Letter to editor: Shocked at ho-hum response to report of mountain lion near school

I was shocked at the response to the mountain lion sighting as it appeared in a letter in the Sept. 26 issue of the

Sentinel.

The ho-hum attitude from the local sheriff’s department is about what I would expect based upon my own experience about a year ago, but at the very least, considering that the mountain lion can be a lethal threat to adults and especially children, the call from Mr. Strahan deserved a visit to the location by a deputy. And the person who answered the phone at the sheriff’s office does not even know the proper place to refer the call?

A year ago my car was involved in a hit and run while parked in Poway. A kind passerby who witnessed this stood by until my wife returned to the car. The witness gave her a description of the vehicle, the license number, a description of the driver and even a description of the passenger. When I took the information to the sheriff’s office in Poway the response I received was, “So, what do you want me to do about it?”

And that’s the way it ended. So much for expecting any help from the sheriff’s department.

But the real culprit here is the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Whoever Mr. Strahan spoke with had to be a total moron.

I thought second-graders were smaller than deer. Haven’t we all read many times that if you are on foot and come across a mountain lion that you should make noise, stand up and wave your arms to make yourself look as large as possible? Have all the small children walking to school been so instructed, or would the mountain lion consider them small prey anyway? Do I recall correctly that a mountain lion, three or four years ago, attacked adults in the mountains to our north, and the result in one case was death?

All James Dukes parents should be concerned because what chance would a child have?

Finally, what is the response from the school staff regarding this sighting?

Robert Curwin

Ramona