Would barn lights left on keep active cougar away? Update Post #22 - Mtn. lion killed

[Appsolute]

Mules and donkeys are an elexent suggestion. They are kept by ranchers around here to protect their live stock.

When I heard we have mountain lions on the ranch that I board at - my first ask, was “can we get a donkey for the pasture?”

Not only will they attempt to attack predators - they bray and give an alert when something is up.

[ljc]

Thanks for all the ideas. Not sure if I feel more or less concerned than when I originally posted. Am waiting to hear back from neighbor as to status of Fish and Game hunting the cougar.

[ljc]

Update – The mountain lion returned last night to finish off remains of the goats. It was a very large male lion. Property owners had emergency permit from Fish and Game to kill the mountain lion, which they did. While I’m saddened at the loss of a valuable predator, I am extremely relieved. This is a neighborhood of horse properties and many people have goats, mini donkeys, mini horses, chickens, etc, in addition to all the wildlife. As an earlier poster wrote, once the lion had successfully killed here, he would have no doubt hung around.

Thank you for all the ideas. I hope to not have to deal with this again! This is the first time in 12 years I’ve spent this particular sleepless night.

[ljc]

I think one can worry about every possible eventuality and soon be unable to function. This is the first time we’ve ever felt “threatened” by a mountain lion, despite our property backing onto National Forest land. We’ve had two mountain lion attacks at properties on our road in the last few years, as well as a few others in the neighborhood. We’ve also had bear attacks on our road. All we need are tigers to finish the deal.

I think you should create the barn environment that is best for your horses and then deal with situations that may or may not come up. Even last night I didn’t shut my horses off from their runs – they would have gone insane. Leap of faith, perhaps, but I can’t live in fear. The only way to survive keeping horses on your property is to do the very best you can to create the optimal environment that is as safe as you can make it …and then accept that sometimes bad things happen. Because they do. You could keep your horses in a padded stall and bad things will still happen. I am the most cautious, anal horse owner in Southern CA, yet I still had a beloved mare break her leg in a freak pasture accident. I had to make peace with myself and realize I could not be down at the barn 24/7. You’ll discover the same thing. That being said, I announced to my husband last night that if I went down and found two dead minis mauled by a mtn. lion this morning, I was putting our property on the market today.

So go ahead and design the facility of your dreams that will best suit your horses and your environment. You can still be practical (keeping small horses close to big horses, for example). I don’t think a perimeter electric fence would keep ALL predators out, however. Coyotes will dig under it and a mountain lion will simply jump over it unless it is 15 feet tall with an overhang. (I did spend hours online last night researching methods for keeping cougars away).

[QUOTE=eastendjumper;8095047]
I’m hopping on this thread train as long as this topic is up; was thinking of starting a thread about this type of thing.

We are moving to a bigger property out of town (have been keeping horses in town, and a little nervous about the move) where there is certainly cougars and supposedly wolves. We are designing the facility from scratch, and are planning to do large, individual runs for a portion of the horses; is this putting them at risk? If there is a small horse or pony in one of theses runs, should I worry even more? I’ve got one little lesson pony at 13 hands and a 14 hand Welsh…

I can keep them stalled in an enclosable barn, but the hope is to do small group turnout all night (3-4) and now I’m wondering if that might even be too risky?

Would a perimeter electric fence deter predators? Bells on wire to at least let us know something is coming in? Is there a biological or chemical granule or liquid out there?

I’m sure I’m overthinking this but if I ever went out and saw one of mine hurt…:([/QUOTE]