A Sand Canyon resident spotted a mountain lion and her cubs near his home Sunday morning – less than a month after encountering one in his backyard.

Victor Micarone spotted the mountain lion and her cubs near his home off of Iron Canyon Road at around 9 a.m. Sunday.

Micarone called the Castaic Animal Care Center of the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control, but the lions left shortly after, and officials did not take down a report.

“I have a feeling the mountain lions are living at the tree line,” said Micarone. “(The mountain lions) went the same direction twice.”

The tree line is about 50 yards off of the property’s back fence, according to Micarone.

This is not Micarone’s first encounter with mountain lions on his property. Two weeks ago, he was in his backyard when he noticed one of his cats was acting erratic.

“I have two domestic house cats,” said Micarone. “I looked over and one of them was bouncing off the door.”

He then looked back, and came face to face with the mountain lion.

“I turned around, and he was crouched right there,” said Micarone. “He was about five to six feet away from me.”

While wildlife officials advise against running from a mountain lion so it isn’t prompted to chase, Micarone said that he immediately ran in one direction, and the mountain lion took off in another.

He went out later to see if the cougar was still there, but all he was able to find were pawprints and a clump of dirt torn up from where it had been.

Mountain lions and other wild animals need three things to survive, according to Ranger Frank Hoffman of the Placerita Canyon Nature Center: food, water, and shelter. Factors, including fruit trees, water fixtures, and low shrubbery can contribute to any sort of wild animal coming onto a person’s property, said Hoffman.

Hoffman also said that the mountain lion could have been there as it tries to find new territory.

“It may be a young cat that maybe a mom had banished from the territory, and it might be out there trying to find its own territory,” said Hoffman. “Mountains lions tend to stay with mom for about a year and a half.”

Mountain lions have been suspected in pet attacks in the past. For residents in Sand Canyon and areas of Santa Clarita bordering on natural areas, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife offers several tips on living in close proximity with wild animals:

• Don’t hike alone. Go in groups, with adults supervising children.
• Keep children close. Observations of captured wild mountain lions reveal that the animals seem especially drawn to children. Keep children within sight at all times.
• Do not approach a mountain lion. Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.
• Do not run from a mountain lion. Running may stimulate a mountain lion’s instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal. Make eye contact. Pick up small children if possible so they don’t panic and run. Although it may be awkward, pick them up without bending over or turning away from the mountain lion.
• Do not crouch down or bend over. In Nepal, a researcher studying tigers and leopards watched the big cats kill cattle and domestic water buffalo while ignoring humans standing nearby. He surmised that a human standing up is just not the right shape for a cat’s prey. On the other hand, a person squatting or bending over looks a lot like a four-legged prey animal. Avoid squatting, crouching or bending over in the presence of a mountain lion.
• Try to appear larger. Raise your arms; open your jacket if you are wearing one; pick up small children; throw stones, branches or whatever you can reach without crouching or turning your back; wave your arm slowly and speak firmly in a loud voice. The idea is to convince the mountain lion that you are not prey and that you may be a danger to it.

Residents who feel encounter a mountain lion or any wild animal and feel endangered are encouraged to call (951) 443-2944.

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