Law enforcement guarded the foothills near the border between Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga overnight in case a mountain lion that killed a German shepherd early Wednesday returned to the neighborhood.
It didn’t, and there were no sightings, so police made the decision to call off the search for the aggressive cat Thursday morning. “We’re making sure the animal does not get back into the residential area,” said Fontana Police Chief Rod Jones. “We believe the contact our officers had with the mountain lion early Wednesday morning scared it back into the canyon.”
The lion attacked and killed a 100-pound German shepherd about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 4100 block of Foxborough Drive.
The owner heard the dog in distress and found the mountain lion standing over his dead pet.
Police say the lion acted aggressively toward the resident and officers. Despite officers shooting toward the animal, it returned four more times to the home before disappearing into the canyon.
“You can’t live in fear, you just have to be safe,” said Andrew Welter, 26, who lives with his parents in a home facing the hills where the wild animal likely came from.
After Wednesday’s incident, Welter and his family studied up on mountain lions. “Like where the heart is,” he said, in case the animal comes after them.
The Welter family is prepared to protect themselves if necessary, but for the most part they plan to stay out of the mountain lion’s way. “Anything I have to do outside I’ll do now, while it’s light out,” Welter said. “I heard they were nocturnal.”
Just a few houses down, Omar Othman said he is always thinking about safety in his neighborhood. Three years ago, one of his cats disappeared at night and about a week ago his neighbor’s dog went missing. “I’m not going to keep them from going outside,” the 72-year-old man said about his family. “I’m just going to tell them to be safe.”
He advised others to watch themselves and keep an eye on the area, which is full of wildlife. “This is where your house is. What can you do?,” Othman asked.
Officers searched the area, both on the ground and with aircraft. They urged residents to avoid being outdoors for hiking and jogging between dusk and dawn, when the animals are most active.
Fontana police posted between four and six officers in the Foxborough Drive area overnight. “They are not actively hunting the animal,” Jones said.
The officers kept an eye on the foothills for any sight of the lion.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department placed one deputy nearby on the Rancho Cucamonga side.
Staff writers Doug Saunders and Lori Fowler contributed to this report.
source
No comments:
Post a Comment