OFFICIALS ISSUE COUGAR WARNING : RESIDENTS URGED TO TRIM BRUSH, KEEP PETS INSIDE TO AVOID RUN-INS.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

Alarmed by a spurt of mountain lion sightings, Santa Clarita Councilwoman Jan Heidt is urging residents in rural areas to take extra precautions when traveling outdoors.

Several weeks ago, the Sand Canyon resident said a group of dogs treed a mountain lion in her neighborhood. Now she carries a club when walking alone outside.

``We're looking at this pretty early in the season and I think we need to warn people,'' Heidt said Wednesday. ``There's a lot more animals like opossum around and coyotes, too. People ought to be concerned and make their children aware of what they should do (when confronted with a mountain lion).''

Since 1986, mountain lions have killed two people and attacked eight others statewide, according to the California Department of Fish and Game. There are no documented reports of mountain lion attacks from 1910 through 1985.

The number of cougars has more than quadrupled since 1963 when the state restricted hunting of the animal. In 1972, 2,400 mountain lions roamed throughout California. Now officials estimate there may be 6,000 to 10,000 animals.

``In 1963, mountain lions became classified as a nongame animal and bounty hunting ended,'' said state fish and game spokesman Pat Moore. ``Since then (the population of) mountain lions continues to grow largely unhampered. They have no predators save man.''

Encroaching development also has pushed the predators from their habitats, forcing them to seek food in increasingly residential areas. In Santa Clarita last year, residents reported seeing mountain lions near Peachland Avenue Elementary School and the Valencia Hills and Valencia Summit subdivisions.

To reduce mountain lion encounters, Moore advised residents to avoid feeding wildlife because it ultimately brings the big cats. He also suggested using landscaping that doesn't attract deer, which mountain lions prey on, and to cut back thick vegetation, which can provide ideal hiding places for the predators.

He also suggested that people keep their pets and their food inside at night and install outdoor light for all-night illumination. Cougars are nocturnal feeders.

``One must be extremely cautious around mountain lions,'' Moore said.