Shadows of a Mountain Lion

Copyright © 2012 by Mikki Terzian. 116770-TERZ

ISBN:    Ebook      978-1-4797-1380-6

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A SPECIAL THANKS

To SHASTA THE MOUNTAIN LION

For donating his picture for the cover, and book of

SHADOWS of a MOUNTAIN LION

&

CRITTER CREEK WILDLIFE STATION

For allowing the publication of his photographs and story.

Please visit Critter Creek

www.crittercreek.org/

SHASTAS’ STORY

A maintenance crew checking high power lines in the Sierras picked up Shasta as an abandoned kitten. The couple running the camp bottle-fed him until they were able to find a home for him at Critter Creek. Mountain lions cannot be rehabilitated in the state of California, so Shasta will stay here. He lets out a peeping vocalization when he sees or hears someone he knows. His favorite toys are pumpkins which he shreds within a few hours. His enclosure is enormous—60’ X 40’ X 15’ at the domed arch. He has tree trunks and stumps, a cave, rock outcroppings—everything he wants to play hide and seek with us. He also has an appetite, eating an average of 5 pounds of meat a day. Mountain lions are the largest cats that still purr and Shasta is the best and loudest at purring.

_____Critter Creek Wildlife Station

Critter Creek Wildlife Station is a non-profit rehabilitation center for wildlife, located in Squaw Valley, near Kings Canyon National Park. The animals come to us from Fish and Game, veterinarians, humane societies and caring individuals.

_____Critter Creek Wildlife Station

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book is for the adventurous at heart. The person who’s willing to explore the wildlife that others so often forget exists. To realize the beauty that lives around us in the form of a carnivore, the mountain lion.

I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to Dr. Reginald H. Barrett; Goertz Professor of Wildlife Management, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkley, for reading my book, lending me advice, and the encouragement to share my experiences with others.

I would like to extend many thanks to my Forestry & Natural Resources Advisors, Kent Kinney, and Wildlife Biologist, Julie Constable, Wildlife Management Instructor, at Reedley College, for reviewing the abstract of my research and sharing their thoughts on improvements with me. I sincerely enjoyed our conversations sharing, and comparing ideas on wildlife and management.

I would like to acknowledge Kim Sorini-Wilson, Wildlife Biologist with the United States Forest Service, on the Sierra National Forest; for the training, guidance, and the opportunity to conduct field research on Forest Sensitive Species’. I learned so much, and aspire to be in your likeness.

Thank you to my family for supporting my notions, theories, and wild jaunts out to some remote place to look for a lion. I have enjoyed the one on one time this research project has afforded us.

Many thanks go to the people in our community who supported me, allowed me access to their properties, and helped my project by sharing their stories.

I cannot express how thankful to the girls I am, for showing me the parallels between human motherhood and mountain lion motherhood. This has been the experience of a life time.

ABOUT THE AUTHORESS

The authoress of: Shadows of a Mountain Lion, Mikki Terzian, graduated from Reedley College, with an Associate’s of Science degree in Forestry and Natural Resources. By completing a work study project for the United States Forest Service, she learned how to apply the knowledge she’d gained through education and personal studies for government required wildlife projects. Today, Mikki is a continuing student completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resources with emphasis on Wildlife.

Studying mountain lions within their own habitat was an eye-opening choice for Mikki. She learned their behavioral patterns through observation, which required patience and intelligent choices to be a cautious human with instincts learned from respect. A six year, personally funded project, rewarded Mikki with one on one knowledge that could not be learned through instructional studies alone, she devised her own independent study and subsequently produced answers to questions developed within a protocol tailored to fit the regional ranching and agricultural industries.

Mikki Terzian is a native born Californian, raised in the rural community of Navelencia. The setting of her family’s home is in the San Joaquin Valley at the base of the foothills, leading to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Mikki grew up riding horses in the country, and was always amazed at the abundant wildlife.

