Mountain Lion

A mountain lion was spotted Wednesday on Stancrest Frontage Road, near the 2 Freeway in Glendale, according to police. The sighting was reported to the Pasadena Humane Society around 1 p.m. by a solo hiker, said Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz. Mountain lions typically avoid human contact, but officials advise residents to exercise precaution and not run away from the animal if they come in its path. Instead, they advise residents to face the mountain lion and make loud noise and throw rocks or other objects.

Officials today warned residents of recent mountain lion sightings in the neighborhoods surrounding the Verdugo Mountains in Glendale. Two mountain lions were reported on Lockerbie Lane, with a previous sighting near El Lado, according to a notice posted today by Glendale city officials. Officials said the mountain lion sightings may be a result of the ongoing drought and the destruction wrought on their habitat by the massive Station fire. They advised residents to call 9-1-1 if they see a mountain lion that may pose a threat to people or pets.

Authorities are canvassing a North Glendale neighborhood with warning notices after a mountain lion scaled a 6-foot backyard fence early Monday and killed a Chihuahua. The mountain lion, described as being at least 150 pounds, hopped a gate at about 1 a.m. and pulled the 4-year-old Chihuahua out of its dog house while its owners looked on in horror. “He didn't even get a chance to bark. All we heard was whimper,” said Marco Iezza, whose courtyard in the 2300 block of Bonita Drive is bounded by several other properties, meaning the large cat had to scale several fences.

The City of Glendale Parks and Recreation Department has released a warning to those hiking in the Verdugo Mountains and San Rafael Hills of a mountain lion presence. Several residents have reported sightings over the past few days, according to Russ Hauck, Glendale park ranger manager. Most sightings have not been confirmed; they were reported by people who described what appeared to be a mountain lion. “But one sighting was confirmed by Glendale Police helicopter officers,” Hauck said.

A mountain lion mauled a 1-year-old German-Belgian shepherd mix named Cookie to death Saturday, making it the first reported killing of its kind this year in Glendale, officials said. The attack prompted Glendale police officials to renew warnings to hillside residents to keep their pets indoors at night. “She was a great dog,” said Cookie's owner, Karine Tatevossian. “It's just really scary.” The shepherd mix was staying at her parents' home in the 1800 block of Emerald Terrace for the weekend, she said.

A Department of Fish and Game warden shot and killed an 80-pound mountain lion after a resident spotted the big cat hiding in the bushes near her home. It happened in the foothills below Angeles National Forest, where resident Marlene Hitt was closing her garage door Friday afternoon when she spotted the mountain lion. "I heard a bang and looked down and saw a mountain lion run out as fast as it could," Hitt told KTLA-TV . She called 911 and when police arrived, the lion was hiding in the bushes, under a tree.

Animal control officers were called to a Burbank house Tuesday after a resident said a mountain lion walked up the front driveway, around the corner, and into the backyard. Burbank police said the resident in the 1200 block of Verdugo Spring Lane, near the border with Glendale in the hillsides, took photographs, which animal control officials used to confirm the identity of the big cat. The mountain lion apparently walked up a hillside slope and disappeared after strolling through the yard at 2:50 p.m., according to notice issued today by Burbank police.

Burbank police today issued another public safety alert after residents 900 block of Country Club Drive reported seeing a mountain lion. The sighting was reported at 9:15 p.m. on Monday as the lion was heading back into the nearby hillside in Northwest Burbank, according to police. Several mountain lions have been reported in the Burbank hillsides this summer, prompting warnings from officials to keep pet food indoors and to avoid hiking or jogging alone, especially at dawn or dusk, when the big cats are more active.

Burbank police officers on Thursday reported seeing a mountain lion walking between parked cars near Kenneth Road and Brown Drive before it continued up Woodstock Lane and into the hillside, where it disappeared, the city announced today. Mountain lion sightings aren't uncommon in the foothills and hillside areas in the heat of summer, when dry conditions drive some of the cats down into urban areas in search of food and water. They are typically skittish and avoid human contact, but city officials urged residents to keep pet food and water dishes indoors to cut down on temptation.

