Mountain Lion Reportedly Sighted In Gilroy

GILROY, CA — The Gilroy Police Department warned residents that it received a report of an adult or adolescent mountain lion sighting near Cydney Casper Park on Thursday morning.

A resident contacted the department around 9:30 a.m. Thursday to report seeing the lion in a wooded area near Cimino Street and Charles Lux Drive.

Officers searched the area but did not find the lion and reported the sighting to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which will assist the department in finding the big cat.

Until they can locate the mountain lion, officers advised residents and people in the area of the park to avoid hiking alone, approaching or running from the lion and crouching or bending over near the lion, which the cat could mistake as a four-legged prey animal.

Children should be kept nearby out of precaution.

If spotted by the lion, officers recommended taking steps to appear larger by waving one's arms or opening a coat or a jacket.

If attacked, residents should attempt to fight back, as people attacked by the cats throughout the state have fought them off with a stick or a rock in the past.

Mountain lion sightings can be reported to Gilroy police at (408) 846-0350 or the state Department of Fish and Wildlife at (707) 944-5500.

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