LOCKWOOD — Wednesday marks the first day of school for Lockwood students and several parents are worried about a mountain lion that was spotted multiple times over the weekend, just a few blocks from Lockwood schools.
It was a Saturday night surprise for Lockwood resident Steven Mares.
“I had me and my kids, and we’re just coming home, and I saw it run across the road. I was pretty surprised. It was a pretty big cat to see out of nowhere,” Mares said outside his home in Lockwood on Tuesday.
Mares said he followed the mountain lion until it disappeared behind his neighbor Becky Kober’s house, with her outdoor camera capturing the cat right outside.
“I mean it was maybe this long. I mean it was a big cat. I bet it weighed 150 pounds, somewhere along there,” said Mares.
He said he reported the sighting to the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office that night, although Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) said it didn’t catch wind of the news until this Tuesday.
“The first report of this mountain lion in a Lockwood neighborhood came into our office around 1 p.m. today,” said Chrissy Webb, FWP Region 5 communication and education manager.
And with school starting Wednesday, many are concerned.
“I know other neighbors are with their small children. It’s a legitimate concern, it’s a big cat. It can do anything,” Mares said.
The cat was recently spotted on Lauretta Drive, just blocks away from Lockwood schools.
FWP is aware of the concern but at this point, has no plans to euthanize or move the mountain lion.
“As of right now, we’re not going to take further action on the situation,” said Webb.
They said that unlike the mountain lion that was killed just a few feet outside a Lockwood home earlier this month, the lion now being spotted hasn’t posed a threat to the public.
“They are a part of the natural Montana ecosystem so just the presence of a mountain lion in a community doesn’t warrant us to act on that and euthanize every mountain lion that’s observed. So, we’re really keeping in mind those nuisance concerns, so if it’s really causing issues, and the public safety concerns,” Webb said.
Webb urges Lockwood residents to reach out to FWP’s office in Billings if they see the cat. She said that mountain lion attacks are extremely rare and the best thing to do is to travel in groups.
But many will be on high alert knowing a big cat can pose a big risk, especially in a neighborhood full of kids.
“The best I think would be to tranquilize it, relocate it somewhere else, not kill it. But if it needs to keep the public safe, you got to do what you got to do,” Mares said.
