Game Wardens Kill Cougar Suspected in Attacks on Pets

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST — After a three-hour pursuit, game wardens shot and killed a mountain lion believed to have attacked and killed several pets in the La Crescenta area, authorities said Saturday.

California Department of Fish and Game wardens, in conjunction with a team of trackers and three dogs from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, began their chase of the cougar about 2 a.m. Wednesday, Fish and Game Capt. Jerry Spansail said.

They trapped the animal on a narrow ledge near Big Tujunga Forest Station about 5 a.m. and one of the trackers shot the animal with a rifle.

The 130-pound mountain lion was suspected of killing two dogs in the La Crescenta area.

The incident began about 11 p.m. Tuesday while Fish and Game Warden Marty Wall was responding to a report that the animal had attacked another dog at a residence on La Paloma Canyon Road. While Wall was talking to owners of the pet inside the residence, the mountain lion appeared on the front porch. Wall opened the door and fired two shots at the animal, striking it once.

The animal fled and Wall called in another game warden and the tracking team.

There has been a recent rash of purported mountain lion sightings in the area, but many of them turn out to be sightings of large dogs, Spansail said.

“After an incident like this, it heightens the awareness of everybody,” Spansail said. “We want people to be cautious, but we don’t want to make everybody paranoid.”