Mountain Lion's Deadly Attack On Mo The Mini Horse Leaves Residents On Edge

NEWBURY PARK (CBSLA) — Residents in a quiet Ventura County community are walking their streets with added caution after a beloved neighborhood fixture was killed by a mountain lion over the weekend.

Mo the miniature horse died Sunday, its owners said. A sign posted outside Ruth and Ron Piper's home, where neighborhood children usually gathered to see the tiny horse, read, "We are sorry to announce that early Sunday morning (2-18-18) 'Mo' was killed by a mountain lion. Keep an eye on your animals."

"Mo's been here for such a long time, and we just loved him," one distraught neighbor told CBS2 News.

Flowers and cards could be seen at the entrance of Mo's yard.

"I was very saddened," said neighbor Sandra Lugo. She lives about block away from where wildlife authorities filmed the mountain lion that attacked Mo running away after they shot beanbags at it.

"Frightening to see something that powerful was so close to our home," said Lugo.

The sad news comes roughly two weeks after Nadine Young witnessed a mountain lion identified as P-55 outside her home in nearby Westlake Village.

"Absolutely terrifying," said Young, whose eight-year-old son was the first to spot the big cat. Young said the mountain lion actually butted the glass door of her home.

Despite her fears, Young said wildlife officials have done little to make her neighborhood safer, telling her that she was "living in their territory."

California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Lt. J.C. Healy told CBS2 that, in both cases, the mountain lions did not pose an imminent threat to public safety or life.

Young said she is now moving, saying she's fearful of letting her children go outside.