A homeowner near Woodthrush Place reportedly heard the mountain lion around 3 a.m. on Friday, the second reporting in two days, and then subsequently found a lamb carcass where the sounds were heard, California Department Fish and Game spokesman Steve Martarano said.
The department issued a permit for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to set up a trap with the lamb carcass inside to catch the lion and shoot it, said Martarano.
He said the state only issues permits to kill the lion when it is seriously threatening people or in situations such as this, when they start preying on pets and livestock.
"We want mountain lions to stay wild but that's why the state law was set up," he said.
At around 8 p.m. Wednesday, a resident in the 30000 block of Woodthrush Place reported a mountain lion killed a goat and dragged it away, police said.
The first sighting occurred at 6:43 p.m. Sunday when a resident witnessed the mountain lion in his backyard in the 1100 block of Garin Avenue. Fish and Game personnel viewed videotape provided by the resident and confirmed the animal was a mountain lion.
The lion was expected to return to the homeowner's property near Woodthrush Place overnight and feed off the carcass but as of 1:30 p.m. today, it hadn't returned.
Martarano said they plan on leaving the trap for one more day but they do not expect the lion to return because the carcass is too old. He does not believe the lion poses a serious threat to humans but said residents should keep their pets indoors. Officials are cautioning residents not to approach a mountain lion and instead call 911.
