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<\/a>\u201cAt first, I thought it was a coyote. When I saw its size, fully stretched-out, and that long, cat-like tail, I knew it was a mountain lion.\u201d<\/p>\n
His dash cam recorded the incident. Under full stride, the puma crossed Navajo and disappeared into the golf course.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe adrenaline was really flowing,\u201d Johanning said.<\/p>\n
Upon arriving home, he downloaded the footage and uploaded the clip to social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to get the word out and wanted people to be aware [of the sighting].\u201d<\/p>\n
He did just that. On YouTube alone, over 5,000 site visitors vicariously experienced a rare sighting.<\/p>\n
For many viewers, the video brings additional public awareness to environmental issues. It illustrates the challenge of maintaining both biodiversity and public safety.<\/p>\n An early response to Johanning\u2019s postings was an invitation to contact iNaturalist, a social network and database of naturalists, \u201ccitizen scientists\u201d and biologists.<\/p>\n \u201cI was pleased to have the opportunity to share the sighting with the scientific community,\u201d Johanning said.<\/p>\n Veterinarian and professor Winston Vickers, of the Wildlife Health Center at University of California, Davis, was among those who viewed Johanning\u2019s video. Dr. Vickers\u2019 pursuits include an ongoing study, initiated in 2001, of puma populations in Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties.<\/p>\n Vickers said the mountain lion seen in the video is an example of a young male exploring unfamiliar terrain.<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstanding how threatened species respond to natural and human landscapes leads to proactive conservation solutions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Research has shown that the prime mover in the biodiversity crisis is human land-use expansion.<\/p>\n When human land use spreads, habitat fragmentation results.<\/p>\n Heidi Gutknecht, a park ranger at Mission Trails Regional Park offers a likely scenario of why the puma crossed the road.<\/p>\n \u201cAs natural habitats continue to be broken up into smaller and smaller \u2018islands\u2019 surrounded by development, wildlife have no choice but to cross through our human habitats in order to get from one fragment of natural habitat to another,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Johanning\u2019s video demonstrates the challenges animals face. Highways and roadways are substantial barriers to animal movement and reproductive health. Equally, it alerts us that unpredictable crossings may jeopardize human safety.<\/p>\n Both suggest an increased need for landscape \u201cconnectivity\u201d improvements, including corridors between conserved lands and fencing that funnel animals to safe underpass crossing structures. These mitigation measures will reduce animal\/vehicle collisions in future.<\/p>\n Responding to the recent San Carlos sighting, Phoenix Von Hendy, president of the San Diego Tracking Team, offers insights on puma behavior and the rarity of the sighting.<\/p>\n \u201cMountain lions are quiet, solitary and elusive, and typically avoid people. [They] are not commonly encountered in San Diego County, and attacks on humans are really, really rare,\u201d he said. \u201cOur closest survey location to San Carlos is in Mission Trails Regional Park under Highway 52. Historically, mountain lion evidence has been noted every couple years. Our records show they are not present on a regular basis in any of the locations where we perform wildlife monitoring.\u201d<\/p>\n Bob Forthun, education coordinator for the San Diego River Park Foundation, addressed the issue of preserving our environment for future generations.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we educate our children on the importance of creating and maintaining open space, those children will grow up to have a sense of responsibility for the environment, and take positive action,\u201d Forthun said. \u201cLarge animals, such as mountain lions, need lots of space to hunt, find water, shelter, and mates. If we create and maintain corridors linking wilderness areas for these animals, we do much to create a safe and positive environment for all.\u201d<\/p>\n Heidi Gutknecht, a park ranger at Mission Trails Regional Park advises that any incident of a mountain lion seen leaving Cowles Mountain should be reported to Mission Trails staff, or to U.S. Fish and Wildlife offices. Police contact is appropriate when a large animal is accidentally hit and its body poses a traffic hazard.<\/p>\n In cases of direct contact, Ranger Gutknecht has some recommendations.<\/p>\n \u201cStay calm. Do not run. Do not approach it,\u201d she said. \u201cHold your ground and raise your arms up and out to the sides, making yourself appear larger. If it approaches you, yell loudly. On the off-chance that it should try to attack, fight back. Report the sighting\/encounter to on-site staff and local wildlife agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n Johanning said his posting of his \u201cclose encounter\u201d video was a \u201cpositive experience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re sharing with others and it gets people thinking, and sparks involvement, it\u2019s a great thing,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m glad the mountain lion is safe and hope it stays safe. These intelligent creatures deserve our very best effort at preserving their wild space.\u201d<\/p>\n