Seaside Police announced that at 4:40am this morning, July 2, residents on the 1800 block of Luxton Street reported a seeing a mountain lion, and that "tragically, this incident came to light following the loss of a resident's cat, and we extend our condolences to the pet owner during this distressing time.
"In light of this situation, we urge residents to keep their pets indoors at night time and remain vigilant, particularly during the early morning and evening hours when wildlife is most active," the announcement states.
"Although mountain lion sightings are rare in Seaside, these animals may occasionally pass through neighborhoods in search of food or water."
Reached by text message this evening, Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges says officers "suspect [the mountain lion] is fully grown, so it is either a teenage or adult cougar. Hard to make out anything further from the footage."
Human encounters with mountain lions are exceedingly rare, even in the wild, but should one occur, Seaside PD offers the following tips:
- Remain as calm as possible
- Try to make yourself appear larger or taller
- Speak in a firm and deep voice to sound more assertive (make noise as needed)
- Slowly back away without turning your back
- Give them space to escape
- Call 911 as soon as you safely are able to
--
Editor's Note 7/2 6:30pm: This story has been updated with additional information from Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.