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Editor's note: Some viewers may find the video disturbing since it shows dead wildlife so watch at your discretion. HILLSBOROUGH, California — A frightening video from the San Francisco area shows one of the closest wildlife encounters you could ever experience from the comfort of your own home.
As reported by The Washington Post, the video comes from the security camera of Mary L. Mines and Peter Rauenbuehler. Shot in predawn darkness, the video begins with two glowing eyes darting around the couple's porch as their dogs bark from inside the home.
Mines and Rauenbuehler were awakened by a loud cracking sound, which they later realized was probably the cougar snapping the neck of the deer. Once Mines turned on the porch lights to investigate, the cougar and its prey were clearly visible to the camera. Mines' viewed the scene through the peephole of the front door, however, so it was still difficult to see what was outside.
“There’s a coyote out on the front porch,” she can be heard telling Rauenbuehler. “Or a fox.”
But watching the video, there’s no mistaking the powerful predator. Frightened by the lights, the cougar grasped the deer in its jaws and dragged it away. According to Mines, the cougar then moved into a neighbor’s yard.
The couple believe that the deer had been eating some of the potted plants on their porch when the cougar attacked. And even though the whole scene unfolded just outside their front door, they’re not overly concerned.
“It’s (a) pretty intimidating animal,” Mines told The Washington Post. “It’s a pretty awesome animal. But it was also pretty cool.”
“It was more exciting than scary,” added Rauenbuehler.
