![\"Ordean](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/QBXDE47F6FGJLE5VHPN7PPZA7Y.jpg\")
Ordean East Middle School secured school following mountain lion spotted nearby(MN DNR)<\/p>\nOrdean East Middle School secured school following mountain lion spotted nearby(MN DNR)<\/p>\n
DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – Ordean East Middle School and Congdon Elementary were placed under a \u2018secure status protocol\u2019 due to a mountain lion in the area. <\/p>\n
On Wednesday, parents received a notification that Congdon is in Secure Status as classes continued as normal inside the building.<\/p>\n
Adelle Wellens with Duluth Public Schools (DPS) says a neighbor sent them a picture of the animal, which prompted them to activate their \u201cSECURE\u201d status and keep everyone indoors. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very unusual to have to deal with a mountain lion, especially in our city, but knowing the DNR, the Duluth police, and our neighbors are looking out for our students is great.\u201d <\/p>\n
Students and staff remained inside as a precaution, though it was lifted later in the afternoon after the school district and Duluth Police communicated with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.<\/p>\n
Based on the patterns of the animal, DNR decided it wasn\u2019t in the area around the time school was out. <\/p>\n
Parents received notification around 2:00 p.m. and students were cleared to be released from school, and after-school programs continued as normal.<\/p>\n
Jay Hanson was picking up two of his children at Ordean East and says he wasn\u2019t too concerned once he knew his kids were indoors. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just amazing that we actually had a mountain lion in town and that it popped up on my cell phone. It was a little alarming at first, and I kinda thought it was cool after I had seen it there,\u201d said Hanson. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut especially with the DNR dealing with it, and it was while school was going on, if it would have been right now after school, it would\u2019ve been a bit of a different story because kids would have been walking around and wandering around.\u201d<\/p>\n
He believes that his kids were completely safe inside as he\u2019s dealt with wild animals living in the area since 1999. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve dealt with bears, been hiking places where there are mountain lions, and I\u2019ve let them know what to do and how to take care of them, so they were probably pretty relaxed about it,\u201d said Hanson.<\/p>\n
The school administration did notify parents to pick up students who typically walk home from school.<\/p>\n
Through communications with other state DNR agencies, they believe it is a mountain lion that was originally tagged in Nebraska that has a broken tracking collar.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been tracking it, if you will, through trail cam pictures that people send or home security videos all the way back since early September,\u201d said John Erb, a Research Biologist with the Minnesota DNR. \u201cIt\u2019s been in Minnesota for nearly three months now.\u201d <\/p>\n
He says it was first spotted in Fergus Falls before heading through many towns like Wadena, Nisswa, Brainerd, and just five minutes from his home in Grand Rapids. <\/p>\n
He says it\u2019s not uncommon for a mountain lion to wander, especially a young male like this one, which they believe is around 2-3 years old. <\/p>\n
\u201cLooking for a mate, trying to find its own territory,\u201d said Erb. \u201cTheir habitat is somewhat mostly occupied, like the black hills or Nebraska. So if you\u2019re born there, there\u2019s that drive just like teenagers to find your own place to be the big dog or cat.\u201d <\/p>\n
Erb does believe that the animal won\u2019t stay put for long. <\/p>\n
\u201cOdds are this animal is not going to stay put anywhere; it\u2019s going to keep on going where it ends up,\u201d said Erb. <\/p>\n
DPD reminded the community to exercise caution in the presence of the animals and not to approach them.<\/p>\n
According to the Minnesota DNR, if you are confronted by a cougar, face it directly, raise your arms to make yourself appear larger, and speak loudly and firmly. <\/p>\n
This behavior is in direct conflict with a cougar\u2019s tendency to hunt by stalking and attacking from ambush.<\/p>\n
For more information on how to handle a cougar confrontation, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n