Mountain lion stares down woman, dog at SLO mobile home park: ‘I was mesmerized’

A San Luis Obispo resident and her dog found themselves in a staring contest with a mountain lion early Sunday morning.

Holly Hiner, who’s called Laguna Lake Mobile Estates home for 15 years, spotted the cougar near the edge of her property while taking her 14-year-old Australian shepherd, Bear, outside to use the restroom.

“I felt like there was somebody else out there besides my dog, but my neighbor’s cat is always following me around, so I thought ‘Oh, it’s just probably James,’ ” Hiner said. “I’m not even probably three feet, four feet from the fence, and I turn and there (the mountain lion) is, just staring at me.”

Hiner said she and Bear stared at the mountain lion as she took three pictures of it, until Hiner noticed it was eyeing her dog.

“I was mesmerized,” Hiner said. “I was in a trance.”

“As I started watching him, I watched his eyes and they were following my dog,” Hiner said. “He did look interested, like a housecat would.”

Eventually, Hiner started jumping up and down while waving her arms and yelling at the mountain lion, which she said turned back toward the creek.

Hiner said this was the first time she’s seen a mountain lion in the area.

However, she said that she’s spotted eer, coyotes, foxes, bobcats and turkeys near the mobile home park in the past due to its proximity to Perfumo Canyon and Irish Hills Natural Preserve.

Hiner said California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials told her there is only one tagged mountain lion in San Luis Obispo County, and that the cougar she photographed was a male based on her pictures.

That particular puma has not been spotted or tracked in the area, Hiner said.

“I don’t think he would have gone up into the neighborhood,” she said. “I think he was just sticking to the creek.”

Cougar sightings common in SLO County

Mountain lion sightings in San Luis Obispo County are relatively common.

From 2015 through 2017, at least 100 pumas were spotted in the county, according to Tribune data gathered in 2018.

In September, the San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation Ranger Service closed the Hill Street entrance to Cerro San Luis after several mountain lion sightings.

As the big cats are nocturnal, interactions with humans are uncommon, and rarely lead to attacks.

Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Ken Taglia said that male mountain lions are often encountered in developed spaces when they are moving from one territory to another, usually when no other route is available.

Taglia said male mountain lions have a range of around 100 square miles, and are territorial animals that try to avoid each other’s territory.

“Just because you see a mountain lion, doesn’t in and of itself mean that there’s a cause for concern,” Taglia said. “Anywhere that’s deer territory is gonna be mountain lion territory.”

Mountain lions tend to be elusive, Taglia said, and prefer hunting deer over humans.

There have been 20 mountain lion attacks in the state since 1986, three of which were fatal, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

What to do if you see a mountain lion

If you see a mountain lion, do not run, crouch or do anything that mimics the behavior of the lion’s prey, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

This can trigger a predatory response.

Trying to appear larger than you are while giving the lion a path to escape is a safer option.

Pick up dogs and children to keep them out of reach.