A mountain lion has killed a pet emu at a San Luis Obispo property, prompting concern among neighbors.
Jennifer Knecht has lived on her San Luis Obispo property near Farmhouse Ln. for more than 20 years. Her emu, Birdie, was a fixture there for most of that time.
"You would just call 'Birdie Birdie Birdie,' and she'll come down," Knecht said.
Around 9 p.m. Monday, a neighbor warned Knecht that a mountain lion was heading toward her property.
"This is where we are every night, so I sit and feed the dogs, this is where the cat came, about 45 minutes after he said you need to get in the house," Knecht said.
Knecht says she tried to scare the mountain lion away by banging pots and pans together, but it apparently didn't work. The next morning, she discovered Birdie had been attacked and did not survive.
"This is where Birdie was attacked," Knecht said.
Neighbors say they were heartbroken to learn of Birdie's death.
"We found out the next morning that this beloved emu was killed, and oh my gosh, we say hi to her every day," said neighbors Jenny Kompolt and Melissa James.
The incident has changed how some nearby residents go about their daily lives. Neighbor Quillan Trombley said his family has stopped taking their dogs outside at night.
"We don't take the dogs out at night anymore, which is a bummer, because we've got little ones and we don't want them getting eaten up by a jungle cat," Trombley said.
Kompolt and James say the situation has made them more cautious as well.
"It's scary to be honest with you. We know we have to be careful walking out to the car. We know it's nature, but at the same time it's pretty careful," they said.
Knecht says the mountain lion has been returning to her property every night to continue feeding on Birdie's remains. She is working to remove them.
Knecht contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife following the incident, but says she received little guidance beyond being told to file an online report.
"There's got to be a little bit more proactive approach to put our minds at ease and protect ourselves," she said.
KSBY News reached out to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which responded by email, saying, "The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will investigate mountain lion conflicts reported by the affected parties, provide assistance that includes reasonable preventative recommendations, educational materials and resources," the agency said. "CDFW also offers extensive information and resources online on preventing mountain lion conflicts."
