The people weren't in its territory, it was in ours. Mountain lions haven't roamed where central Palo Alto sits for over a hundred years. That mountain lion was a few years old, and believe me, the place it was born and raised had not been built over in that time.

There are many square miles of nature preserve to the west of me. I spent three afternoons hiking a horse trail out there last week looking for a lost wallet my daughter had dropped on a ride, and believe me, I was aware that I was in wild country. I saw deer, and coyote crap on the trail. I carried a large stick, and was comforted by it for no rational reason.

Don't forget we're talking about an animal that can, and does, tear throats out routinely. This lion didn't grow up eating at McDonalds. To hear some people talk, you'd think it had been a baby fawn.

You can plug that fact into your symbolism too, if you want.