DeBorgia family loses pet to lion

Summer Crosby

Liz Bradley, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist, traveled up to DeBorgia on Sunday, when a family called suspecting that a wolf had killed their dog, to investigate the incident. The family reported the incident Saturday night. However, after examining the tracks Sunday, Bradley said it appeared as if the attacker had actually been a mountain lion, rather than a wolf, that was responsible for taking Linda Ferderer’s miniature pincher.

“During winter time, the deer and elk are coming down to the lower elevations and so the relocation of the game draws down mountain lions and wolves into closer proximity with people,” Bradley said.”

She says while the lions will kill dogs to eat them, wolves will often attack dogs and become aggressive as a territorial display. She said that people should be extra vigilant during the winter months and also be aware that the breeding season for wolves is at hand in February.

“As we move into breeding season, the animals will be more aggressive and more territorial,” she said.

She said many of the incidents will happen during the winter months and into February as wolves breed. She advises that residents take caution as predators travel down into lower elevations seeking game. Mike Fegely, game warden in Mineral County, said that at some point or another residents living in Mineral County could encounter a wolf or lion. He said that the particular time of the year makes the possibility that much more likely because they are coming down into the area.

“Young lions, especially those who are having a hard time making a living eating and finding prey tend to move down from the mountains,” he said. “They tend to key on cats, so if you have a bunch of barn cats they’ll typically move in toward a building and go after the cats, but that’s what they tend to prey on.”

Fegely said that it’s anybody’s guess what the lion was doing down in DeBorgia. He said the lion very well may have hunting deer, as the animals tend to go up into people’s yards, and it was just a coincidence that the animal stumbled across the dog.

“Lions are very efficient predators that can do some damage when hunting,” Fegely said. “They’re very good nocturnal hunters.”

If a resident stumbles across a lion, Fegely said that the best thing to do is yell, scream, shout and make noise to scare the animal off. He said you definitely don’t want to flat out run as it becomes an issue with dominance. The same thing goes if you run into a wolf. If the animal is being aggressive, you want to the best you can to get to a safe area.

While lions typically attack dogs and cats for food, Fegely said that wolves see dogs as just another wolf to compete against. He said that often wolves will smell the dog or hear them barking, which then keys them into their presence. He said as they move into the breeding season they will be more aggressive than normal.

Fegely said that typically when there is a problem with lions, individuals need to call in and report the incident. If it is a reoccurring problem with the same lion, he said that they will have a licensed federal agent come in and they will either trap the animal or euthanize them or dogs will be brought in and chase the animals up a tree and the animal will be shot. He said the action taken depends on each situation. He said that people are not allowed to shoot a wolf or animal unless it is threatening their livestock or pets.

“They did everything right up in DeBorgia,” he said. “They were pretty close to the incident and still the lion went after the dog. It’s a tragic event, I feel for them. Sometimes things are done right and it still turns out badly.”

The best way to keep your pets safe is to keep them close by and keep an eye on them. Bradley said that when you let them out into morning to be extra cautious and the best plan is to bring them in at night. Fegely said that it’s not a good idea to let pets stray away from the house, as this makes a possible encounter with a lion or wolf that much more likely.