Some west Sonoma County residents are on high alert after several mountain lions were seen on camera walking through a neighborhood last week.<\/p>\n
Outdoor home security cameras caught the mountain lions, a mama and her offspring, wandering around a home nestled in a hilly, forested subdivision of Monte Rio on video on Jan. 21.<\/p>\n
Residents Rick and Nancy Lopes, who shared the videos with The Press Democrat, said they were awoken just before 3 a.m. by their phones alerting them that movement had been detected on the outdoor camera. Nancy Lopes said the animals were first spotted on their cameras walking by the home\u2019s front entrance under the deck before they jumped the fence and took a lap through their backyard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were just walking circles in our yard, making themselves very comfortable,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was thrilling, it was exciting, it was scary.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It was the first time they\u2019ve seen mountain lions in 15 years of living in Monte Rio.<\/p>\n
The couple said they looked out their windows but only caught a glimpse of one of the mountain lions in the dark. The animals finally moved away when the couple turned on their outdoor lights.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The videos followed a similar sighting on Jan. 19 at another property in the neighborhood that caused alarm among residents like Robert O\u2019Shaughnessy, who first alerted The Press Democrat to the animals.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Shaughnessy, who said he\u2019s only seen one mountain lion in the 12 years he\u2019s lived in Monte Rio, first saw the videos of the animals in a neighborhood group chat.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Shaughnessy said his initial reaction was excitement, followed by trepidation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like a wildlife safari outside the window,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was only later talking to neighbors where people were expressing fear, and (asking) should we be afraid?\u201d<\/p>\n
The biggest concern among neighbors was for the safety of their pets, O\u2019Shaughnessy said, though at least one neighbor recalled the fatal New Year\u2019s Day mountain lion attack on a hiker<\/a> in Colorado.<\/p>\n Quinton Martins, the principal investigator for research project Living With Lions<\/a>, said in an email to The Press Democrat the videos are reminders that people in Sonoma County \u201clive in lion habitat.\u201d<\/p>\n Living With Lions, a collaborative project between conservation group All Hands Ecology<\/a> (formerly Audubon Canyon Ranch) and wildlife research and advocacy company True Wild<\/a>, studies the behavior of mountain lions by collaring them and tracking them as they roam throughout the North Bay.<\/p>\n The security camera footage, Martins said, is an encouraging look at a mountain lion successfully rearing her offspring, which he estimates are about a year old, based on the cats\u2019 size.<\/p>\n \u201cIn our area over the past 10 years, about 80% of these kittens have not made it to this age,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd as such we don\u2019t often see many young that age with mom.\u201d<\/p>\n The largest threat to young North Bay mountain lions comes from the retaliatory killing of mountain lions who prey on unprotected livestock, as well as disease and car strikes, Martins said.<\/p>\n Martins, who is also managing partner of True Wild,\u00a0 said the mountain lions in the videos were \u201clooking good\u201d and \u201ccruising through the neighborhood,\u201d and that while they are opportunistic hunters who will kill cats, opossums, racoons, bobcats and coyotes, their primary food is deer, making up 75% of their diet.<\/p>\n \u201cCoexistence can be achieved by avoiding conflict in the first place,\u201d he said. \u201cKeep your pets and livestock safe and these cats will focus on natural prey.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to providing landowners free advice<\/a> on how best to protect their livestock, Martins said that as part of his work with True Wild he is available to help locals if they have a mountain lion issue or concern and can be reached at truewild.org\/contact<\/a>.<\/p>\n