Letters: Mountain lion acts normally, gets shot

Re “Mountain lion is killed after stalking O.C. family,” April 2

A mother brought her two small children to an Orange County wilderness park despite warnings posted regarding mountain lions; in fact, The Times notes that a fatal mauling took place on the trail in 2004.

If a mountain lion can’t roam in its natural habitat, where can it roam?

Whiting Ranch should ban all children from entering the park when there is a mountain lion risk, as we need to coexist with natural predators.

If this happened to the mountain lion in Griffith Park, there would be public condemnation of park officials.

Brian Ong

Riverside

Once again I had to suffer through a story of a mountain lion that was acting completely normally but was shot. It seems that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s policy is to hunt down and kill animals living within the areas identified as their natural habitat.

What truly is the point of posting warnings if people continue to be unprepared to enter an area where they may encounter mountain lions? Why not provide more thorough information that would indicate times of higher risk and suggest that small children and pets not be in the area during those periods?

We need to seek solutions to create safe passage for human visitors that will, at the same time, be respectful of the natural inhabitants of our (far too few) open spaces.

Sherry Ferber

Agoura Hills

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