Man attacked eaten by mountain lion

[SJ]

Man attacked, eaten by mountain lion
Robert Nawojski's body was found near his New Mexico mobile home
PHOENIX - A mountain lion attacked, killed and partially ate a New Mexico man, authorities said on Tuesday.
A search party found the body of Robert Nawojski, 55, in a wooded area near his mobile home in Pinos Altos, New Mexico, late last week, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish said.
Investigators concluded that Nawojski had been attacked and killed by a mountain lion, or cougar, at a spot close to his home, where he lived alone and was known to bathe and shave outdoors.
Spokesman Dan Williams said the lion subsequently dragged the man's body a short distance into nearby woodland and ate and buried parts of it.
Nawojski was reported missing by his brother last week. A search party found a mountain lion lurking near his home and reported it to the Department of Game and Fish, which shot and wounded the animal.
After the lion ran off, the officer found the door to the mobile home open, the water running, and Nawojski's false teeth on the table.
Mountain lions are common throughout much of the Americas but they very rarely attack humans. The felines can grow up to nine feet in length, and weigh up to 260 pounds.
Since the late 19th century, there have been just over 100 attacks on people in North America, around 20 of them fatal.

 

[Liberty Belle]

New Mexico Game and Fish verified this was a mountain lion and they got the cat. It is only a matter of time before we have this happen in South Dakota too, but unless GF&P sees the attack happen chances are slim to none that they will admit it was a mountain lion.

Click on this link to see a picture of the cougar's last meal!

http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_9695540

 

[kolanuraven]

Don't be like Roscoe Darlin' and put a wash tub on the front porch!!

 

[SJ]

It might take a picture to have them verify it.

Their job depends on the outdoors.

Everyone whether camping, hiking, biking or just out doing the ranch work needs to carry a gun and take a dog along and hope they see the lion before it attacks.

 

[vansimplement]

It sounds like SD isn't any different than Kansas in that way. There are numerous cougar sightings in Kansas every year in widely different areas and the response from their DNR is always the same... there are no resident cougars and if it really WAS a cougar, it was just moving through.
Well if IA, SD, NE, and KS don't have resident populations, where are they "moving through" to?
Oh wow... and if you read the news link posted above it mentions that authorities are investigating accounts that another resident has been feeding whole raw chickens to the lion. That's just plain stupid. It's one thing to feed birds or chipmunks - it's another thing entirely to feed a potentially lethal predator.

 

[publichunter]

Dont forget to stay inside in case there is a poisonous snake abouot...a Brown Reclouse Spider......or even your 4 wheeler.......there are a lot more dangers facing you in daily life then some Mountain Lion.....

 

[SJ]

You are right there are alot dangers in life but why would I not take precaution?

I don't think anyone said anything about living in fear and staying inside.

My common sense tells me to do what you can to protect yourself, as no one else is going to protect you.

You can do what you want. If you think it is stupid to take precautions, carry a gun to protect yourself, that's fine, no one said you have to.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Dont forget to stay inside in case there is a poisonous snake abouot...a Brown Reclouse Spider......or even your 4 wheeler.......there are a lot more dangers facing you in daily life then some Mountain Lion.....

I know you won't understand this publichunter, but in our line of work we're outside EVERY day and we're well aware of the dangers. We also know how to take care of ourselves.

Do you think ignoring a mountain lion you know to be in the area is any smarter than not paying attention when you walk across a ridge you know to be the site of a rattlesnake den or turning your kids loose to play in a pasture with a mean bull that just tried to kill you when you were horseback?

There is a reason most of us are still living on the land – it's called survival of the fittest, but then we really don't expect you to know anything about that...

 

[Liberty Belle]

They got the second mountain lion!

Second lion caught in Pinos Altos, snare catches bear in same area
July 2, 2008
By QCS Staff

The state's Department of Game and Fish and U.S.D.A. Wildlife Services captured and killed a second mountain lion Tuesday morning resulting from the search for the lion that killed a Pinos Altos man, according to a press release from the Department of Game and Fish.

The first lion was caught and killed June 24 and may have been the one that killed and partially ate 55-year-old Robert Nawojski June 17 or 18 near his Pinos Altos home, the release said.

"We knew from tracks that we had two lions in the area, and we wanted to be thorough," Department Conservation Officer Leon Redman said in the release. He described the mountain lion killed Tuesday as a healthy 80- to 90-pound female. It was caught in a snare about a quarter-mile from the residential area in Pinos Altos. "We believe its tracks were seen in the Pinos Altos area," Redman said in the release.

The lion was taken to the Veterinary Diagnostic Services laboratory in Albuquerque for a necropsy.

The capture of the second lion ended a search that began June 20 after Nawojski's body was found near a rock ledge about 60 yards from his home where he liked to frequent. Medical investigators later confirmed that Nawojski was killed and partially eaten by a mountain lion, the release stated.

The lion captured June 24 was a healthy 138-pound male. A necropsy found two buckshot pellets in the lion's body, indicating it was the same lion wounded by a department officer June 19 near Nawojski's home. A rabies test on the lion was negative, the release said.

Wildlife Services agents pulled all snares from the area Tuesday morning and called off searches with dogs.

Signs notifying the public of the snares were placed on area roads and trails and in public places. Unfortunately, the snares also caught a bear, a javelina and a horse, the release said.

A woman was thrown from her horse after it was caught in a snare. She and the horse received minor injuries. The bear was believed to be one that Department officers were trying to trap and relocate after reports it was a nuisance and safety hazard near the Bear Creek Cabins, the release said.

The bear was feeding on a javelina caught in a snare when it became entangled in another snare. The bear was seriously injured by the snare and had to be euthanized, according to the release.

http://www.qcsunonline.com/news/bear_6216___article.html/snare_catches.html

 

[publichunter]

NO I dont think anyone should ignore a known mountain lion when it is in their area, but Lions do not deserve to be shot on sight as skunks and coyotes. They should be and are allowed to be taken (killed) if they are a danger tp you or your livestock. The amount of danger I guess is measured and dealt with as it should be by the landowner.