Residents on high alert after mountain lion spotted prowling through Orange County neighborhood
Just days after legendary Los Angeles mountain lion P-22 was captured for examination, Orange County residents have reported the sighting of a different big cat prowling through their neighborhood.
Surveillance and cell phone footage from several Mission Viejo homes shows a mountain lion slowly sauntering through yards early Thursday morning, putting residents on high alert.
The sighting, near the Pacific Heights neighborhood, prompted warnings for from law enforcement, especially for pet owners, and some people out walking their dogs.
"A lady stopped by and said, 'Hey, you'd better get inside, there's a mountain lion on the loose," said Cheri Oehlers.
Students at Newhart Middle School were forced to shelter in place as authorities with Mission Viejo Animal Services surveyed the situation.
"Out of an abundance of caution, just putting everyone on notice in case it gets to a situation that we need to intervene," said Lieutenant Kyle Werner. "That would be if it was, say, on school grounds or something like that."
He said that they weren't planning to capture the cougar, but rather making sure that it didn't escalate into a more urgent situation.
In that event, officers called local veterinarian Scott Weldy to the scene so he could prepare tranquilizer shots.
"We haven't had any instances of it approaching anybody, it's been normal behavior and I think that the prevelance of security cameras - we're getting more sightings," Werner said.
Animal services offered a series of tips for residents in affected areas, including:
- keeping pets on a 6-foot leash,
- making sure pets aren't outside unattended,
- secure dog doors so that no unwanted visitors appear,
- remain vigilant when walking/hiking on trails,
- remove headphones and listen for wildlife activity.
