“I get a lot of wildlife that I catch on my front door ring camera," said Donna Massicott. "So it was not too shocking since its common to see deer, turkeys, skunks, possums, raccoon, and foxes in our neighborhood."
Massicott lives in the Irish Hills area of San Luis Obispo. On January 11, her home surveillance captured video of a mountain lion.
San Luis Obispo city biologist Freddy Otte said the city has received four reports in the past two weeks, all involving a male juvenile mountain lion.
“There was another report from Patricia Drive, over by the Bishop Peak trailhead just the other day as well," Otte said. "We're not sure if it's one or multiple juvenile cats around."
Otte said these sightings are not unusual for both areas. He explained that deer are the reason behind these sightings. Warmer weather and lush grass attracts deer, in turn attracting mountain lions.
If you are worried about your safety and your pets, there are a few steps you can follow. The most important thing you can do, Otte said, is keeping your pets indoors.
“Stay calm. Don't run away if you're out on the trail and back away slowly," Otte said "Look as large as you can and be aware of your surroundings.”
Other safety tips include avoiding recreating near open space areas at night, dawn and dusk, staying on established trails or in well-lit areas, and hiking, biking or running in groups. Don't feed wild animals and secure your garbage cans, bird feeders and compost bins at night.
The best way to report a mountain lion sighting is through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife portal HERE or, if you're in San Luis Obispo, call the non-emergency police department dispatch line at (805) 781-7312.