At the age of 18, Mikki was afforded the opportunity to travel extensively over a period of time to Canada, Europe, and several parts of the eastern and southern United States. Mikki was able to observe nature and wildlife in different temperates, seasonal landscapes, and controlled environments. The larger cities she visited had zoos to observe animals and their behavior within captivity, which provided her with more information about how animals live with relevance to their environmental influences. Mikki chose to do field research on wildlife within its own habitat for the purpose of seeing natural behavior, which brings us to this labor of love.

It is my privilege to write this dedication to Mikki Terzian. The many hours, the determination to be thorough, and her diligence to her family responsibilities ( eight children, throw in a few grandchildren, her parents, and a husband, not to mention, cattle, horses, ducks, cats, dogs, and rabbits). It amazes me she’s had the energy to remember all the fascinating facts she’s constantly fitting into her compilation of information.

You make me proud, you inspire me, and I hope you have enlightened others as you have me on this special species of cat!

Love, as Always.

Mom

Suzanne Hurliman

PREFACE

This book has been a labor of love because it is important to understand how mountain lions behave and why they react to humans, and certain environmental conditions in their own and shared habitats. Throughout all of the phases of their existence; they are in some regions a Key Stone Species’, but here in the valley they are an Apex Predator Species’. Additionally, you will also be brought to understand their roll and importance in the geographical setting for which they inhabit.

You will see how the mountain lion lives within a rural residential community. How they share the same citrus groves as residents in the community that use these avenues for taking daily walks. Overlapping territories of humans and mountain lions do exist and in my experiences, are not as detrimental as most people portray them to be. By reading this book you will have more of an ability to see them as they really are; solitary creatures who’ve carved out their niche and now in this time have adapted to live within the presence of humans.

For the Ecologist, Wildlife Biologist, and Wildlife Student, I believe this book is valuable because it shows how the co-existing mountain lions live and survive in a predominately high intensity agricultural area. The seasonal activities and range changes of these mountain lions listed on the family tree have been documented by sight, track, and sign, and by frequency of travel with fixed points. By reading further, their stories will come together. I hope this research lights a fire in wildlife students. Though the work is time consuming, it is rewarding. We must be their voice.

If you are not a scientist or science oriented student, you will find each lion’s story to be heartfelt and informative. By experiencing the effort that each lioness extends in raising her cubs, you will see that a lioness is family oriented. She will do what is necessary to protect and raise her cubs from their birth until the day they become subadults that seek their own home ranges. My field notes show that human motherhood often parallels mountain lion motherhood.

I never intended to write a book. An automobile accident left me with a spinal injury that required time to heal. Writing this book was the perfect opportunity to share my research and keep my mind busy. Between my family’s activities, school, work, cattle, illness and injury, this project has been a huge personal effort. My project is not funded by any program(s). All of my equipment, I purchased myself. I’ve done radio telemetry in the past but; this was not an option for my own research.

Today, mountain lions are collard and radio telemetry is used for tracking studies. The data is GPS recorded with computer software for future analysis. It makes it easier to follow mountain lions routes when they are in topographic areas where tracking is difficult. However, in some ways the old way of doing things is better from the learning stand point. These journal entries are taken from my field notes and only the best entries are listed. The four study zones encompass several miles, and are more or less in some areas, connected by waterways.

For the purpose of anonymity, I have chosen to change the names of people in order to protect the innocent. Any resemblance, living or dead, is entirely coincidental, except for the names of my five children, husband, parents, and referenced works and citations. I have chosen to share the names of three locations for the sake of studying mountain lions. The mention of these locations excludes any information of private or government environmental studies or impact reports. They are: The Friant Kern Canal, Kings River, and the San Joaquin Valley. I will also, not show maps with fixed points or routes that each lion has in order to protect them.

Under a clear blue sky, come and sit with me on a mountain top overlooking the landscape. Feel the gentle breezes on your face as the grasses sway around you. Hear only the sounds of nature; feel like a lion with me.

