2/17/2006 6:00:00 AM  George Copa of Salem keeps his Pygora goats in this predator-proof enclosure at night. The structure was designed by the Mountain Lion Foundation of Sacramento, Calif., to not only offer protection for smaller domestic animals but to save predators from lethal control measures as well. Predator-proof pens get Ore. tryout Designers say it’s ‘win-win’ for livestock, predators John Schmitz Freelance Writer SALEM – Pat and George Copa, owners of Verdant Vistas farm, not only raise a rare breed of goat, they also take a rare view toward predators that could harm them as well. “Our animals are very dear to us,” Pat said. “From an economic perspective, they are valuable commercial property. Thus, it’s critical to us that they are safe and healthy at all times. “On the other hand, we also treasure the critters that live in the hills around us and frequently call out at night with their eerie howls and barks.” That’s why the Copas were more than willing to work with the Mountain Lion Foundation in constructing predator-proof housing for their small herd of Pygoras, a Pygmy-Angora cross first made in Oregon City in the late 1970s. The breed is known for its fine, soft fiber used for hand spinning. Based in Sacramento, Calif., MLF is a nonprofit advocacy group for mountain lions and other predators. MLF’s stance is that it’s better to fully protect livestock from predators than to keep kill the predators. “While Oregon’s policy makers spend time and money debating how many mountain lions there are, how many should be killed each year, how lions should be killed and where the hundreds of thousands of dollars will come from to pay for it, the Mountain Lion Foundation is working with local ranchers to provide solutions that are a win-win for everyone,” reads a news release by the organization. MLF’s strategy, which is embodied in its Living with Lions project, is to provide livestock owners, especially those with smaller animals, with free plans for the construction of safe, affordable housing that not only protects livestock but keeps predators out of the news as well. The foundation also provides information on quick fixes stockmen can use to better protect existing facilities and on animal management practices, such as immediately disposing of afterbirth and using guard animals, that will reduce predator threats. “Many people in Oregon have shelters to protect livestock from the weather, but very, very few of those are really predator-proof,” said Michelle Cullens, MLF director of conservation programs. She added that there are numerous cases where simply killing predators like mountain lions does little good in the long run. “If you kill a lion and there’s still lion habitat available, another lion will fill in that space. We have situations where people kill a lion year after year yet continue to lose perhaps one goat, one chicken. This can go on for decades. So what we need to do is provide better protection.” The Copas give credit to the Internet for putting them in touch with MLF, Pat said. It seems MLF was using the Net to look for a fiber goat operation in Oregon to serve as a demonstration ranch. “If you look under Oregon fiber goats (on Google), we come out on top,” Pat said. George Copa said a lot of the problems the rural community is having with predators are due to the fact that development is pushing homes and ranches farther into the countryside. While cougars have not been a problem for the Copas, coyotes inhabit the area and have attacked the neighbor’s goats. To protect their animals, the Copas herd them into the MLF-designed, predator-proof enclosure at dusk and bring them out at dawn. During the day the animals live under the watchful eye of two guard llamas. MLF has designed two different types of predator-proof enclosures: one with an area of 200 square feet and a sloping canvas top for use in lower-lying areas, and the other a 120-square-foot pen with a sturdy, flat, wood top for use in snow areas. Both designs call for 6-foot sides made of chain-link fencing. One feature of both designs is a chain-link apron that extends 3 feet along the ground from the bottom edge of the enclosures. This is to keep digging predators, such as coyotes, from tunneling under the pen. Because the Verdant Vistas pen, which costs around $500, was the first to be built in Oregon and will serve as a demonstration model, MLF supplied the materials and put it up at no cost to the Copas. All materials for the enclosures and the few tools to build the units can be purchased at home improvement stores. No power tools are required. The enclosure holds 10 to 15 Pygoras comfortably, George said. The Copas welcome visitors to their farm to view the enclosure. “This kind of structure is the most economical, safest and most practical thing you can show them right now,” Pat said. In addition to the predator-proof enclosure, the Copas have also erected 4-foot-tall no-climb wire fencing around the perimeter of their farm. For more information on the Mountain Lion Foundation, go to http://www.mountainlion.org/, or call (800) 319-7621. The Copas can be reached at (503) 391-1377. Their Pygora goat website is http://www.verdantvistas.com/