Jul 27, 2007

Expert dispels fear of lion den within city limits

By Melanie Carroll / Daily News Staff Writer

Los Altos Hills' O'Keefe Nature Preserve is not the home of a mountain lion den, an expert on the big cats said at Thursday night's city council meeting.

Henry Coletto, a retired Santa Clara County wildlife ranger tried to reassure the council that there is little to fear after a cougar was spotted July 17 in the backyard of an O'Keefe Lane residence.

"So there is no family of mountain lions living there," Council Member Breene Kerr said after hearing Coletto's presentation.

Deer and other prey often attract the cougars, and since deer like to eat lush vegetation, they are sometimes lured in by the greenery near people's homes, the retired ranger said. Then the hungry lions looking for a meal follow.

Kerr also asked if the big cats seek to attack children more often than adults. Coletto said that in the known 14 attacks, about a third of the victims were children, a third adult women and a third grown men.

Still, if a lion is seen feeding on a carcass, it's best to keep children out of sight for a day or two, until the animal leaves the area, Coletto said.

One of the best things a resident can do to deter deer or other creatures from getting too close for comfort is to install motion-detecting lights, Coletto said.

Deer and other animals are usually elusive and don't want to be seen, so the light tends to scare them off, he said.

Another cheap and easy way to keep wild animals at bay, at least until they get used to the sound, is to play a radio outside the home.

"It's real cheap," Coletto said. "It's a little radio with a 25 cent battery."


E-mail Melanie Carroll at mcarroll@dailynewsgroup.com.