INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Verified verbatimPepperdine Emergency Information official archive page, February 4, 2022 — verbatim opening statement of the campus advisory693 chars
A resident of the University's on-campus faculty/staff condos at Baxter Drive reported their dog was attacked and taken from their backyard by an animal predator at an unknown time in the early hours of Friday, February 4, 2022. We have reason to believe the predator was a mountain lion. The University is taking this seriously and has reported the incident to the local sheriff's department, the National Park Service, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, advocating for the safety of our community. Pepperdine is sharing this incident to ensure the University community is informed, so community members may remain vigilant, especially with regard to pets and small children.
The attack occurred in a backyard of on-campus faculty/staff condominiums on Baxter Drive, the residential enclave on the Malibu campus, illustrating how mountain lions that frequent the Santa Monica Mountains can enter occupied residential areas at night.
This was the first confirmed kill of a domestic animal by a mountain lion on the Pepperdine campus, though the university revealed at least seven separate sightings since September 2021 had preceded it.
Three agencies were notified: the Los Angeles County Sheriff, the National Park Service (the campus borders the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area), and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, reflecting the multi-jurisdictional wildlife management landscape at this campus.