear whether the same mountain lion was involved in both sightings, she said.

Lindsay Wells, who lives near Rancho Santa Margarita, said she ran into two mountain bikers Monday when they left the trail, which she was preparing to hike with her 12-year-old daughter. They showed her the video and warned her, she said.

Wells said he knows mountain lions frequent the area: “I carry bear spray with me everywhere, not for bears.” But the activity seems to have increased in the past week, she said, adding that a friend of hers reported seeing a mountain lion that same night in his backyard, not far from the Whiting Ranch.

With its steep slopes and deep brush, the park on the slopes of the Santa Ana Mountains has a history of mountain lion activity. Kennedy said there have been three mountain lion attacks there since 2004, including the one that killed 35-year-old Mark Reynolds, when he fell down on the trail to fix his bike chain.

Still, Reynolds’ death was the sixth on record in California, according to a subsequent Times report. Since then, one more death has been recorded – that of 21-year-old Tylen Robert Claude Brooks, who was killed by a mountain lion in March in northern El Dorado County while looking for deer antlers.

A person facing a mountain lion should be careful not to back off and make themselves look as big as possible by extending their arms and making a lot of noise, Klopping said. Instead of running, they should back up slowly, he said, and be careful not to trip or fall over.

Pets should be kept on leashes so they don’t approach animals, and small children should be kept close, ideally on an adult’s shoulder, he said. People should also make sure animals have a clear escape route, he said.

People can reduce the risks of such incidents by avoiding cycling or jogging in high-visibility areas in the morning, evening or at night, Klopping said, and it’s best to participate in these activities in groups.