Verrado residents report more mountain lion sightings

Yahoo

2 days ago

The Brief
As Verrado residents are reporting more mountain lion sightings, they're wondering why the big cats are venturing out into civilization rather than staying in the nearby White Tank Mountains.
The residents are nervous about their safety, as well as their pets' safety.
BUCKEYE, Ariz. - Residents are reporting that mountain lions were seen stalking people and pets in neighborhoods near the White Tank Mountains.
So far, no humans or pets have been hurt, but the encounters have been frightening.
Arizona is known for its desert wildlife, but what would you do if you saw a mountain lion slinking around your neighborhood?
What we know
Residents in the master-planned community of Verrado, located in Buckeye, have reported mountain lion sightings recently.
Verrado features a community pool and park and a lot of beautiful homes with views of the neighboring White Tank Mountains, which means more wildlife roaming around.
A few residents have reported two different mountain lion sightings recently in the area.
Mountain lions are much bigger than the bobcats and other creatures you may find roaming the area.
Residents say they're nervous and curious as to why the big cats are making their way so far into civilization.
What they're saying
Verrado resident, Kimberly Roberti, who works at the Victory Club right at the White Tank foothills, says she's nervous about the safety of small pets and small children.
"I have two small dogs and I walk them daily, and I live really close to where that mountain lion was found, I guess last weekend. So I am concerned, and I wonder what it was that caused the mountain lion to come down here and search for food, I assume? There's so many kids. I mean, kids on bikes and just families walking because the weather is nice and at night is when I assume the cats come down to hunt, and so it's just a really scary situation," she said.
The Florian family lives in Verrado and parents, George and Lissette, not only reported the sighting to the Arizona Game & Fish Department, but they also alerted neighbors.
"I'd never seen a mountain lion, like, no," Jason said. "I saw it with my own two eyes, and it was freaking me out."
Lissette said they needed to let their neighbors know.
"Neighbors at all times of day will walk their dogs, even late at night, and it was about 10:30 at night, and he was on the way home from the pool. There was a couple of people walking their dog, and he actually went back and informed them, and they were like, 'Please give them a ride,'" she said.
"I didn't want anyone getting attacked, right? That would've been not a good thing, and, of course, just looking out for everybody and whoever else we saw out after that. We were telling them not to walk back that way because the mountain lion was there," Jason said.
Not only was a mountain lion spotted slinking around the Verrado neighborhood, but a mountain lion was also spotted at the top of the popular victory steps.
By the time Gary Lee Price saw the big cat, it was dead.
Buckeye Police said the cougar was shot by a man after the big cat attacked him and his dog. The mountain lion was killed after a single shot.
While locals say they're used to desert wildlife, these sightings and reports of an attack are unsettling.
What's next
We don't know at this time if this was the same mountain lion seen in the neighborhoods and on the trail.
What you can do
Click here to learn more about mountain lions from the Arizona Game & Fish Department.