LUCERNE VALLEY, Calif., Oct. 1 (UPI) — A mountain lion was spotted atop a 35-foot California utility pole near the aptly-named Cougar Buttes and eagle-eyed residents snapped photos before the big cat climbed down.
Residents living near the power pole in the Lucerne Valley, about two miles south of Cougar Buttes, reported they first spotted the mountain lion on the pole Tuesday and it climbed down later that same night.
Andrew Hughan of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the mountain lion may have been chased up the pole by a rival cougar, but resident Jose Ruiz said the cat was spooked by excited children shouting at it from a Lucerne Valley Unified School District bus.
Ruiz said the lion proved to be a disturbance for the birds perched on the pole and they squawked loudly at the intruder.
“It was funny,” Ruiz told the Victor Valley Daily Press. “It was like the one crow was saying, ‘Hey, you’re not a crow’ to the mountain lion.”
Residents shared pictures of the mountain lion on social media.
Hesperia Unified School District officials said Lime Street Elementary School was briefly on lockdown Wednesday when a cougar was sighted in the area. It was unclear if the mountain lion seen near the school was the same animal that spent Tuesday atop the pole.
