Saturday, 26 March 2011

Mountain lions sighted on Scottsdale golf course

Courtesy of Linda Borman
A family of mountain lions came out after the rains
this week at Desert Mountain Golf Club's Cochise Course.
by Philip Haldiman - Mar. 25, 2011 02:33 PM
The Arizona Republic

A north Scottsdale couple feel lucky to have made a rare sighting of three mountain lions this week on the fourth hole of Desert Mountain Golf Club's Cochise Course.

Desert Mountain resident Linda Borman said she quickly snapped a few photographs on Monday afternoon after her husband, Ty, saw the mother and her two cubs lounging on the fairway of the 546-yard, par-5 hole.

Photos of the mountain lions in Scottsdale

"Ty has a habit of looking out the window in hopes of seeing something," Linda said. "They came out after the rain. I think because nobody was out on the golf course at that time."

Tom Cadden, public information officer for Arizona Game and Fish, said mountain lions live throughout the state, most commonly in rocky areas, where people don't usually see them.

According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona's mountain lion population could be as high as 3,000. He said that part of the Valley is home to that species of cat.

"There are certainly some mountain lions in that habitat," Cadden said.

The Bormans have lived along the course - one of six private tracts surrounded by rugged Sonoran Desert - for six years. In that time, they said that they have seen all kinds of native wildlife: javelinas, bobcats, coyotes, diamondback rattlesnakes - but never mountain lions, until Monday.

Linda said the impressive cats hung around for about five minutes, seemingly undisturbed by her taking photos.

It was a "once-in-a-lifetime spectacle," she said.

Ty called it a " 'National Geographic' moment.'"

Linda said she took the first photos through a window because she didn't want to scare away the animals.

"Then I went outside to get a little closer; each time I clicked, they looked at me," she said. "The cubs seemed curious, but not afraid, and the mother looked very protective.

"My husband still hasn't come down from Cloud 9."

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