Multiple Mountain Lion Sightings Reported in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara police are urging residents to remain vigilant after multiple mountain lion sightings were reported over the weekend in neighborhoods near Oak Park and Mission Creek — including one caught on a home security camera in the Samarkand area in broad daylight.

According to a media release issued Monday, Santa Barbara Animal Control was notified on February 2 of “multiple sightings over the weekend of a mountain lion in the Oak Park and Mission Creek areas.” The sightings occurred during both daytime and nighttime hours. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been notified and is coordinating with local wildlife resources.

One of the sightings was captured early Friday morning on Romaine Drive by Darren Moody, a longtime Santa Barbara resident who lives in the Samarkand neighborhood.

“It came up right through this area and then went up the driveway,” Moody said.

The security footage, recorded around 7 a.m., shows what appears to be a full-grown mountain lion moving through the Moody family’s driveway. Moody said this was the first time he or his family had ever seen a mountain lion near their home.

“We usually see possums and raccoons and a skunk or something like that,” he said. “But nothing big enough to take us down.”

Based on the footage, Moody estimated the animal weighed at least 100 pounds.

The family shared the video with neighbors, and it quickly circulated on Nextdoor, where other residents reported additional sightings. One video posted by another household, roughly a half mile away near Vernon Road and Santa Anita Road, appears to show another large mountain lion walking along the Mission Creek corridor around 2 a.m. It remains unclear whether the footage shows the same animal.

Vernon Road runs parallel to Mission Creek near the site of the De la Vina Bridge Project, an area that has historically served as a wildlife corridor. A separate mountain lion sighting was also captured on Vernon Road in 2021.

In its advisory, the Santa Barbara Police Department urged residents to take precautions, particularly in the Oak Park and Mission Creek areas.

“Residents in the area are advised to keep pets indoors and avoid hiking alone at dawn or dusk,” the department stated.

Officials emphasized that mountain lions should not be approached. Anyone who believes there is a significant threat to public safety is asked to call 9-1-1. Sightings that are not emergencies should be reported to Santa Barbara City Animal Control through the police department’s non-emergency dispatch line at (805) 882-8900.

Despite the unease stirred by the footage, Moody said the animal appeared calm. “It seemed really comfortable,” he said. 

For now, authorities say awareness is the most important tool as wildlife officials monitor the situation and assess whether the sightings are connected.

These sightings come at a particularly relevant time as statewide debate over the future of mountain lions in California, particularly along the Central Coast and Southern California will be occurring this month. Habitat loss and fragmentation have increasingly pushed the animals into closer contact with people.

On February 12, the California Fish and Game Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on a proposal to list mountain lions in the region as “endangered” under state law — a move supported by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that would strengthen habitat protections while maintaining existing public safety exemptions.