YUCAIPA, Calif. — A California family is mourning the loss of its two pet dogs, who were attacked and killed by a mountain lion in the backyard of their home on April 18.
Yucaipa resident Laurie Schultz told KTLA that the mountain lion hopped a fence at their home 7:50 and 8:20 a.m. PT and attacked the family’s 90-pound husky and 65-pound Anatolian shepherd. The attacks were captured on the family’s security camera.
“Sad day for the Schultz household,” Schultz wrote on social media. “This mountain lion, who we have on video, even came back and took the shepherd out and carried her away … This was an unprovoked attack, and the dogs were targeted.”
Roger Schultz said the large mountain lion exited hte property with one of his pets dangling from its mouth.
“They lived a great life, but it’s a product of where we live,” Roger Schultz told KABC. “We have to respect nature. We have to respect where we live.
“And we learned a lot from this, and I think talking to my neighbors they have, too.”
The Schultzes were out of town and were watching the live feed of 8-year-old Winter (the husky) and 2-year-old Summer (the shepherd) playing in the backyard, the television station reported.
Around 2 p.m. on Saturday, Roger Schultz noticed that the dogs appeared to be asleep. When he checked several hours later, they were in the same position.
“A couple hours later I checked again and said, ‘Wait a minute they’re not moving,’” he told KABC. “I called the neighbor, asked him to come up and check. He was like, ‘Dude, they are mauled seriously.’”
Wildlife officials said that most mountain lion attacks occur at night, making the afternoon attack of the Schultzes’ pets unusual.
“Normally, mountain lions would be preying on mule deer,” Cort Klopping, a spokesperson with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) told KABC. “They are prevalent in that area, so we’re not exactly sure what drove them to the yard to attack these dogs.”
Klopping added that the attack was the second reported this year in Southern California.
“Mountain lions are much less likely to approach if a human is present,” he told KABC. “In fact, if a human is present, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion.”
By the time the Schultzes returned home, the big cat had returned to the residence.
“The cat came back and took the shepherd’s body over the 5-foot fence,” Roger Schultz told KCBS. “It looked about the size of the shepherd, but obviously very muscular with fighting features, with the claws and the feet.”
Schultz used the tracker in Summer’s collar to follow the trail, finding the big cat’s lair about 150 yards behind their yard, according to the television station.
That is a big concern for the couple.
“There’s small kids that we see walking with their parents,” Roger Schultz told KCBS. “Kids will run out 50, 100 feet ahead of them on the walks. So, that’s why I’m really worried.”
“Mountain lion predation on domestic dogs, even large breeds, is not uncommon. The department recommends residents take preventative measures to protect their pets and livestock from predators,” the CDFW said in a statement to KTLA. “Some steps residents can take are supervising pets when outdoors, especially at night, and providing a secure enclosure for pets that are outside.”
The CDFW offers mountain lion safety tips for residents and their pets on its website through the Human-Wildlife Conflicts Toolkit.
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