A security camera at a home in Beverly Crest captured a large mountain lion as it strolled through a residential area Sunday morning.
Leslie Sank viewed the footage that was captured on her Ring camera around 2:15 a.m. Sunday morning and shared the video with KTLA.
The video shows a large mountain lion walking through what appears to be a fenced in yard near Sank’s property on Bowmont Drive.
Sank said she worried about the mountain lion in the area because of the many children that live in the densely populated neighborhood.
Mountain lion sightings are not uncommon in the Los Angeles area as their natural habitat includes the mountainous landscape that surrounds the Southland.
Mountain lions are solitary and elusive, and they typically avoid people by nature, but sightings continue to be reported more regularly.
It’s not known why mountain lions venture out to neighborhoods, but wildlife experts say that as the human population expands into mountain lion habitat, there will be more frequent sightings.
In recent years, there have been increasing interactions between people and mountain lions, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The agency offers this advice to any Californian who encounters a mountain lion:
- Never approach a mountain lion and always give them an escape route
- Do not run. Stay calm and do not turn your back
- Do not crouch down or bend over, instead, face the animal, make noise and try to look bigger
People who live in mountain lion habitat can take precautions to reduce their risk of encountering a mountain lion by:
- Deer-proofing their property to avoid attracting a lion’s main food source
- Removing dense vegetation from around the home to reduce hiding spaces
- Installing outdoor lighting to make it difficult for mountain lions to approach unseen
- Securing livestock and outdoor large pets in sturdy, covered shelters at night