By Lauren McSherry

A public safety and education meeting held by the county sheriff’s department and the city of Palo Alto May 26 resembled kindergarten snack time more than a meeting to dispel rumors circulating after the mountain lion shooting May 17. Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith commended the audience for asking questions about how far a mountain lion can jump and how long it lives.

Questions from the public about why the animal was killed rather than tranquilized and how the sheriff’s department and city intend to work with the community to develop a protocol for mountain lion encounters in residential areas remained unanswered by city officials, who said the meeting was not meant to be a debate.

A member of the audience said it was patronizing of the city to hold a question-and-answer session rather than allowing people to give their perspectives and voice their concerns.

Retired game warden Henry Coletto presented a slide show about recognizing mountain lions and what to do in case of an encounter. Coletto said only 14 people since 1890 have been attacked or injured by mountain lions.

Smith said she had been working since April to bring Coletto back to the department to work on the issue. When the Town Crier contacted the sheriff’s department May 5, requesting information on the April 23 and May 1 alleged mountain lion attacks, the sheriff’s department was unable to refer the Town Crier to a wildlife expert. Coletto’s position with the sheriff’s department was not finalized until after the shooting, Deputy Terrance Helm said.

The alleged attacks on horses occurred close to the border of Palo Alto and Los Altos Hills.

Coletto confirmed the California Department of Fish and Game believed the first horse had not been attacked by a mountain lion but had been injured when it became entangled in barbed wire. He said the department “didn’t substantiate” whether the second horse “could or couldn’t be attacked” by a mountain lion. Wildlife ecologist Rick Hopkins, who was present at the meeting, said if the second encounter was with a mountain lion, he thought there was a high probability the mountain lion shot May 17 was responsible for the horse attack.

The lion killed in Palo Alto was 3 years old, around the age a young mountain lion leaves its mother’s territory to establish its own.

“This cat was probably looking for a new home and took the wrong turn out there,” Coletto said.

There are two instances when a mountain lion can be legally killed: if it has caused property damage or if it poses a public safety threat.

Mountain lions are not a threatened or endangered species. It is estimated there are 4,000-6,000 mountain lions in California, Coletto said.

“If you’ve ever hiked on a trail, in a wilderness area or an open space preserve, there’s probably been a mountain lion that watched you,” Coletto said. He said the chances of getting poison oak, a bee sting or a rattlesnake bite are much greater than the chance of being attacked by a mountain lion.