Morgan Hill resident Gary Borgnino was out for a walk with his dog Saturday when he noticed something laying on the side of the road at the base of El Toro mountain: a deer carcass.
At the end of West Dunne Avenue in the quiet cul-de-sac several yards from the road is a now decomposing male deer; Borgnino suspects a mountain lion killed it.
When Borgnino and his dog discovered the deer Saturday, the kill looked fresh. A pool of blood inside the body cavity had not yet coagulated, he said.
“It must have happened Friday night or early Saturday morning,” he said.
On Sunday, Borgnino returned to find more had been eaten off the carcass including part of the leg thigh, lungs and the liver. By Monday, the blood was more dried up, its rib cage sticking out as the body continues to decompose in its grassy dirt spot. Its antlers seemed to have been torn off in the struggle, said Borgnino. Borgnino, who lives down the road, has never spotted a mountain lion himself but has noticed fewer deer recently. He mentioned friends who hike on El Toro that have seen some lions on the mountain.
He said he did not report the incident to the police, but did take several photos to show to his friends and family who hike in the area.
“I didn’t want somebody to disturb the carcass,” he said.
