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greybeard
01-24-04, 02:54 PM
Remember this?


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.......
(No sense copying and pasting the entire article-again-it can be found on pg 4 or 5)

40 miles NE of Houston lies the Sam Houston National Forest. A primitive pine & hardwood forest, dotted with campsites and strewn with hiking and camping trails. Folks from Houston stream out Hiway 59 to get away from the city for the weekend. Better watch themselves when they do. Both my sisters own 15 acre farmettes near Cleveland Texas, on the edge of the Nat'l forest, right across the road from each other. I got this Email from one of my sisters this morning. She's speaking of my other sister and brother-in law-across the road.

"Something (Cougar ?) got two of Leroy's 6 mo old baby calves night before last. Ate all but the head, hooves, and some ribs of one, but left the other. Joan and Leroy heard the cow but didn't investigate until the next day. We found tracks that looked like big cat tracks. Neighbors have reported seeing big cats. One neighbor has lost all her chickens...." (the rest was personal)

It's strange because there have never been any indigenous large cats in the area, not in midern times anyway. It's part of The Big Thicket. I grew up there, and hunted it extensivly as a teenager. Biggest thing I ever saw was a bobcat. I don't think a bobcat can take down 2, 6 mo old calves. There are plenty of rabbits for the bobs anyway. The farms are small, and the attacks took place within 75 yds of the house. I'm beginning to wonder if some big cats got loose from captivity in the area.