MALIBU, Calif. (AP) - Officials of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area contend that killing a cougar preying on livestock near Malibu will not solve the problem.
National Park Service spokeswoman Kate Kuykendall said in a statement Tuesday the solution is use of cougar-proof animal enclosures.
Ten alpacas were killed Saturday at a ranch and one alpaca and a goat were killed at another ranch on Sunday.
California Fish and Wildlife has issued a rancher a 10-day permit to kill a lion known as P-45.
The Park Service has been studying the native local mountain lions for years, and Kuykendall says P-45’s behavior is not abnormal. She notes that at least four other lions have killed livestock in the past year.
The state and federal agencies are offering an enclosure workshop Wednesday.
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