There’s nothing like a night out on the town… is what I imagine this mountain lion was thinking.
A California community is on high alert after a mountain lion was spotted multiple times making itself at home in the downtown Oceanside area. Surveillance video caught it running amuck through the busy streets of the town, and also captured it traversing through the parking garage of Oceanside’s city hall.
Officials responded to the scene and did their best to scare the big cat away from the area using loud noises and spotlights. They were eventually able to encourage the wild animal to vacate the area, but not before the mountain lion had a chance to peer through the doors of a movie theatre in the area.
A janitor working in the theatre was able to snap a picture of the animal standing just outside the building, looking in as if it was interested in purchasing a ticket to the latest blockbuster and buying a tub of popcorn for $25.
Though many residents in the area have become concerned about the wild animal’s presence, a spokesperson from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told Fox 5 San Diego that the big cat was nothing to be concerned about:
“It looks to be a juvenile. It’s just trying to figure its way back to a stable habitat. Most of the time, wildlife does end up figuring out how to get back to stable habitat on their own and it’s usually the safest and best option for them.”
Wildlife officials are hopeful that the young mountain lion made its way back to its habitat on its own, but have advised residents in the area to practice caution (keep pets inside) and report any sightings of the big cat. They also stated to stay away from the wild animal, because though human interaction with mountain lions is rare, incidents are known to occur when the big cats feel threatened.
You can take a look at the local news story, which features footage of the mountain lion running around on the town, in the video below:
