Amador County - Alleged mountain lion attacks on livestock in the West Point area have raised concerns amongst the area’s residents.

TSPN confirmed Monday that one West Point resident living on Jurs Road lost 9 of his 10 goats to predators last Thursday night. A mountain lion is presumed to be the culprit.

Another resident of the area called TSPN Monday to say she lost a goat earlier in the week. “I have a feeling the lion came over the fence from the hills behind us. I saw the same thing happen at a neighbor’s place two years ago,” she said.

The possibility that a mountain lion could possibly attack a human only stoked concerns.

But according to Steve Diers, a Ranger with the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), it is good to put concerns over the alleged attacks “in perspective.” He said he has been fortunate enough to witness 13 lions in his 34 years as a ranger, but “in all those years I never felt threatened.”

In a widely circulated email last weekend, Diers said “bees, along with dogs and deer, are responsible for more deaths each year than sharks, mountain lions, poisonous snakes, and spiders combined.”

“Three times as many people die from lightening strikes each year as the total number of people killed by mountain lions in North America during recorded history,” he said.

He said his duties have included the relocation of rattlesnakes, which pose a far greater threat to humans than mountain lions.

He said the most dangerous creature in the region is by far the black-legged tick, which is known to carry Lyme disease. In 2007, four cases of Lyme disease were reported to the Calaveras County Health Department. Between 2002 and 2007, four cases were reported in Amador County. “Lyme disease is a far greater threat than mountain lions,” said Diers.

Despite this perspective, West Point residents still seem to be taking the threat of a lion attack very seriously. Signs were posted on Highway 26 warning of the possibility of mountain lions in the region.

According to the Mountain Lion Foundation, livestock owners with free-grazing livestock are advised to bring pets indoors at night and place livestock into fully-enclosed barns. Mountain lions can enter through unsecured openings like windows, doors or large gaps.

Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.