Table Of Contents

SHASTAS’ STORY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHORESS

PREFACE

TABLE OF FIGURES

Chapter I

Discovery

Chapter II

The Beginning

Chapter III

The Morning Mist

Chapter IV

A Tiny Family

Chapter V

Survival

Chapter VI

Hookah

Chapter VII

Ben

CHAPTER VIII

Sneaker

Chapter IX

A New Lioness

Chapter X

A Visit from Hookah

Chapter XI

Mr. Inconspicuous

Chapter XII

Surprise!

Chapter XIII

New Residents

Chapter XIV

Hide and Seek

Chapter XV

Minus One Cub

CHAPTER XVI

MISSING LIONS

Chapter XVII

An Unknown Presence

CHAPTER XVIII

Life without a Mother

CHAPTER XIX

Seasonal Range Change

CHAPTER XX

STUDY CRITERIA

CHAPTER XXI

Reflections on the Study

CHAPTER XXII

Mountain Lion Estimation

CHAPTER XXIII

Overview- Prey & General Habitat

Travel & Preferential Habitat

Diet

Details

Drought

Farming

CHAPTER XXIV

Agricultural And Weather Effects On Mountain Lions

CHAPTER XXV

Addendum

REFERENCES

TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1- Lion Family Lineage as of 11/15/2012

Figure 2- Summary of Abbreviations

Figure 3-This is the panoramic view overlooking the Ag land from the top of a foothill in zone 3.

Figure 4- Tracy and I were overlooking the valley from the top of the mountain. When the fog burns off, this is what a lion sees.

Figure 5- Sneaker left his tracks on the concrete. These tracks are great for identification

Figure 6- These casts were made from Sneaker’s tracks when he was 8 years old.

Figure 7- This is the only photograph of Suka, a curious lioness. She was standing in the tall grasses inspecting a wildlife camera.

Figure 8- A photo of Henry’s tracks made into casts.

Figure 9- Suka and Henry spent most of their mornings here in June through October of 2011.

Figure 10- This is an example of the stand pipe for irrigation. The water has drained into the soil but when the valve is open the water pools.

Figure 11- This photo is of the olive tree corridor in zone 2. I do love this place. I understand why the girls would bring their cubs here.

Figure 12- When the canal is empty, the water gate is left open. A lioness and her cub(s) can freely walk from the canal into the slough without being seen.

Figure 13-When I go out to survey zone 2, it can be a little eerie. This is a place where wildlife takes advantage of hiding in shadows. When the wind rustles through the leaves on the trees, it draws my attention. I listen closer to see if I’m hearing an animal’s movement instead of just the wind.

Figure 14- A small mule deer doe found my camera when she was checking out her favorite fig tree in late summer.

Figure 15- Lion scat found marking a small riparian route boundary.

Figure 16- This natural lake is home to a diverse species’ population.

Figure 17- The Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) is one of the most abundant prey species for the mountain lion, bobcat, and other omnivores in the area.

Figure 18- The Specially Protected Gray Fox of California, The Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), is omnivorous and hunts alone (Elevation: 400 feet).

Figure 19- The Common Great Horned Owl in California (Bubo virginianus virginianus) sitting in a cotton wood tree. The owl sees everything.

Figure 20- The Raccoon (Procyon lotor) is visiting the lake in search of dinner. The raccoon is an omnivore that eats most everything (Elevation: 400 feet).

Figure 21- This water holding pond is on Sneaker’s route. The trees and grasses have grown up around it forming a small oasis that all wildlife uses for water, foraging, prey and cover. The weeping willow trees shade the banks in the summer.

Figure 22- Propane powered wind machines keep citrus crops from freeze damage in the winter.

Figure 23- The blue pesticide, Diphacinone, sitting outside a squirrel’s burrow was improperly distributed. The County Department of Agriculture in Fresno County acted quickly to help remedy the situation.

Figure 24- Heavy machinery for tree chipping is necessary due to restrictions on burning because of air quality in the valley.

Figure 25- Photo of Shasta, The Mountain Lion, at Critter Creek Wildlife Station.

Figure 26 - A side view photo of Shasta hiding in his sanctuary. His profile shows his facial markings.

Figure 27- Shasta saunters over to see who I am.

