The short answer: There are more lions. There are more humans in the woods with the lions. The lions do not fear the people, but view them as another source of food. The lions try to kill and eat the people‚ and sometimes they succeed.

The long answer takes a bit more explaining. All states in the cougar's traditional Western ranges report sharp increases in mountain lion numbers. The rise is largely attributable to the combination of "Disneyesque" anthropomorphic depictions of animals in the entertainment media (e.g., The Lion King) and a modern pseudoscience masquerading as biology that preaches a live-and-let-live philosophy where the big predators are concerned. The general result has been the development of protectionist attitudes in the minds of most Americans‚especially those in urban areas.

Mountain lions, wolves and bears have become the poster children of animal sentimentalists. The ballot box regulates predator management these days. Voter initiatives to curtail or ban lion hunting have succeeded in three Western states with large lion populations: California, Oregon and Washington. All others, except Texas, have limited protection in the form of closed hunting seasons and special permits.

Mountain lions are territorial animals. Individual territory size ranges widely depending in large part on prey species density, but 100 square miles is about average. Young lions must find turf not claimed already by a mature male. Mature lions often expand their ranges in response to decreased prey density. It follows that an expanding cougar population will inevitably spread into areas of dense human occupancy, increasing the likelihood of unsociable human/lion encounters.

"It starts with dogs and cats going missing," says Dan Lay, a retired wildlife control officer for the British Columbia Ministry of Environment who has developed cougar-management programs across North America. "Then people lock up their pets.

Unfortunately, cougars that have been feeding on the pets also have watched children play with them. So the children become the new favored target."