A mountain lion attack on a deer happened last week on the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve in Cambria. This incident caused a portion of the Marine Terrace Trail to be closed temporarily.
Last Thursday morning, around 8 a.m., people walking the Marine Terrace Trail reported seeing a dead deer.
“A mountain lion had killed a deer and left the carcass right next to one of our major trails,” said Kitty Connolly, Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve Executive Director.
An hour later, they had posted signs about the mountain lion and fenced off a portion of the trail.
“We knew the mountain lion would come back to that location,” Connolly said.
Anthony Portilla says he was walking through the forest the day it happened.
“I guess the sign wasn’t posted yet. I walked home through the Fiscalini woods. I just noticed there was no one around, which is unusual. When I got home, that’s when Chris told me about it,” said Anthony Portilla, Cambria resident.
The trail was fully reopened the next morning.
“Because the mountain lion moved the carcass further off the trail,” Connolly said.
For Tracy Priestley, Monday was her first day back on the 0.7-mile-long trail since the closure.
“I noticed coming in there are turkey vultures above the upper trails in the middle, it’s usually a sign that something is dead,” Priestley said.
Connolly says this incident should not be a concern for those who walk the 437-acre ranch preserve.
“Having a mountain lion on the ranch is not a matter for concern, but having a carcass that they are going to defend is very much a concern,” Connolly said.
“We live in nature, so it’s their land. It’s expected,” said Christina Portilla, Cambria resident.
