It’s just a false alarm!
California residents are on alert after police warn of a mountain lion sighting caught on neighborhood security cameras. However, it turned out to be a large domestic cat.
South San Francisco police realized what they thought was a mountain lion was a “big cat” and issued a statement notifying residents of the false alarm.
“We can confirm that Big Cat is not a mountain lion.” Police announced on social media. “We are pleased to report that there are no potential threats in the neighborhood. That’s a big cat!” the police department said.
Early on the morning of March 26, around 7 a.m., a South San Francisco resident reported to police that he had seen a mountain lion roaming the fence line on his Ring camera.
Police officers arrived at the scene and thoroughly inspected the area, but reported that they did not find the mountain lion that residents feared was present.
Located just 16 miles outside of San Francisco, South San Francisco is a familiar home to mountain lions in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
Residents in the area are constantly on guard against mountain lions, with about 4,500 big cats living in the state, according to the UC Davis Mountain Lion Project. The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Mountain lion encounters with humans are rare in California, but attacks can occur.
The last recorded attack was in September 2022, when a 7-year-old was bitten by a mountain lion at Pico Canyon Park in Los Angeles County. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“We would like to remind residents to avoid mountain lions. A glimpse, even from a distance, is cause for alarm,” South San Francisco police continue to warn residents despite the recent panic.
“If you encounter a mountain lion, make your presence known. Make noise, make yourself appear larger, and back away slowly,” they added.
Social media users had a few laughs about the scare, with some California residents familiar with mountain lion sightings joking about the Ring camera footage.
“I’ve seen a lot of mountain lions, but that’s just a giant house cat,” the comment below the cat posted by police on Facebook said.
“If that’s what she thinks of mountain lions, I don’t want to see what she thinks of my cat!” joked another.
