Nikita is a mountain lioness who now lives in solitude in the Verdugo mountains, just north of Los Angeles, California. She is approximately 10 years old, has had at least two suitors and several litters of kittens. One of her suitors, the incredible P-41 died not long after the Woolsey Fire, and last year she was visited by ‘Adonis’ – a very healthy male, who seemed to show up from nowhere, hang around for a week or two, then disappear. I did manage to get one poor image of him though.
Back to Nikita… Unfortunately, none of her offspring have ever survived very long (probably killed by their dad), and she is now likely past her reproductive years. She roams her territory in sorta/kinda routine fashion, though she steadfastly refuses to be predictable.
She has become somewhat of a celebrity in the Verdugos, which is a very pleasing sway in public opinion. A few years ago, any sighting of her (or another lion) in the urban surroundings would be met with “Call the Sheriff”, “Lock yourselves inside” “That lion needs to be killed”. Thankfully, that level of uninformed hysteria is now rare, and has been replaced with “We saw Nikita on OUR security camera last night – how cool is that?” This very positive change is due almost single handedly to Johanna Turner, who has documented Nikita for almost 10 years and has essentially become her ambassador. Countless TV appearances, assuring people that Nikita is really only interested in the numerous deer that she and we share land with. Nikita is a small lioness – but she can tackle deer without issue. Sure, if you live in the Verdugos and have small pets, please bring them in at night. She doesn’t tend to say ‘No’ to a light snack. You know, just like us.
