Mountain Lion Sightings in Northern California Spark Safety Alert and Road Closures

The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office says there is a public safety warning after reports of seeing mountain lions in Northern California.

The reports happened in the Upper Main Street area of Downieville, according to officials. Early Monday morning, one of the three lions killed a dog. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reacted and is now looking into what happened.

“Just to be safe,” SCSO said, “the county park on Upper Main Street in Downieville will be closed until further notice.” “That’s the basketball court, tennis courts, and playground.”

In this area, if you see a mountain lion, you can call (530) 289-3700 or email [email protected] to report it. As a way to help with the investigation, deputies asked people to include photos or videos in the report if they could.

How to stay safe around mountain lions
While officials looked into the reports of mountain lion sightings, they gave the people some safety tips.

• Pets should stay inside, especially at night. 
• If you have to take your pet outside, keep it on a leash and close by.
• Do not go climbing or running by yourself, especially at night, dawn, or dusk.

Mountain lions meet people

Officials gave more safety advice for people who might come across a mountain cat.

• Do not run and stay cool.
• Raise your arms and speak clearly to make yourself look bigger.
• Move back slowly, giving the lion a chance to get away.
• If the lion is mean, throw things at it, yell, and get ready to fight back if it attacks.

To learn more about mountain lions, go to wildlife.ca.gov on the CDFW page.