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thedrifter
01-10-04, 01:56 PM
Bicyclist mauled by mountain lion in Southern California





Man killed nearby
By Angela Watercutter
ASSOCIATED PRESS
8:48 p.m. January 9, 2004



MISSION VIEJO – Anne Hjelle was bicycling along a wilderness trail when a mountain lion sprang from the brush, pounced on her back and dragged her off by the head as fellow bikers threw rocks at the animal and tried to pull her away.

The cougar finally ran off, leaving Hjelle – a former Marine who works as a fitness instructor – bloody and near death.

Hjelle, 30, lay in serious condition Friday after the mauling Thursday evening in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.

"This guy would not let go. He had a hold of her face," said Debbie Nichols, who was riding with Hjelle and held on to her friend during a desperate tug-of-war with the cat.

"I just told her, 'I'm never letting go.'"

Authorities suspect the same mountain lion also killed 35-year-old Mark Jeffrey Reynolds, an amateur mountain bike racer whose half-eaten body was found Thursday in the park near his disabled bike. He had apparently been killed earlier in the day.

"The chains fell off or somehow broke, and while he was attempting to fix his bike is when the attack happened," said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

The two attacks shocked people in Southern California and reminded them of the dangers of the outdoors in places where suburban sprawl has encroached on the wilderness.

A 2-year-old male mountain lion, which weighed about 110 pounds, was shot and killed Thursday night after it returned to where Reynolds' body was found.

Initial tests conducted Friday revealed that tissues consistent with human skin were found in the stomach of the male cat, said state Fish and Game spokeswoman Chamois Andersen. The full necropsy will be completed next week, she said.

"We are fairly confident we have the sole cat that was responsible for both attacks," Andersen said.

Footprints taken at the site of both attacks had the same measurements, state officials said. A female mountain lion was also being tested after it was hit by a car and killed late Thursday in the area.

California has had only 14 mountain lion attacks on humans – six of them deadly – in the past 114 years, said state Fish and Game Department biologist Doug Updike.

The park where the attacks occurred is in an area of Orange County bordered by Cleveland National Forest and several residential developments, and is designated as wildlife habitat.

"As long as mountain lions walk this earth, there is going to be some risk from them," said Lynn Sadler, executive director of the Mountain Lion Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to saving America's lions. "It's not an amusement park – the shark doesn't pull back at the last second. The risks are real, even as they are part of the appeal."

Officials said the lion may have fled areas devastated by wildfires and been roaming unfamiliar territory.

The lion that attacked Hjelle dragged her from the bike trail into a ravine. Nichols screamed for help and grabbed Hjelle's legs to free her while other cyclists threw rocks at the cat until it fled.

Jacke Van Woerkom said she was riding behind Hjelle and Nichols and later spoke to Nichols at the hospital.

"She had some blood on her face. She definitely showed signs of a major struggle," Van Woerkom said. "She was shaking, trembling. She said, 'I was not going to let go. I was not going to let go.'"

Sadler said fighting back was the right thing to do: "Predators can't afford to get hurt. If you fight back, you don't seem like prey to them."

Reynolds worked at a sports management firm and had won bike-race championships in his age category.

"My conciliation is Mark Reynolds was doing what he loved the most, and that was riding his bicycle," said his mother, Dona Reynolds.

Updike estimates there are between 4,000 and 6,000 adult lions roaming California. State law prohibits hunting or killing them.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20040109-2048-mountainlionattack.html


Sempers,

Roger
:marine:

yellowwing
01-10-04, 03:17 PM
That's the last time that cat will attack a Marine! Counter-attack the ambush and respond with overwhelming firepower.

Someone should forward this story to the fedeyeen. They have a real ultraconservative view on a woman's place in society. Show them that even our female warriors are lethal!

greybeard
01-10-04, 09:37 PM
otoh, it's gettin pretty bad when ya gotta start carrying a 30.06 on the handlebar rack of your Schwinn Flyer. A Pete Rose rookie baseball card clothespinned to the spokes possibly would have scared the mtn lion off.

RichLundeen
01-10-04, 09:54 PM
Good one, Greybeard!

We've had an incident or two, statewide, here in CO. Usually attributed to human expansion, and the lack of 'conservation' efforts in respect to the indigenous wildlife.

I'll stay away from the 'anti hunting' aspect, as I know the 'anti's' are a caring bunch, taking care of the animals digging through their garbage.

By doing nothing except complain.

Some bicycle racers hunt and EAT animals. It's called conservancy, and caretaker ship!

If I had a Rose card, I might do just that!

I have a Harmon Killebrew, and Rod Carew card (Rod signed his), won't touch a spoke anytime soon............

Screw Rose. I wouldn't pitch a pair of dice w/ that f-stick

thedrifter
01-11-04, 02:15 PM
Lion Attack Survivor Upgraded to Fair


MISSION VIEJO, Calif. - A former Marine who was attacked by a mountain lion while cycling in a wilderness area has been upgraded to fair condition, hospital officials said Sunday.


Anne Hjelle was rescued Thursday from the mountain lion's jaws by her cycling companion, Debbie Nichols. The big cat had pounced on Hjelle and tried to drag her away, but Nichols grabbed her friend's leg and held on as other cyclists threw rocks at the mountain lion until it let go.


"Her recovery is truly miraculous," said the victim's husband, James Hjelle.


Authorities believe the same mountain lion earlier that day attacked and killed another cyclist, Mark Reynolds, 35, whose body was found nearby.


Tests were being conducted on a 2-year-old, 110-pound male mountain lion that was tracked from the site by Orange County sheriff's deputies and killed. Tissue believed to be human was found in its stomach and DNA tests were planned to confirm a match, said Steve Edinger of the California Department of Fish and Game.


Hjelle, 30, who works as a fitness instructor, was upgraded from serious to fair condition and continues to recover at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, according to a statement Sunday morning by a hospital spokesman.


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=4&u=/ap/20040111/ap_on_re_us/mountain_lion_attack


Sempers,

Roger
:marine: