Mountain lion encounter prompts temporary closure of Pescadero Creek County Park in San Mateo County

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An encounter between two mountain lions and two men last weekend has prompted the temporary closure of Pescadero Creek County Park in San Mateo County.

On Sunday night personnel from the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), San Mateo County Parks and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office investigated a report that two men had an encounter with two aggressive mountain lions within the park boundaries.

Investigators immediately confirmed the presence of the mountain lions by their tracks and closed the park.

The brothers were hiking in the park near Camp Pomponio Road late Sunday afternoon. One man was approached by an aggressive lion. He picked up a large stick and started swinging it at the lion while shouting. His brother, who was nearby and heard the shouting, came to his aid and then noticed a second lion approaching.

The mountain lions remained outside the swing of his stick, just a few feet away. Together, the men eventually scared off the cougars. However, the event lasted an estimated two to four minutes which is highly unusual for mountain lions. Wardens confirmed the report and deemed both mountain lions a threat to public safety.

With the aid of a professional mountain lion tracker and trained hounds, wardens began their efforts to locate and kill the lions on Monday. By Tuesday afternoon, investigators were confident that the mountain lions had left the park boundaries. They called off the search because widening the search at that point would have increased the chance that the wrong mountain lion would be taken.

The park is scheduled to reopen on Thursday if there is no further aggressive mountain lion activity. Park visitors are asked to contact San Mateo County Park Dispatch if any mountain lions are sighted at (650) 363-4020.

On its Web site, DFG provides tips on what to do if confronted by mountain lions or other threatening wild animals (www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild). If approached by a mountain lion, do not run; stand tall, blow a whistle, throw rocks or sticks at the animal, and shout aggressively. Keep children and pets close by or pick them up.

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