Warning For Neighbors And Hikers Using Dragoon Gulch Trail

Mountain lion captured on Ring camera at Sonora home near the Dragoon Gulch Trail -- Photo taken by Julie Johnson

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Sonora, CA– After a big cat sighting early this morning in Sonora, a resident is warning neighbors and hikers who use the Dragoon Gulch Trail to be wary.

Neighbor Julie Johnson, who lives in a home on the 300 block of Arbona Circle North near Snell Street, tells Clarke Broadcasting that she spotted the mountain lion on the video while looking at her overnight Ring Camera footage this morning. To view it, click on the video link below the image box picture.

Johnson was concerned, as her home is above the Alpine Trailhead parking lot on Alpine Lane, which is where many people park to use the Dragoon Gulch trail, and wanted to make sure to alert the public.

The National Park Service provided these mountain lion safety tip guidelines:

• Do not jog or hike alone. Go in groups with adults supervising children.
• Keep children close to you. Do not allow children to play along riverbanks, in heavy vegetation, or alone at dawn or dusk. When hiking with children, watch them closely and never let them run ahead of you. Observations of captured wild mountain lions reveal that the animals seem especially drawn to children.
• If you encounter a lion, remember the goals are to convince it that you are not prey and that you may be dangerous. Follow these safety tips:
• Do not approach a lion. Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.
• Do not run from a lion. Running may stimulate a mountain lion’s instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal. Make eye contact. If you have small children with you, pick them up if possible so that they don’t panic and run. Although it may be awkward, pick them up without bending over or turning away from the mountain lion.
• Do not crouch down or bend over. A human standing up is just not the right shape for a lion’s prey. Conversely, a person squatting or bending over resembles a four-legged prey animal. In mountain lion country, avoid squatting, crouching or bending over, even when picking up children.
• Do all you can to appear larger. Raise your arms. Open your jacket if you are wearing one. Again, pick up small children. Throw stones, branches, or whatever you can reach without crouching or turning your back. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly in a loud voice. The idea is to convince the mountain lion that you are not prey and that you may be a danger to it.
• Fight back if attacked. A hiker in Southern California used a rock to fend off a mountain lion that was attacking his son. Others have fought back successfully with sticks, caps, jackets, garden tools and their bare hands. Since a mountain lion usually tries to bite the head or neck, try to remain standing and face the attacking animal.