Horse Attacked by Mountain Lion in Fruitvale
In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 4th, Jan Bellin’s twenty-five-year-old Quarter Horse, Aubrey, was attacked by a mountain lion, about 300 yards from Bellin and her husband, Dennis Maggard’s Fruitvale home. The couple own 65 acres, but they can see four houses from their home, so they do not live in a particularly remote area.
Bellin said she is incredibly grateful Council Veterinarian Bruce Gardner was able to come out and help Aubrey, who she said required many, many stitches and several hours of his time. Aubrey is recovering; she had a plate sized swipe of skin taken from her chest, and claw marks on her right foreleg, face and inside flank.
There were two other horses with Aubrey at the time of the attack, and it is not clear whether they helped her fend off the mountain lion.
“The horse put up quite a fight; she didn’t end up as a meal,” Bellin said.
Ben Hurd, with the Idaho State Department of Fish and Game and Nick Wade, a government trapper, visited with the couple and wrote up reports.
According to Wade’s supervisor, Jared Hedelius, State Director of Idaho Wildlife Services, his organization, which is part of the US Department of Agriculture, takes the lead on livestock depredation, but they work closely with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Hedelius said the mountain lion who caused the attack was not caught because Wade was unable to get written permission from neighboring landowners to do so. But Hedelius does believe the animal has moved on. He said typically, mountain lions follow the elk and deer herds when they move down from the mountains during winter.
When asked whether people with livestock should invest in purchasing several Great Pyrenees to protect their herds, Hedelius said, “It depends. Mountain lions typically prey on deer and elk. But if they chance upon a flock of sheep or a herd of goats, they may prey on them as well. They don’t typically go after cattle or horses, so if you have goats or sheep, it might be cost effective to buy Great Pyrenees to protect your animals.”
Aubrey, until she recovers from her wounds, has been in the corral along with the other two horses, and they will not be let out until she is fully recovered.
