4-H Club Members Devastated After Mountain Lion Kills Club's 8 Pygmy Goats

A 4-H club chapter in Southern California has been left devastated as their herd of pygmy goats was slaughtered in a stealthy overnight attack by a predator.

A mountain lion has been blamed as the culprit behind the grisly demise Wednesday of eight goats, many of which the 4-H members had raised in a Foothill Ranch facility.

Read: Watch This Little Kitten Stare Down a Mountain Lion without Flinching

Even worse, it was reportedly children caring for pigs in a neighboring enclosure who made the grisly discovery. 

"It's very scary to know something is here... [and they're] being watched the whole time," member Andrew Croopnick told CBS Los Angeles.

Though the members were aware that mountain lions are known to prowl Silverado Canyon, they said the gap in the enclosure that the predator used to slip in was only temporary.

But that's all it needed to get in and kill eight goats and seriously injure a ninth.

However, when the club realized the mountain lion didn't take any of its prey when it left, they knew it would certainly be back.

So, for the following night, a consultant for California Fish and Wildlife set up surveillance cameras to try and catch the beast in the act.

And catch it they did after the mountain lion returned the next night to claim its prey.

In the footage, the big cat can be seen prowling near the facility's pigs. 

By then, though, the surviving animals were safely fenced in.  

The animals will now be protected by a light designed to scare off unwelcome predators at night. 

Read: Smuggled Month-Old Lion Cub Found Hidden Among 2,245 Parrots and 4 Cats

More importantly, one 4-H mother said they want to ensure the safety of the 4-H students.

"Our big thing is keeping the kids safe," the mother told KCBS. "We are still out here multiple times a day."

Watch: Baby Horse 'Doing Well' After Attack by Mountain Lion