MILPITAS — Authorities are urging Milpitas residents to mind their surroundings after a mountain lion was caught on camera twice Wednesday morning patrolling the city.
The first sighting happened around 2 a.m. at the Friendly Village Mobile Home Estates, located at 120 Dixon Landing Road, the Milpitas Police Department said in a social media post.
Police said a surveillance camera recorded the animal on the west side of the park, near the BART tracks.
Officers searched the area but did not find the animal. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Santa Clara County Vector Control were notified of the sighting.
A second sighting happened around 4:30 a.m. near Fairmeadow Way, police said. Surveillance footage showed the mountain lion leaping over a closed wooden gate.
Police urged residents who live in and around the areas where the mountain lions were spotted to be alert and cognizant of their surroundings. In addition, small pets should be brought indoors when unattended and kept on a leash when on a walk.
Residents who encounter a mountain lion should neither approach nor run away from the animal, police said. Instead, they should try to appear larger than the mountain lion by waving their arms and speaking in a loud, firm voice.
“These mannerisms may cause the mountain lion to see you as a danger and leave the area,” police said.
Police said residents should call 911 to report any additional mountain lion sightings.
Source: www.mercurynews.com