Gilroy Police Department is reminding residents to stay safe following a mountain lion sighting today, May 9.
A mountain lion was sighted in the creek area adjacent to to the ranch side of Christmas Hill Park at 12:17 p.m., a reporting party told police. Despite a thorough search of the area, the mountain lion was never found, police said.
The south valley sighting is the latest in a flurry of big cat sighting buzz trickling throughout the greater Bay Area centered around the capture of one of the wild animals in the City of Mountain View.
Police and Gilroy city staff responded to the area to alert people in the vicinity of the park. Immediate area schools were also notified, police said.
Police are reminding the community that this general area is in close proximity to mountain lion habitat.
Police offered the following advice about avoiding or responding to mountain lion interaction:
• Do not hike alone: Go in groups, with adults supervising children.
• Keep children close to you: Observations of captured wild mountain lions reveal that the animals seem especially drawn to children. Keep children within your sight at all times.
• Do not approach a lion: Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.
• Do not run from a lion: Running may stimulate a mountain lion’s instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal. Make eye contact. If you have small children with you, pick them up if possible so they do not panic and run. Although it may be awkward, pick them up without bending over or turning away from the mountain lion.
• Do not crouch down or bend over: In Nepal, a researcher studying tigers and leopards watched the big cats kill cattle and domestic water buffalo while ignoring humans standing nearby. He surmised that a human standing up is just not the right shape for a cat’s prey. On the other hand, a person squatting or bending over looks a lot like a four-legged prey animal. If you are in mountain lion country, avoid squatting, crouching or bending over, even when picking up children.
• Do all you can to appear larger: Raise your arms, open your jacket if you are wearing one. Again, pick up small children. Throw stones, branches, or whatever you can reach without crouching or turning your back. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly in a loud voice. The idea is to convince the mountain lion that you are not prey and that you may be a danger to it.
• Fight back if attacked: A hiker in Southern California used a rock to fend off a mountain lion that was attacking his son. Others have fought back successfully with sticks, caps, jackets, garden tools and their bare hands. Since a mountain lion usually tries to bite the head or neck, try to remain standing and face the attacking animal.
Please report all sightings and encounters to the Gilroy Police Department immediately at (408)846-0350 or California Department of Fish and Game at (831) 649-2070.
For any media inquiries please call (408) 846-0367.
