CDFW: No Mountain Lion Attack at Bogart Park

You may have come across some social media postings this week about an attack by a mountain lion at Bogart Park in Cherry Valley.

These reports seem to indicate that a woman was horseback riding in Cherry Valley on Monday in the park, when she was attacked by a mountain lion after falling off her horse.

Banning-Beaumont Patch reached out to local officials to see if these reports are true, but found no evidence as such.

According to officials at the Riverside County Regional Park & Open Space District, no one reported an attack.  Beaumont Police also checked their records, and had no record of any call to assist in the area.

"Parks has not received any reports about an incident like this in that area," County Spokesman Raymond Smith told Banning-Beaumont Patch via email Thursday evening.

Lt. Patrick Foy with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said the rumors are definitely false.

"I can absolutely assure you that if there was a Mountain Lion attack on Monday, I would be well aware of it," he told Patch by phone Friday.

What's more, he said, that agency would investigate any sort of wildlife attack on a human, even if it wasn't a mountain lion.

"Go ahead and put the rumors to rest," he added. "It's not true."

As for another recently reported attack in Perris, Foy said the CDFW is still looking for the animal.

"We think it was a mountain lion attack," Foy told Patch, even though they haven't seen it, adding that "all the evidence" indicated the animal was a mountain lion.

Foy said the homeless man who was attacked is still hospitalized.

"He barely made it," Foy said.  "The doctor hasn't even allowed us to interview him because of his medical condition."