Belmont 6th Grader Spots Mountain Lion Near Campus
BELMONT (BCN) -- A juvenile mountain lion scared a 6th grader Friday morning when it roamed near Ralston Middle School in Belmont during a physical education class, a police lieutenant said.
The sole witness, a boy in the 6th grade, said he spotted a young mountain lion near a field on the west side of the school during his physical education class at about 10 a.m., Belmont police Lt. Patrick Halleran said.
"It was on the other side of the fence, which is helpful," Halleran said.
Students were immediately moved indoors, and Belmont police arrived with state Department of Fish and Game officials to investigate the sighting. No lion was found.
Classes went back to their normal schedule an hour later, but all physical education classes were canceled for the day as a precaution.
Halleran said students and teachers shouldn't get too preoccupied with the lion coming back.
"Large groups of noisy kids would probably keep the mountain lion away," he said.
More than half of California is mountain lion habitat, according
to police.
The lions are solitary and elusive, and typically avoid humans. They can be found in any area that deer occupy, police said.
More information on lions can be found on the Department of Fish and Game website at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/lion/.
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