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OLYMPUS COVE — Residents in a Salt Lake County neighborhood were on high alert Wednesday after two people saw a mountain lion wandering in their neighborhood.
Also called cougars, mountain lions are rarely seen because they're so secretive. But they thrive in the mountains on both sides of the Salt Lake Valley. And more than people realize, they often come closer than that, wildlife officials say.
The early morning tip-off in Olympus Cove occurred when neighborhood dogs started making a commotion.
"When I went out and reprimanded them in my best cranky mama voice, it didn't do much good, so I had a feeling there was some wild animal in the area," Olympus Cove resident Margaret Warrick said.
The cougar was spotted by a newspaper carrier around 5:30 a.m. and then later by a police officer. It apparently slipped quickly back into the mountains.
“(We) searched the area, searched backyards. We were unable to locate the cougar after the first sighting,” said Lt. Scott White with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
The cougars are out there, year-round, just outside the city. The mountains on both sides of the Salt Lake Valley provide excellent cougar habitat.
"There are mountain lions in Utah from the high Uintas down into the deserts, pretty much every place there's deer, there's lions,” said John Shivik, a mammals coordinator with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
For years, a team from Utah State University has been studying cougars in the Oquirrh Mountains, on the valley's west side. Electronic collars allow experts to snoop on the lions' secretive behavior and map their travels. They often come into areas where people and structures are, sometimes crossing state Route 111. One expert says that's because older females sometimes would rather eat roadkill deer than go to the trouble of chasing live ones.
When they come close to homes, residents usually don't know about it.
- Do not run.
- Make yourself look intimidating. Make eye contact.
- If you have children, pick them up.
- If you are attacked, fight back!
“Lions are rare and secretive,” Shivik said. “It's not a common occurrence, seeing them. So being able to do that, that's a neat thing.”
"If you see a cougar out here, more than likely it's going to turn around and run away from you,” White said. “So, take a picture if you can, if you're fast enough with your camera, cellphone or whatever, because you may not get to see one very often."
So what should you do if you come face to face with a mountain lion? “The general rule is to look big, make eye contact with the animal, speak loudly,” White said. “If there are children nearby, pick up your children and back off.”
He said you want the mountain lion to know that you’re too much trouble to attack. He also said if you live on the edge of wildlands, don't put pets out at night, don't feed wildlife and don't leave food outdoors.
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Story written by John Hollenhorst with contributions from [Andrew Adams](<mailto: aadams@ksl.com>)
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