Lion Family Lineage

Figure 1- Family Tree

Figure 2- Summary of Abbreviations

Chapter I

Discovery

In 2002, my first experience with a mountain lion sparked my interest and my passion for studying carnivores. Just seeing a lion was not enough, I wanted to know where it was going and where it had been. Could this lion be a mother of cubs or was it a male surveying his home range? I had to find out. Taking walks turned into a past time for tracking wildlife. It is interesting to see where lion’s tracks will take me. I have found evidence, by track, of mountain lions stalking their prey. I have also found lionesses’ tracks along with their cubs, as they’ve traveled to different locations. I have seen evidence of their kills to feed their cubs.

Then, the shocking occasion where I have accidentally lost the tracks only to look up…to stare into the eyes of a carnivore. My heart stopped for a brief moment, only to feel it beat again quickly. I was able to slow it down, knowing that at this moment every movement counts.

Not every encounter is the same. Where one may not be confrontational, there may be another that is. A chance sighting can happen so quickly. When it has occurred in the past, I’ve read the cat’s body language and the pupils of their eyes. I make sure to keep the eye contact, not to lose a second of it. By observing the lion’s movement or stance, and watching for tail swishing, I have been able to interpret the intension’s of the resident mountain lions I have seen. Tail swishing can be construed as aggressive or nervous behavior. When encountering a lion during hunting hours, tail swishing can be seen as an aggressive behavior. The lion is calculating its preys’ behavior for an attack. When accidentally running across a lion while walking during the late morning hours, the swishing can be observed as a nervous sign. The reason for this explanation is because the lioness I had observed at close range was obviously not prepared for a meeting with a human. This lioness had made her way up the backside of a rock pile in search of a place to nap.

Can a Lion in the study smell fear from a resident? I have found that a mountain lion will look for physical movement which will indicate how it should make its next move. I know that when I’m surprised by a person or an animal that my heart beats faster, adrenaline pumps through my body. This might not be a good thing when standing in front of a carnivore. My glands will produce a scent that the animal probably isn’t familiar with being they are wild, and not domesticated. During the closest chance meeting I’ve had with a lioness, I found that if I’d been upwind of her, my scent coupled with erratic physical movement like that of a nervous prey species, would’ve lead to danger. Luckily, I was downwind from Suka and she couldn’t catch my scent of surprise. At the location of our meeting, the wind current flows from South East to the North West.

Perhaps the interest I showed in Suka made her wonder why I was still standing there. It seems the pupils of our eyes never left each other’s for more than a second as we evaluated each other. Her eyes were as wide as mine yet, not expressing any fear from the meeting. I had seen lions from a distance, followed their tracks, and found their scat. There were times I’d wished I could have seen them closer but, not face to face. There was no amount of close up pictures that could have prepared me for seeing the real thing so close. She was beautiful, so self-assured, and inquisitive. If she’d had a voice she probably would have said to me, in a raspy tone, Well, now what are you going to do? With the way she looked at me, her piercing yellow eyes looked right through my soul. I couldn’t help looking back at her with wonder, to see such a beautiful cat. She stole a part of my heart that day. Since then, I have looked for her everywhere and on many occasions, found that I’ve followed in her footsteps.

Though our footprints are different, the way we walk through life is similar. I say this because she and I both have a small child to raise. We feed, spend time, protect, and nurture them. We mother’s get few and far between moments of quiet time. But then, when we least expect it, a brief respite comes our way. We can look out over the landscape and have peace. Who knew that this day, both of us would meet? What a surprise it was when our eyes quickly focused on each other’s. As two different Species’, we discovered one another and I came to realize the parallels of our lives.

Suka taught me that upon leaving a lion’s presence, to keep backing until I have enough room to turn sideways but never let my guard down and never turn my back. I knew when she looked at me that she would find my departure interesting. Since her nature is to track her prey I knew she may decide to track me for a short distance. I also knew not to be alarmed at this, all cats do it. She just had to make sure I was leaving and really, she wanted to see if I would run. She would love to chase me and wouldn’t be able to