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Thursday, May 22, 2008

Approach With Care



      
       It would be easy to place the blame for the animal attack over the weekend on the Salazar family. After all, if family members would have read the signs posted all over the Sandia Mountains, they would have known that they should have kept a closer eye on their surroundings and how they were acting.
       On Saturday evening, the Salazars decided to drive up to the Balsam Glade Nature Trail in the Sandia Mountains and go for a hike. The weather was perfect and a hike seemed like a good way to end the day.
       But 5-year-old Jose Salazar Jr. ran a bit ahead around a bend in the trail. It was then that a mountain lion came out from the brush. Young Jose ran and the cougar saw the young boy as prey. The cat picked up the boy by the neck and tried to take off, only dropping the boy when the lion couldn't haul him over a log. Jose Jr. will be OK, thank goodness.
       It's reasonable to assume that the Salazars may have had a different story about their encounter — one that didn't end with a hospital trip — if they would have acted in the proper way. Wildlife officials stress that when in the woods, groups should stick together, make a lot of noise and keep kids close by. When confronted by a wild animal, you should remain still and not run.
       But the fact remains that it could have happened to anyone. It is easy to lose yourself during a hike in the woods, and it is easy to forget that while we may think the woods belong to everyone, the animals there see it as their home.
       And thanks to years of drought, food in the mountains is getting scarce. That makes for a potentially dangerous combination.
       There are many unfortunate things about this event. First, there is a little boy who has months of recovery. There is a family that found itself on the receiving end of a possible tragedy.
       And finally, there is a young mountain lion that, when found, will be killed.
       Officials with the Sandia Ranger District don't want to close the forest, but to keep that from happening it will be up to all of us to maintain a respect for the woods and the creatures who call it home.
      
      

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