Two sightings of mountain lions were called in to the Santa Barbara Police Department this week. Each occurred during the night, and the big cats were caught on a residential security camera twice on the 800 block of Bath Street near Mission Creek, Lt. Ryan DeJohn stated.
City Animal Control, which runs through the Police Department, advised pet owners to keep small pets indoors, especially during the evening and at night. Call 9-1-1 if a mountain lion is spotted. California Fish & Wildlife also asks residents to report sightings at https://apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir/incident/create.
Listed as a protected species in the Central Coast and Southern California under California’s Endangered Species Act, which requires permits before they can be “taken,” mountain lions are tan-colored, long-tailed cats — as much as eight feet long from nose to tail tip, and up to three feet at the shoulder when fully grown. This is larger than the largest of dogs. Comparatively, a German shepherd is about two feet at the shoulder and a good 100 pounds lighter. Also known as pumas, cougars, or panthers, mountain lions can range across 300-500 square miles. Their prey is usually larger animals like deer or feral pigs, but they are known to eat poultry and pets.
Fish & Wildlife’s “Human-Wildlife Conflicts” page notes that the big cats are reclusive and prefer to avoid humans: “A person is one thousand times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion.”
However, should you run across a mountain lion, Fish & Wildlife advises, stay calm, do not turn your back, face the animal, and try to appear large and loud. Put small children on your shoulders. Give the cat an escape route. The department also advises to avoid jogging at dawn, dusk, in the night, or alone.
