PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) — A mountain lion startled a Pasadena homeowner after appearing just outside her back door in what officials described as an unusual sighting for the area.
The large cat was captured on camera Wednesday afternoon in a residential neighborhood along Orange Grove Boulevard near Craig Avenue. The location is near two schools and a park and not directly adjacent to the foothills, where such wildlife is more commonly found.
“Oh my god there it is. Right there. That’s really scary,” said Pasadena resident Alex Maddox.
The homeowner, who asked not to be identified, said the encounter was unexpected and unsettling.
“All of a sudden, my husband goes, what is that? It went into the bushes, and it just didn’t move at all,” she said. “We were still trying to process. It’s something you don’t think is ever gonna happen to you. It was like a movie or something.”
The couple contacted animal control, which responded to the home and confirmed the animal was an adult mountain lion weighing about 100 pounds.
“I was like is this unusual? Am I like crazy for thinking that? And they were like no very unusual. We don’t get these calls like this especially in this area,” the homeowner said.
Neighbors expressed surprise at the sighting, though some acknowledged that mountain lions are native to the region.
“It was a little bit of a surprise for sure. But not too much for us. We know these animals have been here before us,” said Pasadena resident Brandon Brownell.
Animal control told the homeowners they would return the next morning, but by then the mountain lion had left the area.
The homeowner said she was relieved the encounter ended without incident, noting how close her family came to a potentially dangerous situation.
“I feel really lucky because my daughter was out there the day before by herself playing for an hour and our dog goes out there every day. Something I never thought I’d experience.”
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