2025.08.07 | Mountain Lion on Fiscalini Ranch Preserve

Last week a mountain lion killed a deer on Fiscalini Ranch Preserve.  Normally, that would not be newsworthy.  The only reason Cambria Community Services District and Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve got involved was because the carcass was partially hidden (cached) within a few feet of a trail.  An early walker who recognized the signs took photos and let us know.

     Mountain lions live in and around Cambria and always have.  They range over large areas, from 300 to 500 square miles.  For comparison, San Luis Obispo County covers 3,300 square miles. Locating a lion at a specific spot within that area is challenging unless the animal is a mother with cubs in the den or it has made a recent kill to which it will return.  In both those situations, mountain lions are on defense.

     In last week’s instance, a mountain lion had killed a deer, which it would feed it for a day or two. We knew the lion would return to that exact location.  Most importantly, the lion would defend its kill.  With so many people and dogs on the Ranch, the risk of conflict between visitors and the lion was too high to ignore.  After consultation with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife and with FFRP’s support, CCSD closed a section of the Marine Terrace Trail (fire road) for 24 hours until the mountain lion moved the carcass farther from the road. 

     There are no pictures to share.  CCSD placed a trail cam at the cache site to observe the mountain lion.  Unfortunately, someone stole the memory card and batteries from the camera.

     There are an estimated 4,500 mountain lions in California.  In the last 40 years, there have been four fatal attacks on humans.  While the likelihood of encountering a mountain lion is very low, prudence is the best approach. For information on how to minimize conflict and what to do if you see a mountain lion, visit California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

     Since Cambria has an abundance of deer, we can expect to continue to see mountain lions.  We are lucky to live in such a wildlife-rich area, but we should all be aware that we share this place with wild animals.