Lassen County Increases Concerns Over Mountain Lion-Human Incidents

Californians have endured plenty of mountain lion incidents in recent years, some with tragic consequences. In rural Lassen County in the northeast corner of the state, officials have reached a breaking point with human-big cat interactions. Here are some details from the San Francisco Chronicle:

After months of increasingly close calls with mountain lions, Lassen County this week declared the big cats an “imminent threat to public safety.” 

The influx of mountain lion sightings began last summer, Lassen County Sheriff John McGarva said in a Friday statement. Most of the reports came from the rural northern county’s Gold Run area, the sheriff said, which is mostly occupied by families on sprawling plots of land. …

“The lions have become more and more comfortable around his home and the homes of others in the area,” McGarva said. “The belief is that the same pride of lions are affecting all residents based on the reports seen.”