Wildlife feeding near Sabino Canyon attracts lions

Arizona Outdoorsman / AZOD

Information from AG&FD site
Repeated for "news reporting purposes"

Wildlife feeding near Sabino Canyon attracts lions

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking for Sabino Canyon-area homeowners who may be feeding lions or prey animals such as deer, javelina or rabbits to stop this activity.

“Reports have been coming directly to me,” says Mike Senn, who heads the department’s Field Operations Division. ”One report was that someone was deliberately leaving food out for lions, and we routinely get reports at our Tucson field office of people feeding javelina and other wildlife, which may be attracting cougars.”

Intentionally feeding wildlife makes human-wildlife conflict inevitable. It results in animals losing their fear of humans. Feeding predatory species such as lions makes the animal reliant on the food source, humans, which it then begins to associate with food. Ultimately, the animal often begins to view human beings as a food, or prey, item.

Feeding prey animals such as deer, javelina and rabbits can artificially increase the prey density of an area, which then attracts mountain lions and other predators.

Pima County currently has an ordinance making the feeding of bears a misdemeanor, but there is no ordinance that addresses cougars.

“Perhaps if the county had a broader, tougher wildlife-feeding ordinance on the books, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” says Senn, who also notes that the behavior of the Sabino lions is consistent with the behavior of predators that have lost their fear of humans.

Visitors to Sabino Canyon have reported numerous lion sightings since May of 2003. In several instances, the cats stalked canyon visitors. Lion experts note that in almost every case, the lions exhibited “red flag” behavior:

- The lions were daylight active;
- They showed no fear of humans;
- Humans were stalked;
- The mountain lions were habituating a high-use recreation area full of hikers, joggers and mountain bikers.

Department officials say the risk of an attack at Sabino Canyon is high because the lions there have begun to exhibit stalking behaviors. The last mountain lion attack in Arizona occurred at Bartlett Lake near Phoenix in 2000, when a 4-year old girl suffered life-threatening injuries.

“The cat grabbed the child outside the family’s tent and dragged her 15 yards through the brush,” says Senn. “It was a little 4-year old girl versus a 125-pound mountain lion. Sabino Canyon has 2,000 people a day hiking, jogging and mountain biking in an area full of potential ambush spots. Am I willing to see someone else’s child suffer the same injuries—or worse yet, killed? No. Are you?”

Senn notes that collaring the cats, trying to apply what’s called ‘aversive conditioning’ or relocating them are not options.

“Mountain lions are very territorial and one of the leading causes of mountain lion mortality is other mountain lions,” he says. “Moving a lion out of it’s home turf and into the territory of another will likely result in the transplanted animal getting killed or forced to move into poor habitat, including urban areas. It’s also irresponsible and dangerous to move an individual animal that has exhibited brazen behavior into another area.”

Senn says so-called ‘aversive conditioning’ has been tried in Yosemite National Park without success. “It didn’t work,” he says. “And putting a radio collar on a mountain lion that’s exhibiting ‘red flag’ behaviors may do little more than help us find the remains of a victim at this point.”

More information on mountain lions, including statistics and descriptions of attacks in the U.S. and Canada can be found at the privately-maintained Web site cougarinfo.com.

Mountain lions can be found throughout Arizona and are not endangered. The statewide population is estimated at 2,500 animals.

Note: The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes they have been discriminated against in any Game and Fish program or activity, including its employment practices, the individual may file a complaint alleging discrimination directly with the Game and Fish Deputy Director, 2221 W. Greenway Rd., Phx., AZ 85023, (602) 942-3000 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr., Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. If you require this document in an alternative format, please contact the Game and Fish Deputy Director as listed above or by calling TTY at 1-800 367-8939 azgfd.com