Video: Watch mountain lion chase dog in SLO backyard
A mountain lion visited a San Luis Obispo backyard for the second time this week — and it was once again caught on camera.
At about 7:19 a.m. on Friday, Natalie Davis looked outside and saw a mountain lion chasing her dog, Axis, around her backyard. Davis, who lives off of Oceanaire Drive near Drake Circle, posted a video of the incident on Nextdoor.
The video shows the mountain lion chasing the dog in a circle around the yard. The dog ran to the back door, and Davis started banging on a glass to scare the mountain lion away.
The dog ventured back out into the yard, and Davis and her husband called to the dog to return to the house while shouting at the mountain lion. A few seconds later, the cougar left the yard.
“Do not let your pets or small children out alone!” Davis posted on Nextdoor. “This cat is not scared of people. I’ve got my arms up banging on glass, and he just looks at me!”
This isn’t the cougar’s first visit to Davis’ home.
On Monday, the mountain lion jumped over a 5-foot-tall fence between the backyard and a creek behind Davis’ house, spooking her dog. She posted a video of that incident on Nextdoor as well.
“(My first thought was) Oh my god I have a 3-year-old. To be honest, that’s my biggest concern,” Davis told The Tribune on Tuesday.
Now, she doesn’t allow her dog into the yard at dusk or dawn, and an adult stays with a child in the yard, she told The Tribune.
Other SLO mountain lion sightings
Mountain lions have made a few appearances in populated areas this November.
On Nov. 14, a woman and her dog saw a cougar near their home at Laguna Lake Mobile Estates near Prefumo Canyon.
On Nov. 19, mountain biker Rex Hatter encountered a mountain lion while biking on a trail in Irish Hills, causing the city to close Irish Hills Natural Reserve and Johnson Ranch Open Space trails to public access.
The city re-opened the two trails on Wednesday morning, according to an Instagram post from the San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation Department.
If you encounter a mountain lion, you should “raise your hands over your head and make yourself look as big as possible while slowly backing away and give the lion a path to leave,” the SLO Parks and Recreation Department said in its Instagram post. “Speak or yell loudly/firmly to sounds ferocious.”
The agency recommended hiking with a buddy and avoiding trails during the early morning and dusk, when mountain lions are more likely to be on the trails.