Police officials have notified the California Department of Fish and Wildlife of a “fairly-large” mountain lion that is wandering inside the yard of a La Crescenta home. The lion, which was spotted just before 2 p.m., doesn't appear to be disturbing anything at the home in the 4500 block of New York Avenue, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz. While no one was inside the home, Lorenz said police are trying to maintain a calm environment for the lion so it does not become agitated.

A “fairly large” mountain lion that was spotted roaming in a La Crescenta neighborhood Thursday afternoon was tranquilized to be relocated in the wild, a state wildlife official said. Officers with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were called in after the lion was spotted just before 2 p.m. and didn't appear to be disturbing anything at the home in the 4500 block of New York Avenue, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz. PHOTOS: Mountain lion captured in La Crescenta residential area From there, the lion roamed the area and was seen in the 3300 and 3400 blocks of Thelma Street.

Authorities said on Tuesday they have not confirmed whether a dead deer -- the second such find in the canyons of East Glendale recently -- was killed by a mountain lion or coyote. A Glendale resident found the remains of the small deer Tuesday morning in the 3300 block of Dunsmere Road, near Chevy Chase Canyon Park and not far from Fern Lane where, according to police, the first deer was found dead on Dec. 7. “At this point, we have no confirmed sightings of coyotes or mountain lions killing deer,” said Ricky Whitman, spokeswoman for the Pasadena HumaneSociety, which provides animal control services for Glendale.

A deer was found dead at the Sports Complex in Glendale and authorities believe the animal was killed by an adult mountain lion and an offspring. Community Services and Park personnel found the deer's body this week at 2200 Fern Lane. Mountain lion footprints were found in the area. Glendale police suggest residents take steps to protect children and small pets from mountain lions in the area. Installing ample outdoor lighting, trimming bushes and providing shelter for animals are some way residents can avoid attracting deer or mountain lions, according to police.

A mountain lion was spotted Wednesday on Stancrest Frontage Road, near the 2 Freeway in Glendale, according to police. The sighting was reported to the Pasadena Humane Society around 1 p.m. by a solo hiker, said Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz. Mountain lions typically avoid human contact, but officials advise residents to exercise precaution and not run away from the animal if they come in its path. Instead, they advise residents to face the mountain lion and make loud noise and throw rocks or other objects.

A mountain lion mauled a 1-year-old German-Belgian shepherd mix named Cookie to death Saturday, making it the first reported killing of its kind this year in Glendale, officials said. The attack prompted Glendale police officials to renew warnings to hillside residents to keep their pets indoors at night. “She was a great dog,” said Cookie's owner, Karine Tatevossian. “It's just really scary.” The shepherd mix was staying at her parents' home in the 1800 block of Emerald Terrace for the weekend, she said.

A Department of Fish and Game warden shot and killed an 80-pound mountain lion after a resident spotted the big cat hiding in the bushes near her home. It happened in the foothills below Angeles National Forest, where resident Marlene Hitt was closing her garage door Friday afternoon when she spotted the mountain lion. "I heard a bang and looked down and saw a mountain lion run out as fast as it could," Hitt told KTLA-TV . She called 911 and when police arrived, the lion was hiding in the bushes, under a tree.

If looking for local animal celebrities, don't just head to the hills. They're also on Twitter. Following news stories about animals spotted outside their woodland habitats, several beasts have taken to Twitter, including a Burbank mountain lion and a bear that until Tuesday had charmed his fans with his hide-and-go-seek tweets. “Everyone's following me! Cops. Fish and Game. Those choppers with the bright lights. And now, all of you on Twitter. No privacy!” the bear's Twitter doppelganger, @TheGlendaleBear , tweeted last week.

A fridge-raiding, meatball-eating, orange-picking bear is on the loose. He's hungry, evasive and still around, even after a city official politely declared on a nightly news broadcast last week that the the city would “rather he went somewhere else.” Clocking in at more than 200 pounds, the black bear in search of a balanced diet might have been a big news generatorbut for longtime residents like Carole Dougherty, it's nothing that unusual....