(Mountain) Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Part 1.
Some items that caught my interest these past couple of weeks:
- Mountain lions
- Opossums
- Bats
I thought I could write 3 short items, but as it happens, I can write short for a living, but not for this blog. So I’ll divide up these 3 fine animals.
Mountain lions (cougars.) I noticed that a bike forum linked to me recently. Apparently one of the bikers had heard of a mountain lion somewhere in or near Griffith Park, and so someone else did some research and found my post here. He then reported to the group that Yes! This proves that a mountain lion was in Griffith Park! And the discussion then turned to what time of day to bike, how to avoid an attack, their habits, etc.
Umm, was my writing that unclear? Maybe the Candid Camera pictures were a little blurry, but I thought I had made my point: that there have NOT been any cougar sightings in Griffith Park, according to Chief Ranger Albert Torres! If you want to prove me wrong, have at it, and I’ll buy you a Starbucks.
Right after this there was a very cool sighting, however, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge. The LA Times has the skinny, along with the money shot, a great photo. Apparently there have been a lot of sightings of them around JPL, but that is near the Angeles National Forest, which is a little more rural than our park. Lotsa freeways in between the two. And no wildlife corridors, thankyouverymuch, cause we’re just not THAT type of city. (Item thanks to lao.)
Donna Barstow
Griffith Park is the 2nd biggest park in the US, and I'm just the person to investigate it! I've lived here for over 25 years. I was part of the PROS Committee in Griffith Park Neighborhood Council and am on the Housing & Tenants Rights Committee in the Silver Lake NC. I'm in the LA Press Club, and you can find some of my articles in the LA Weekly and the Los Feliz Ledger. I'm a cartoonist for Parade Magazine, The New Yorker, LA Times, Slate, & most major media. Questions and contacts welcome.
5 Comments
Dan S.
A good friend (we’re both ultra runners) spotted a mtn lion at the hub (5-way) junction up above the east side of the park in ’09. I’m emailing him to get more information.
I run at least 60 miles a week on the fireroads and trails in the park and have for years, but I’ve never seen a lion, heck I saw my first bobcat only last week.
— Dan
Donna Barstow
Thanks, Dan!
I think this is interesting enough that I’m posting this as an update today.
angel
i just came from Griffith Park and was doing some research if there has been any sightings, me and a friend were hiking a trail when we heard the brushes rumbling, soon after we heard the most terrifying rumble we never want to hear again, we are both certain it was a mountain lion or something like it, it sounded too real and too scary.
Donna Barstow
Angel, it could have been a bobcat. That’s smaller than a mountain lion, maybe the size of a coyote. When you say rumble, do you mean growling? or more of a roar, like a lion?
Angel
Donna, it was definitely a low pitch roar.
It was very deep. I don’t know if bobcats are able to make noises like that but I’ve looked around for how bobcats sound and they always end up sounding very high pitched.
I did not see the actual animal so I have no other idea of how to describe what it could’ve been. But hopefully that helps.