Mountain lion kills 3 goats in Simi Valley
Slayings come after dog attacks, but police won’t step in unless it’s a public safety issue.
A rash of mountain lion attacks in Simi Valley continued over the weekend, with residents reporting that at least three goats had been mauled in the area.
Brigitta Glad awoke Saturday morning to find one of her two pet goats dead in the fenced yard of her home in the 1100 block of Rambling Road.
The animals, named Bonnie and Clyde, were outside overnight when the big cat attacked, authorities said. Clyde was not injured, and Glad said none of her pets nor the neighbors’ dogs alerted her to the presence of a predator.
The killing occurred one day after a similar attack in which two goats were killed at a home two doors down from Glad. The Department of Fish and Wildlife, which received reports on both attacks, confirmed the killings are the work of a mountain lion.
“You can tell by tracks left behind,” spokesman Tim Daly said, as well as the “method of kill.”
Simi Valley has been the site of several mountain lion attacks in recent weeks, including one that resulted in the death of a miniature Schnauzer in early December.
On Thursday, authorities tracked and captured a mountain lion in the backyard of a home on Broadmoor Avenue. Prior to its capture, the big cat was seen attacking a raccoon in the area. Ultimately, officials determined the lion was not P-35, the 9-year-old female linked to two dog attacks the previous week.
Fish and Wildlife officials said during a news conference that the captured animal, now named P-79, is a 2to 3-year-old male. A tracking collar was placed on the 100-pound cat, which was released to its native habitat.
Puma sightings are not unusual in Simi Valley; Daly said that “more than half of California is considered mountain lion habitat.”
“It’s true that people might not have been aware of the extent of the activity because they hunt at night,” he said. “The increase in cameras mounted on and around homes has increased the number of pictures and videos showing mountain lions in neighborhoods.”
As a safety precaution, residents are encouraged to keep livestock in a covered area at night and to keep pet food indoors.
Locals can also apply for a depredation permit, which enables officials to capture and euthanize killer animals.
Neither of the goats’ owners has opted to do so.
“We will get involved if there is a public safety issue,” said Simi Valley Police Cmdr. Steve Shorts. “But if it’s an animal acting naturally and eating another animal, that’s not something we’re going to intervene on.”