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Mountain lion sighted on 3 recent mornings in Summerlin area

Updated March 10, 2021 - 7:46 pm

A mountain lion has been spotted at least three times in the Summerlin area in recent days, but wildlife experts aren’t sure if it is the same cat captured on camera in the west Las Vegas Valley a month ago.

Doug Nielsen, conservation and education supervisor for the Nevada Department of Wildlife in Las Vegas, said a mountain lion was confirmed to be in the area of West Flamingo Road and the 215 Beltway on three consecutive mornings late last week. The sightings were confirmed via images from a security camera, Nielsen said.

“He just seems to be wandering through once in a while,” Nielsen said. “He doesn’t seem to be acting aggressively.”

Nielsen said a resident in the area also reported seeing the mountain lion Tuesday. NDOW is looking into this report as well.

“The biggest thing around homes, what people need to do, is keep track of your pets, especially your smaller ones,” Nielsen said. “They (mountain lions) are most active at dawn and dusk.”

Authorities said that a month ago a mountain lion was captured on a security camera near Hualapai Way and West Desert Inn Road. That sighting prompted a stir on social media and more warnings to watch out for your small pets.

Nielsen said wildlife experts don’t know if the cat is the same one spotted in the Summerlin area recently.

“We don’t have any way to confirm that without a DNA marker or a collar,” Nielsen said.

He said mountain lions are known to wander, especially juvenile cats, as they look for a territory where they can be dominant.

“When you take our modern master-planned community design, we’ve added water to the desert, we’ve added vegetation to the desert, and it attracts the small critters and water birds that a mountain lion can and will eat, especially a juvenile lion,” Nielsen said. “That could be an attractant and that is why it is here. But at this point it is really just a guess as to what it has got going on and why it came into town. We are hoping it will get over it real fast and go back to where it needs to be.”

Las Vegas police said they have no recent reports of mountain lion sightings.

Meanwhile, here are some safety tips from NDOW should you encounter a mountain lion:

■ Pet owners are encouraged to supervise their animals when they are outside, especially at dawn and dusk. Precautions include never feeding lions, coyotes or other wildlife. Keep in mind that if you feed prey species you will also attract the predators.

■ Always make noise when recreating outside in mountain lion country.

■ Do not approach a lion, especially one with kittens or one that has been feeding.

■ Stay calm if you come upon a lion. Talk to it calmly yet firmly. Move slowly.

■ Never run away or corner a lion. Since they are predators, running from a mountain lion may trigger them to run after you.

■ Back away slowly, and do not turn your back to the animal.

■ Do all you can to appear larger. Raise your arms or hiking sticks above your head. Open your jacket if you are wearing one.

■ If a lion is aggressive, throw stones, branches or whatever you can get your hands on without crouching down or turning your back.

■ In the unlikely scenario the animal attacks you, always fight back.

More information can be found online by clicking here.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.

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