Mountain Lion Spotted Near Monterey School
MONTEREY (CBS SF) -- A mountain lion was spotted near a Monterey middle school on Monday night, police said Wednesday.
On Monday shortly after 8 p.m., officers responded to a reported mountain lion sighting at Walter Colton Middle School, located at 100 Toda Vista Drive, police said.
Officers arrived to the scene to find the lion was gone, police said.
Witnesses told police the big cat did not appear to be aggressive, according to police.
There were no students on the campus and the sighting occurred after school hours, police said.
Police informed officials from the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District and state Department of Fish and Game about the sighting.
Mountain lions tend to avoid interactions with humans and are quiet, solitary animals, police said.
The public is advised to avoid hiking or jogging during dawn, dusk or night hours, when mountain lions are most active, according to police.
Anyone who encounters a big cat should not run away, but instead face the animal and appear larger by waving their arms and throw objects such as rocks, police said.
More information on mountain lions can be found online at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Lion.
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