Residents of a small California town were left in suspense after a mountain lion killed a dog in the backyard of a home.
It was the early hours of Monday morning when residents of Downieville, in the Sierra Nevada, which has a population of 290, woke up to the harrowing scene.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the cougar was eventually shot and killed by a neighbor, but the incident has raised fears that there may be more lurking, sparking a debate about public safety and wildlife management in the region.
The attack occurred around 3 a.m. when a local resident let his two dogs out into the fenced backyard of his home.
Moments later, she saw a pair of glowing eyes of a mountain lion staring at her from the hillside. The puma managed to jump the fence and enter the yard.
When he called his two dogs back inside, only one listened and returned to safety, while the other was captured by the predator.
“The cougar had the dog in its mouth when it was shot to death,” confirmed CDFW spokesman Peter Tira.
Despite the homeowner’s best efforts, the dog did not survive.
Residents of a small California town were left rattled after a cougar (pictured) killed a dog in a home’s backyard. A resident then shot the lion dead.
That cougar was one of three seen lurking in the woods behind a residential home when it was discovered by a neighbor after attacking a dog.
The attack occurred in a residential area of Downieville, a small town in the Sierra Nevada, near Main Street, pictured.
The killing occurred near a county park in the northern part of Downieville, a rural, mountainous area described by Tira as “prime mountain lion habitat.”
Two other mountain lions were also seen nearby during the attack and were likely a mother and her offspring.
The local Downieville newspaper, The Mountain Messenger, reported how two people were involved in the shooting.
The owner of the dogs, upon hearing a horrible howl, realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly called her husband, who was in Sacramento at the time.
He alerted a neighbor, who arrived armed with a shotgun a few minutes later.
Despite firing a warning shot, the puma jumped over a retaining wall with the dog still in its jaws.
The neighbor then shot and wounded the lion, causing it to release the dog, but it was too late to save the pet.
The puma was one of the three that were seen, I thought it was a mother with her two buckets.
Then a family friend arrived with a hunting rifle and delivered the final fatal shot, putting the lion out of its misery.
The consequences were equally shocking. Around 5 a.m., when the husband arrived home, he went to document the scene for authorities.
While examining the area, he noticed movement in the trees above the lion’s carcass.
Another mountain lion had returned to feed on his brother’s remains.
After a brief confrontation, the man fired a warning shot to scare away the predator.
The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office closed the nearby county park, including its playground, tennis courts and basketball court in response to the attack.
“We urge all residents and visitors in the Downieville area to use caution and report any mountain lion sightings to the Sheriff’s Office,” the department warned on Facebook.
The next day, another cougar sighting was reported about 50 miles away, in the town of Loyalton.
Officers responded to reports that the lion had taken a pet cat just 300 meters from an elementary school.
The attack occurred in the middle of the night in a small town in California.
“This incident occurred just after school let out for the day,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a public safety announcement. Officers attempted to euthanize the lion, but ultimately used hazing techniques to drive it out of the neighborhood.
For lifelong residents like Lydia Miyasato, who has lived in the area for 35 years, the increasing frequency of cougar sightings is deeply disturbing. “The presence of these predators feels different now,” Miyasato told SF Gate.
He recalled a chilling encounter last summer when a cougar nearly killed his mother-in-law’s dog inside their home.
“A bear will leave if you make enough noise,” he said. “But a cougar, if you make eye contact, it makes him want to get closer to you.”
Local officials and wildlife experts emphasize that mountain lions are a protected species under California law.
“Public safety is a big priority, but these are wild animals and this is their habitat,” Tira said. “You don’t have to be afraid to recreate outdoors, but you do have to pay attention to your surroundings and have a plan.”
Sheriff Mike Fisher has now advised locals to avoid running alone during dawn or dusk and to keep pets on leashes.
Last year, California recorded its first fatal mountain lion attack on an adult in 30 years.