California's Mountain Lions Are Eating Our Pets: Report

A majority of mountain lions in California have been sinking their teeth into house pets, according to a new study from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The study says that 107 mountain lions were killed legally last year with “depredation permits.” Of those 107, a total of 83 mountain lions were necropsied in 2015, according to the study obtained by Patch.

When examining the stomachs of those animals, officials discovered that they had primarily been eating things like dogs, cats and other domesticated animals. A much smaller portion of their diets— just 5 percent— was deer.

The report states:

“The majority of necropsied mountain lion stomach contents contained domestic animals (52%); however, deer and other various contents were observed as well,” the report states.

And here is a chart from the report:

“As a pet owner you have a responsibility for the safety of that animal, especially if you live in open space or wild animal habitat,” the DFW’s Andrew Hughan told the San Francisco Chronicle. “When out walking, keep it on a leash or keep a very close eye, look around, above and behind you for wild animals.”

Read more on the results of the study at SFGate.

(Image via Shutterstock)