South San Francisco, CA July 6, 2015 Submitted by Daly City Police Department
Early last Tuesday, June 29th at about 2:20 a.m., one of our officers spotted an adult mountain lion running across Callan Boulevard and onto the wooded hillside on the west side of Callan Boulevard between Southgate Avenue and Clarinada Avenue. The Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to the area, however as of 6:00 that morning, officers were not able to locate the mountain lion. Since that time, we have not received any reports of mountain lion sightings.
The Daly City Police Department will do everything possible to ensure the safety of our community during a potential mountain lion sighting and will also take every reasonable precaution necessary to protect the animal as well. Although mountain lion attacks on humans are extremely rare, we recognize that these sightings can be concerning to our neighbors and thus, we will keep the community informed of any additional confirmed sightings or developments of this nature. In light of the severe drought here in California, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, sightings such as this have become more frequent as deer have begun to venture down from their usual surroundings in search of food and water and thus, the mountain lions have followed.
Please continue to remain vigilant as our best “eyes and ears” and report any further mountain lion sightings of any kind to the Daly City Police Department
SAFETY TIPS REGARDING MOUNTAIN LIONS
In case you do not know what a mountain lion looks like, here is a picture of one. This was NOT the one that was seen in Daly City.
It is very rare for a mountain lion to approach humans, but you can follow a few simple rules to keep you and your family safe:
• Do not feed deer. It is illegal in California and it will attract mountain lions.
• If you see a mountain lion DO NOT APPROACH IT, especially one that is feeding or with offspring. Most mountain lions will try to avoid confrontation.
• Avoid hiking or jogging through wooded areas when mountain lions are most active—dawn, dusk, or at night.
• Keep a close watch on small children when hiking or traveling in or about wooded areas.
• If you encounter a mountain lion, do not run; instead, face the animal, make noise and try to look bigger by waving your arms; throw rocks or other objects. Pick up small children.
• For more information from the California Department of Fish & Wildlife about mountain lions, visit: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/
oh my