MORGAN HILL
– Mountain lions have been spotted three times this month in the
Woodland/Llagas area northwest of Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill police
reported.
MORGAN HILL – Mountain lions have been spotted three times this month in the Woodland/Llagas area northwest of Morgan Hill, Morgan Hill police reported.
On Thursday morning, a large cat was seen in a tree at the corner of Castle Hill and Llagas avenues and in the nearby Woodland area, further west along Llagas Avenue and Woodland Road near Chesbro Reservoir.
Police will be passing out fliers to residents in the area today, Police Chief Jerry Galvin said.
“We don’t want anyone to panic but at the same time we want them to be aware,” Galvin said. He said the animal has not approached humans.
In recent weeks, police have received an increased number of reports of missing cats and dogs in the area. State and county fish and game officials have been notified.
While lions have always lived in the back country and occasionally do “come into town,” they usually do so at night. The last reported lion sighting was January 2002 in the Holiday Lakes Estates area east of the city when a resident reported seeing “two very large cats” on Lakeview Drive.
During the previous summer, the Benefiel family who live in the Sundance subdivision near Hill Road and East Dunne Avenue – well into a populated area – had an unexpected visitor when a mountain lion scratched at their door, then ran around the house and banged on a window. “We both work up at Coe Park; we know our cats,” said Daniel Benefiel. That cat was last seen in a neighbor’s back yard.
The South Valley is rich in wild animal life, providing a steady supply of food for the lions. No humans have been attacked by lions in the east hills since Isola Kennedy and her Sunday School class were set upon in July 1909. Kennedy fought off the lion with a hat pin. Unfortunately, the animal was rabid and Kennedy and one of her students died two months later of rabies. The other children were unhurt.
The California mountain lion is a “special protected mammal” and lives in the state’s mountainous areas, including the east and west hills surrounding Morgan Hill. They have also been spotted in the past year at Gavilan College, which has erected signs warning walkers to look out for the large cats.
For information about living near the California mountain lion, contact the Morgan Hill Animal Control Office at 776-7300. If you have an encounter with a mountain lion, you should contact police dispatchers at 911.
If you live in mountain lion habitat, here’s what you can do to reduce your chances of encountering a mountain lion near your home:
• Don’t feed wildlife: By feeding deer, raccoons or other wildlife in your yard, you will inadvertently attract mountain lions, which prey upon them.
• Deer-proof your landscape: Avoid using plants that deer prefer to eat; if your landscaping attracts deer, mountain lions may be close by.
