Mountain lions seen eating deer in Bay Area neighborhood

Multiple mountain lions have been spotted recently in a Hillsborough neighborhood, including two wild cats that were seen eating a deer in a residential area, officials said.  

A resident on the 1400 block of Marlborough Road reported seeing two mountain lions eating a deer on their property, the Hillsborough Police Department announced in a Facebook post. A neighbor also reported seeing mountain lion cubs in a nearby den. 

Mountain lions are known to frequent the hills and green belts that surround Hillsborough, police said. Though their primary food source is deer, they’ve been seen on trail cameras attacking other animals, including pets. 

According to the county of San Mateo, local mountain lion sightings are rare, but the animals may be encountered at parks throughout the area. Police recommend that residents who live in known mountain lion habitats keep their pets indoors during dawn, dusk and evening hours, and lock their doors at night. Police also advise residents to not feed local deer and to keep a close eye on small children when hiking. 

“If you see a mountain lion DO NOT APPROACH IT, especially one that is feeding or with offspring. Most mountain lions will try to avoid confrontation,” Hillsborough police said in the Facebook post. 

Though population estimates of mountain lions in California are relatively stable, there has been an increase in reported sightings of the cats over recent years due to an increase in home security cameras and personal trail cameras, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Mountain lions have been considered a “specially protected” species in the state since the passing of the California Wildlife Protection Act in 1990.