Rescue pit bull killed by mountain lion in San Fernando Valley

LOS ANGELES - A "wildlife warning" has been issued for a San Fernando Valley neighborhood after a mountain lion killed a family's pet pit bull over the weekend. 

The deadly attack happened Saturday near the Oakridge mobile home park near Foothill and Glenoaks boulevards in Sylmar. The "large mountain lion" was first spotted in the area around 5 a.m.

Rey Constante, who was returning home to the mobile home park, ran into the mountain lion atop of a gray pit bull, whose leash was still attached to the dog's neck.

"He looked up and growled at me… and I said ‘wow'… I was startled," he said. 

Someone in another vehicle honked the horn, scaring off the mountain lion. 

That 5-year-old pit bull, Gigi, had just been adopted from the Southern California Pit Bull Rescue. 

The organization is saving the dog's remains for California Fish and Wildlife officers, who are investigating. 

"Sylmar neighbors - as we know living in this wonderful community, we are cohabitating with an abundance of wildlife. Coyotes, raccoons, opossums, the occasional bear, and lately a fairly large mountain lion. (Perhaps a couple of them," the Sylmar neighborhood council wrote. 

A family is mourning after their beloved rescue pit bull was killed by a mountain lion. / Photos courtesy Rey Constance

"Huge mountain lion just killed our neighbors dog, I'm worried about the owners since the dog still had a leash on it, beautiful pit bull now dead," Constante wrote on Facebook. "Oakridge residents, do not walk your pets at night, this animal is still roaming around untagged waiting for the next victim." 

Officials are advising residents to be safe and take the proper precautions.

Here are some guidelines according to the National Park Service: 

• 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 river banks, 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.

To learn more, visit nps.gov.

Anyone with security footage is urged to contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at 916-928-2537 (Monday-Friday: 8:00am to 5:00pm, PST) or email LRB@wildlife.ca.gov.