On Monday, April 17, a 15-pound dog was grabbed by a mountain lion from a residential home in Pescadero, California.
According to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, an adult witness told deputies that she and a child were sleeping in the bedroom with their Portuguese Podengo by the foot of their bed.
The residents of the home had left the French doors in their bedroom open so that the dog could move freely in and out, but were startled awake around 3 a.m. by the dog’s aggressive barking.
The adult witness told authorities that when she looked up towards the doors she saw what seemed to be the shadow of an animal slightly enter the room, grab the dog, and then walk out.
“I can’t imagine how it must feel having your pet taken by a wild animal while you were in your own home. I would probably be so shocked and devastated; I would have no idea what to do,” said Jamie Livengood, a senior.
After the incident, she grabbed a flashlight to go search for the dog. When she saw the large paw prints, she immediately called 911.
The police arrived at the scene, searched around outside the house, and identified the prints as those of a mountain lion. The Department of Fish and Wildlife was notified so that they could follow up with any necessary investigations, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities reminded residents to keep their homes secure and to learn more about staying safe from mountain lions on the department’s website.
“I think that it is important to learn how to keep your home safe from the wild animals that live around California. Finding yourself face to face with an animal such as a mountain lion might be rare, but you want to be ready and know what to do if you do find yourself in that sort of situation,” said sophomore Emma Aronson.
Over half of California is mountain lion habitat. In San Mateo County, mountain lions follow deer into urban and residential parts of towns.
Mountain lions are generally unaccompanied and rarely decide to confront humans, but will defend themselves and their territory when they feel threatened.
“I like to go on a lot of hikes, and a lot of the places that I enjoy going to are marked as mountain lion habitats. The most important thing is to be aware that they are around and to learn how to not bother them and how to deal with encountering one,” said Grant Norman, a junior.
