Mountain lion spotted in northwest Carson City, NDOW urges awareness, safe practices
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Tue, 01/07/2020 - 11:05am
A mountain lion was spotted Tuesday morning in the hills in northwest Carson City in the Timberline area, prompting wildlife officials to urge residents to be aware and to take steps to avoid any chance of human and cougar contact.
Resident Millie Karol's neighbor took the photo of this cougar she spotted while walking her small dog on a leash on upper Westwood Drive, the edge of the neighborhood.
Wildlife officials have been contacted and are checking to see if there were other sightings of the same cat in the area.
According to the Nevada Department of Wildlife, daytime sightings of the big cats are rare but not unusual and it is not unusual to see wildlife coming down from the mountains to look for food.
"It is never surprising when we hear about a cougar sighting. At the same time it is rare to see them during the daylight hours in neighborhoods," said NDOW Spokeswoman Ashley Sanchez.
Mountain lions are nocturnal and they are shy and typically are stealthy and afraid of humans and therefore stay out of the way of humans, she said. However, deer move to lower elevations because of the snow, so predators — like mountain lions — follow. Anywhere where there are deer there will be mountain lions.
"They work their way down in search of food," she said. "We ask people to secure all food attractants and to not leave food outdoors for wildlife. We ask for people to secure trash, don't leave food in cars, don't leave anything scented, nothing on your porch, food or pet feed."
Attractants does bring other wildlife to yards. That other wildlife is what attracts the mountain lions to yards, she added.
NDOW also advises to keep children and pets close to you, to be aware of their surroundings, keep pets on a leash when walking them and to bring pets indoors at night.
Awareness is key, said Sanchez. "We do live in an area abundant with wildlife. If you do see a mountain lion, we don't want them to feel welcome in neighborhoods, so make yourself appear large and talk in a soft, firm voice. You want to make it feel intimidated and show that you are dangerous, so it runs away. When you do this they run the other way. If you do spot one, report it. If there is an emergency call dispatch or 911."
