Dear Editor,
It took just 12 minutes after the story of the mountain lion
aired on TV before the complaints to the Gilroy Police Department
started to come in.
Dear Editor,
It took just 12 minutes after the story of the mountain lion aired on TV before the complaints to the Gilroy Police Department started to come in. These were from people who probably meant well but had misplaced priorities and no duty to protect the public.
Sgt. Stanford showed empathy and compassion by getting on the cell phone to try to get advice from the Fish and Game people. He got no help except to learn that it would take from five to 30 minutes for a tranquilizer to work, and no way to predict what the cat’s actions might be during that period.
Twice the cat was scared back up the tree … Good thinking!
If the cat were shot with a tranquilizer it might panic and head for an open space. The nearest open space was a playground where kids were playing in the Sunday sun. To a frightened animal, anything that moved might be considered a danger to it’s life.
Sgt. Stanford decided to shoot the cat while in the tree, wise decision! At ground level a missed shot could easily strike one of the people standing and watching.
Sgt. Stanford did an outstanding job. He should stand tall and shrug off the critics.
Final score: No human injuries – no grieving parents – cat did not suffer.
Jim Laizure, Gilroy
