August 28, 2005
PRICKING THE BUBBLE (via Robert Schwartz):
In California Enclave, Cougars Keep the People at Bay (GARY RIVLIN, August 28, 2005, NY Times)
You would think that if you plunked down $10 million for a home, including millions to buy three adjoining properties, you could count on a little freedom to roam. But then the occasional mountain lion traipses across your land and, if you are Barbara Proulx, you feel trapped, afraid to let your two young sons out by themselves because of the dangers lurking outside.Mrs. Proulx and her husband, Tom, a founder of the software company Intuit, even have a three-hole golf course on their 10-plus acres, yet in recent months it has gotten far less use than in the past.
"I won't let my children go to the tennis court by themselves anymore," Mrs. Proulx said. She does not permit the boys, ages 9 and 11, to walk to the pool on their own, either. Her parents live in a home on her property, but "they're terrified."
"Except to come to my house," she said, "they never go outside."
They are hardly the only ones in the area feeling like prisoners in multimillion-dollar homes. In recent months, there have been a few publicized mountain lion sightings up and down this peninsula just south of San Francisco, especially in the area's rural, more upscale neighborhoods, out of the reach of most people beyond venture capitalists and those made outlandishly wealthy by Silicon Valley's star companies.
Yet nowhere has this fear been more pronounced than in Atherton, the country's second-wealthiest community after Rancho Santa Fe, in Southern California. Here, largely because of the efforts of a single neighbor, vast backyards sit largely unused.
While setting lions loose on them will lower the property values it will also make shelter even more desirable. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 28, 2005 7:16 PM
I would like a few cougars in my neighborhood to control the rats on stilts (a/k/a deer).
Posted by: Robert Schwartz![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://brothersjuddblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at August 28, 2005 7:26 PM
Have these people ever heard of firearms?
Posted by: Governor Breck at August 28, 2005 8:03 PMCould be wrong, but I believe there's a hefty fine and maybe jail time for harming these protected animals.
Posted by: ed at August 28, 2005 8:33 PMNot if you're defending yourself.
Posted by: Pete at August 28, 2005 8:55 PMThe average person can understand traffic accidents and heart attacks, but the thought of becoming mountain lion scat is a little too primitive a way to meet your maker.
Posted by: JimBobElrod at August 28, 2005 9:03 PMHow about trying a few Anatolian Sheep Dogs or other livestock guarding dogs? Properly trained, they are capable of driving away or killing cougars.
http://people.unt.edu/~tlt0002/livest.htm
Posted by: Henry IX at August 28, 2005 9:21 PMInstapundit had some links about this today, including a book on the subject:
The Beast in the Garden: The True Story of a Predator's Deadly Return to Suburban America
Posted by: JackSheet at August 28, 2005 10:31 PMDon't those cougars know they are supposed to prey on gap toothed yokels who think the big city is Susanville? Of course the yokels carry personal artillery and a shovel to dispose of evidence of any encounters...
Seeing how these people mentioned in the article are often big contributors to groups that seek to give such predators an exalted status, it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch.
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at August 29, 2005 2:04 AMI agree with Henry IX.
Ten acres is large enough to let a pack of dogs roam, and even if they don't kill or drive off a big cat, at least you'll know when one is around.
These venture capitalists and internet gazillionaires seem to be a little dense - or maybe they just like to complain.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at August 29, 2005 2:06 AM
Dog is good; gun is good. Dog plus gun is the answer, just as it to the human intruder. The dog to find 'em and fix 'em, the gun to fight 'em and finish 'em.
The long term solution is religious: to reaffirm the Noetic covenant by asserting our place in the universe. The reason there is a problem with cougars in California is that the greenie-wackos have managed to outlaw hunting cougars with dogs.
Posted by: Lou Gots at August 29, 2005 10:31 AMWhat a bunch of wusses! These are high-tech guys, couldn't they build an early warning system using sensors and wi-fi technology? Or pay someone to trap it and release it in Yosemite? Or build a (gasp) fence?
Posted by: Robert Duquette at August 29, 2005 11:20 AMLive trapping, relocating and releasing of problem animals, from tree-rats and mice to bears and cougars, is just a way to make it someone else's problem. It's the squeamish coward's way out. Either live with the animal or kill it, but don't dump it on other people.
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at August 29, 2005 9:47 PMLou: we need the cougars. Other wise we're stuck with the rats.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at August 30, 2005 2:13 AM