PETALUMA, Calif. — A California resident was startled when his security camera captured a mountain lion sauntering through his backyard early Wednesday.
Wildlife agencies in Petaluma are warning residents about the big cat, which was first spotted in an eastern section of the city on Tuesday night, KPIX reported. On Wednesday morning, Petaluma resident Joe Luchok said the mountain lion wandered down a street before it walked through his backyard at about 5:45 a.m. PDT, The Press Democrat of Santa Rosa reported.
“Yeah, it was amazing,” Luchok told KPIX. “My wife saw it initially, out in the street, from the window, and thought it was a giant dog. Called 911 instantly.
“It looked like he was going to go out the gate, but the gate was shut. So he came walking this way down the side of the house and climbed over the fence.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife advises residents who find a mountain lion to face the animals, make themselves appear bigger and make noise. The agency said residents should not run or turn their backs to the animal.
“It’s both beautiful and scary, right,” Ken Paglia, of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told KPIX. “They are amazing creatures, they are beautiful. At the same time, we know innately that a mountain lion is a dangerous creature.”
Paglia said mountain lion sightings are not unusual, particularly during the summer.
“It’s just that time of year,” Paglia told KPIX. “It’s the time of year when young, male mountain lions get pushed out by their mothers and they have to find new territory.”
Luchok said he was both awed and frightened about seeing the big cat.
“Intensely beautiful,” Luchok told KPIX. “So I sent the video around just in hopes that people would see it and realize that mountain lions are out there and we have to be aware. I’ve lived here for 20 years. Never seen one, always wanted to see one. Lo and behold, I had one in my backyard and out front.”
To learn more about mountain lions, visit wildlife.ca.gov.
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