GILROY
– Gavilan College was the scene of an adult mountain lion
spotting Wednesday. And on Thursday afternoon, a young mountain
lion was seen running from the back of the library into bushes
nearby.
GILROY – Gavilan College was the scene of an adult mountain lion spotting Wednesday. And on Thursday afternoon, a young mountain lion was seen running from the back of the library into bushes nearby.
Both spottings did not result in any injuries to staff or students.
At a Wednesday night women’s basketball game, Athletic Director Ron Hannon announced that a mountain lion was spotted on the border of the campus between Santa Teresa Boulevard and a parking lot. Hannon told the crowd to walk to their cars in groups when leaving the game.
The game was not impacted. Apparently, mountain lions don’t scare off Lady Rams, the short-handed women’s basketball team beat Cabrillo College by 20 points.
Hannon made the announcement early in the first half of the game. He said campus security notified him of the spotting shortly after tip-off.
“It sure would be neat to see one of those from a very safe distance one of these days,” said Hannon, a self-proclaimed nature lover. “I saw the rear end of one off in the distance once when I was fishing at Coyote Lake. But it was one of those things that happened so quickly you didn’t know if you really saw what you thought you saw.”
Hannon said roughly three times a year a lion is spotted while classes or events are happening on campus. It is school policy to call campus security when a lion is spotted, unless there is an emergency, then 911 is called.
Security is responsible for reporting the sightings to the California State Department of Fish and Game.
Earlier this school year, some students and teachers arrived to a blood-stained campus when a mountain lion attacked a deer at Gavilan. Custodial crews removed the carcass of the deer which the lion left behind.
“He probably got scared off by something,” Hannon said.
When on Gavilan campus, people are asked to call campus security from one of the campus phones by pressing *10. If the spotting happens off campus, call the fish and game department asks that people call the regional office at (707) 944-5500.
In an emergency, call 911.
