Posted: 6/28/2004 12:45:38 PM EDT
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Mountain Lion Victim Undergoes Surgery Santa Monica Woman Lost Eye In Weekend Attack Jun 28, 2004 12:35 pm US/Pacific LOS ANGELES (AP) A 27-year-old Santa Monica woman lost her right eye in an attack by a mountain lion and underwent hours of reconstructive surgery to her face at UCLA Medical Center, authorities said. Shannon Parker also suffered deep wounds to her right thigh, officials with the California Department of Fish and Game said Sunday. Parker's family has asked UCLA not to release any information on her condition, said Rachel Champeau, hospital spokeswoman. Parker was attacked Saturday after going on a hike with her boyfriend, Mathias Maciejewski, 28, of Los Angeles, and two other male friends. She was walking alone to her car about 7 p.m. near Johnsondale, about 15 to 20 miles north of Kernville, when the female lion attacked her, said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the fish and game department. Her friends rallied to Parker after hearing her screams. Maciejewski stabbed the lion with a knife and Jason Quirino, 30, of Los Angeles, and Ben Aaron Marsh, 15, of Los Angeles, threw rocks at the animal until it ran off, Martarano said Sunday. Quirino declined to discuss the incident when contacted by phone on Monday. The lion, which weighed about 70 pounds, left a bloody trail as it fled and was later shot and killed by U.S. Forest Service officers and Fish and Game wardens, Martarano said. A necropsy was planned for Monday to determine if the animal had rabies and whether it was otherwise sick or injured. Officials could have results as early as Tuesday. A 2002 wildfire in the area could have hampered the lion's ability to find enough food, Martarano said. "The lion appeared to be emaciated," he said. "Before the fire, (the area) was considered moderate to good mountain lion and deer habitat. The fire changed everything." He added that the area had recently started to revive. Martarano said the incident was the 15th mountain lion attack on a human in California since 1890. In January, a mountain lion mauled two people in separate attacks at an Orange County wilderness park. Bike rider Mark Reynolds, 35, was killed and Anne Hjelle, 30, was rescued by her cycling partner, who held onto her legs, and other mountain bikers who threw rocks at it. Hjelle was hospitalized for weeks and likely will require several surgeries in the years ahead. (© 2004 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ) Mountain lions are thin skinned medium game. any handgun caliber suitable for self defense against humans is also suitable for self defense against mountain lions. |
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Mountain lion that attacked Calif. hiker was undernourished Monday June 28, 2004 By GREG RISLING Associated Press Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) A mountain lion that attacked a hiker on a clifftop trail in Central California over the weekend did not have rabies and was well below its average weight, wildlife officials said Monday. The 2-year-old male lion weighed 58 pounds, while most cougars its age weigh 80 to 100 pounds, said Lorna Bernard, spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Game. The emaciated lion injured a Santa Monica woman Saturday before it was fought off by her boyfriend and later killed by wildlife officers. A necropsy on Monday determined that the animal didn't have rabies and that its stomach was empty except for the bone of a rodent, Bernard said. Other examinations to determine whether the animal was sick could take another week, but state officials said they may never learn why the lion attacked. ``Even if they explain the mystery why it was thin, it won't explain the mystery of why the lion wanted to attack a human,'' Bernard said. The animal should have been able to feast on deer and vegetation that had returned to the area as it recovers from a 2002 wildfire, she said. Mountain lions will also eat coyotes, plants and berries if there aren't enough deer in the wild. Shannon Parker, 27, lost her right eye in Saturday's attack and had deep wounds to her right thigh, authorities said. She has undergone hours of reconstructive surgery while recuperating at UCLA Medical Center. Her family asked the hospital not to release any additional information. The family's neighbors and one friend who was on the hike said they had been asked by Parker's family not to talk about her or the incident. Parker had been hiking with her boyfriend Mathias Maciejewski and two other friends in the Giant Sequoia National Monument area about 15 miles north of Kernville. The lion pounced on her on a narrow part of the trail as she walked alone to her car to retrieve a pair of sunglasses. Her hiking companions heard her screams and ran to her rescue. Maciejewski, 28, stabbed the lion twice with a knife and Jason Quirino, 30, of Los Angeles, and Ben Aaron Marsh, 15, of Los Angeles, threw rocks at the animal until it ran off, state officials said. Fish and Game Lt. Brian Naslund said the mountain lion ``was right on top of her face to face'' and could have caused further injury because the trail ran along a cliff. ``There was a potential to fall 100 feet down into a river,'' he said. The animal left a bloody trail and was later shot and killed by U.S. Forest Service officers and Fish and Game wardens. Authorities initially believed the lion was female but said Monday it was male. Parker lives alone in at an apartment in Santa Monica and works for a medical company based in Bakersfield, where her family lives. ``We wish for a speedy and full recovery and look forward to her return,'' said Marc Haverstock, vice president of Kern Surgical Supply. Marisol Metcalfe, who lives in Parker's apartment complex in Santa Monica, described her as athletic and outgoing. ``I'm just shocked,'' Metcalfe said. ``I can't believe it.'' It was the 15th mountain lion attack on a human in California since 1890. In January, a mountain lion mauled two bicyclists in separate attacks at an Orange County wilderness park. Mark Reynolds, 35, was killed and Anne Hjelle, 31, was rescued by her cycling partner, who held onto her legs, and other mountain bikers who threw rocks at it. Hjelle was hospitalized for weeks and likely will require several surgeries in the years ahead. |
