Cougar Spotted, Then Disappears in East Tustin

Responding to calls from alarmed residents, two animal control officers spotted a 40- to 50-pound mountain lion Thursday afternoon in an East Tustin neighborhood, apparently after it killed a house cat, authorities said.

The small mountain lion was seen at 11:45 a.m. sitting on a block wall at the end of a cul-de-sac of Ana Tree Lane, according to Lt. Jay Jalbert, commander of the Special Animal Team for the county’s animal control agency.

Officers lost sight of the mountain lion when it jumped off the wall into an open area between the neighborhood and an nearby industrial complex, but they continued their search into Thursday night, a Tustin police officer said.

Shortly after 3 p.m., a small house cat was reported killed in the 14600 block of Raintree Lane, and a biologist from the state Department of Fish and Game said it apparently had been killed by a mountain lion.

An extensive yard-by-yard search by Tustin police and Fish and Game agents, including a helicopter team, was unable to locate the cougar. “We don’t know where the animal went,” Jalbert said.

Officers found what appeared to be mountain lion tracks on Raintree Lane, but “the dirt was hard to get tracks in. . . . We couldn’t get anything clear,” Jalbert added.

Officers were prepared to either destroy or tranquilize the mountain lion, depending on whether it was found in a populated or unpopulated area, Jalbert said, adding: “At this point in time, we don’t believe the people are in danger.”

The animal may have followed a path from the foothills down through open Irvine Ranch property near the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station and into the neighborhood, Jalbert said.

Any wild animal in a residential neighborhood can be dangerous, because most are looking for water and food--usually small animals. The neighborhood, south of the Laurelwood tract and across an open area north of Northwood Village of Irvine, has large homes with many pools, he said.

Residents in the area should keep their pets indoors and call 911 if they see the lion, Jalbert advised. Suburban sightings of wild animals have become increasingly common throughout the state, as the animals lose their habitats through development or drought, he noted.