CHINO HILLS STATE PARK: safety TIPS: wildlife

GENERAL TIPS
You can help protect yourself, your family, visitors and wildlife by following these simple tips. Remember all animals have an appetite and though they may think they want human food, it isn't healthy and could cause serious injury or even death if they eat it.  Another way to help keep the wildlife wild is to remove the temptation, by properly disposing of your trash and food.  Also, anything with a mouth can bite, so to best protect yourself from a potential bite, do not approach, attempt to touch or catch any of the wildlife. 

Please report:
     -- Any sightings of mountain lions to State Park Rangers.
     -- The location of dead, dying or injured animals on the road or on a trail.
     -- Suspicious behavior of animals (this could be an indication of diseases such as rabies).

MOUNTAIN LIONS
There are a few mountain lions that utilize the State Park for foraging grounds, breeding, sleeping and roaming.  Mountain lions are more active at dawn and dusk, but could be seen at anytime.  If you ever encounter a mountain lion the California Department of Fish and Game recommends the following:
     -- Stay calm and stand your ground. Try look like you are the predator, not the prey.
     -- Never run and always maintain eye contact. If you run you may trigger the instinctual predator response, which is to chase the prey (you!).
     -- Pick up children.  If you have children with you, pick them up. This will also help make you look bigger and more threatening to the cougar.
     -- Wave your arms.  To intimidate the cougar, wave your arms and make yourself look bigger.  If you are wearing a jacket, fully extend it to have more of a presence.
     --  If attacked, fight back.  Use anything you have to fight back... a walking stick, backpack, camera, anything.  Go for sensitive areas like the eyes and throat.

SKUNKS, RACCOONS, AND OPOSSUMS
Skunks, raccoons, opossum are common in the State Park.  Below are ways to reduce your contact with them:
     -- Pick up your trash. By keeping your campsite clean of food scraps and other scented materials you will discourage wildlife from trying to eat your leftovers.
     -- Secure trash can lids.  Believe it or not wildlife can be pretty ingenious when it comes to eating human food, so keep trash can lids secure to discourage this unnatural behavior.

COYOTES
Whether you hear the coyotes yipping in the night or see one chasing a rabbit, coyotes are an integral part of the ecosystem.  Without them we would have significantly more rabbits, skunks, and other medium sized critters.  Generally, coyotes tend to be fearful of humans, but in a natural setting like the State Park, you are more likely to encounter one.  To limit the possibility of encountering a coyote (at home especially), the California Department of Fish and Game recommends the following:
     -- Remove sources of water and food. In hot and dry climates coyotes will search for the easiest access to food and water.  This could be at your campsite or in your backyard.
     -- Keep your pets indoors. Remember coyotes are well adept at hunting, and therefore small dogs and cats can provide the "perfect" meal for a hungry coyote.

SNAKES
During the hot months, snakes are more active and will try to get their blood temperature regulated by sunning themselves.  Sometimes this sunning takes place on a trail or on the road.  Snakes keep some of our smaller rodents, like squirrels and rabbits in check.  Without snakes, we would have an abundance of little critters.  If you do encounter a snake, here are some suggestions to avoid injury to you or the snake.
     -- Stay calm and slowly back up.  If left unprovoked, snakes are more likely to ignore you than consider you a threat.
     -- Walk on well maintained trails.  This way you won't be caught off guard and have a clear view of the trail ahead.
      -- Wear long pants and close-toed shoes.  This is one way to provide a barrier between you and any biter.
     -- Hose off the trail. Though this ONLY applies to you if you have access to water, which likely NOT happen in the Park, the easiest way to rid an area of a snake is to get it wet. This will make it uncomfortable and will likely leave.