Mountain Lion Spotted near Residences

Another mountain lion was sighted, this time on Palomino Road, just a mile from the border of Los Padres National Forest. Bruce Worster was home Sunday morning when he saw the big cat calmly poised on his back porch. “At first I thought it was a bobcat, and then I realized it was four times as large as any bobcat I’ve seen,” he said. It was the first time he’d seen a mountain lion on his property.

About two weeks ago, an adult mountain lion was found roaming the 700 block of Laguna Street downtown. After an exhaustive search, police say the cat disappeared into the neighborhood.

According to the Santa Barbara Police Department, the chances of encountering a mountain lion in the city are small. “Most mountain lions will try to avoid confrontation,” said Anthony Wagner with the police department. “Because they are able to camouflage and avoid detection, we don’t see them as often when they are interacting with the periphery of their natural habitat.”

If you do see a mountain lion, police urge you to avoid the big cat and report the sighting to authorities.