VIDEO: Mountain lion caught on camera in San Mateo
SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- A large adult mountain lion has been spotted in a San Mateo residential neighborhood. The wild animal was seen at a home near Hobart and Edinburg past midnight Wednesday morning.
The latest sighting comes days after another mountain lion was spotted about a mile away and less than a month after one was captured by Fish & Wildlife officials.
Wednesday morning's sighting was caught from multiple angles on surveillance camera, quickly showing a large mountain lion -- believed to be about 45 pounds -- roaming through a San Mateo resident's yard.
"The video captured in the backyard first, then it went to the front," said surprised homeowner Xiaochao Yang.
He was asleep when the encounter happened. The motion-triggered cameras sent an alert to his phone Wednesday morning.
VIDEO: Mountain lion caught dragging deer off Hillsborough porch
"For me, it's the first time in my life. I saw a mountain lion in the zoo, but not in your backyard," said Yang.
The mountain lion is then seen exiting towards the front of the property onto the street before disappearing.
"Forty years and first time that I know a cats been around here," said longtime resident Mike Troy. He lives two houses down and thinks the lion was in his driveway afterwards, probably looking for food. He accidentally left fish bait out on his boat.
VIDEO: What to do if you come face-to-face with a mountain lion
"I could hear something walking," Troy recalls hearing around 1 a.m. "If I could hear something walking, it wasn't a raccoon; it had to be bigger than that."
This is the third mountain lion sighting in San Mateo within weeks.
Last month, nearby residents were on edge after being told to shelter in place while police searched for a young female lion. Hours later, she was captured and then released back into the woods. Police don't think this is the same cat that's been spotted recently.
"We're getting a couple more sightings," said Sgt. Amanda Von Glahn with San Mateo PD. "I can't tell you why but it's a good thing our community members are keeping us informed," she said.
San Mateo police say Yang did the right thing by alerting them right away. Police issued a warning so neighbors could be cautious.
They say if you have small pets, be sure to keep them indoors. That's what Yang will be doing with his cat, Astro, holding on just a little tighter.
Click here for more videos and stories about mountain lion sightings.
