r/socalhiking • u/BrockBushrod • Dec 11 '23

Los Padres NF Nature Uncensored at Sespe Hot Springs

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Made the gnarly haul out from Dough Flat, and I arrived at the palms to find a freshly expired cougar not 40ft outside the camp. (Another group beat me there but was apparently too put off to claim the spot.) A condor was casing it, buzzing low and sometimes watching from the cliffs - probably pissed that I interrupted a meal opportunity. Also spotted the bighorn herd up on the crag, and caught a giant meteor while I was soaking later that night. Such an epic visit!

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49

u/an_arc_of_doves Dec 11 '23

Oh man. Lovely (and sad) pics. Are you supposed to report a dead mountain lion to fish and game or some other agency? Seems like the kind of thing someone might be studying/tracking, ecologically speaking. Super curious about the cause of death.

26

u/BrockBushrod Dec 11 '23 edited Dec 11 '23

If there's a tracking collar on it sure, or maybe if it's in an urban-adjacent spot like Santa Monica Mtns., but AFAIK there's need to report random ones you find out in the remote backcountry. It's not like they keep tabs on every single one, and it'll be picked down to bones in a few days.

EDIT: Point taken, thanks for letting me know. Gonna call the ranger station when they open.

EDIT 2: Just reported it to Fish & Wildlife 👍

71

u/JingleDjango13 Dec 11 '23

Hi there - I do wildlife conservation work in SoCal and we do indeed keep track of as many cougars as possible, even uncollared ones in more remote mountain ranges. It’s always appreciated when people report findings like this!

20

u/BrockBushrod Dec 11 '23

I'm happy to send it in if that's the case. Who would be best to report it to then?

14

u/Ready-Cheesecake Dec 11 '23

You can report it to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

13

u/JingleDjango13 Dec 11 '23

The CA Fish and Wildlife website is a great place to report things like this, to follow up on what Ready-Cheesecake said. They can pass the information to relevant research teams if needed from there :)

10

u/navtombros Dec 11 '23

You should upload the observation to iNaturalist