Cougar sighting in LA's Shadow Hills draws neighborhood concerns after recent dog attack nearby

LOS ANGELES - A large cougar surprised Shadow Hills residents on Sunday morning as it made its way around the neighborhood near Art and Walnut Streets.

Fish and Wildlife officials say they can't confirm if it's the same animal blamed for killing a dog about seven miles away in Sylmar, but there have been no reports of the cougar acting threateningly in Shadow Hills.

Video shows the cougar meandering through backyards, peering into windows, and checking out driveways. One jogger reported running into the animal as he turned a corner, stating it "seemed as spooked by me as I was of it." 

Chris Hurd admitted he forgot "all about not running away and getting big" and ran as fast as he could.

"I am not concerned about it roaming around here," said a resident who captured video of the animal, expressing more concern about its proximity to Sunland Boulevard, where vehicles travel fast as they bypass 210 Freeway traffic.

However, posts on Nextdoor regarding the sightings have some people worried that this could be the same cougar blamed for killing a pit bull in Sylmar recently. Fish and Wildlife officials told FOX 11 they were unable to meet with the pit bull's owner to get details about the attack. The owner reported that the attack occurred while walking his dog in the afternoon near the foothills in a motor home villa when the cougar snatched it away. 

Although no video of the incident has been found, a neighbor captured images of the cougar on top of the leashed, deceased dog.

Again, there have been no reports of the animal acting aggressively in Shadow Hills. The last time a mountain lion was seen in the area, it was P-41, the first mountain lion tracked in the Verdugo Mountains. He was found dead in 2017, too decayed for a positive cause of death to be determined, though rodenticide (rat poison) was found in his system.

Any cougar sightings should be reported to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, where tips on living with mountain lions and other foothill residents are also available.

Fish and Wildlife officials say there are no plans to take action against this cougar since it is not threatening people. They suggest residents keep small animals inside, especially at dawn, dusk, and overnight. It's also advisable to keep small children close to an adult when traveling along the foothills.

Debbie Smith, whose backyard seemed particularly enticing to the cougar, said she's never had issues with it trying to get into the camera-rigged owl boxes they've set up, which people can follow on Facebook's "Friends of Shadow Hills Barn Owl Nest Box" page.

"It'd be easy for them to climb up there, but so far, we haven't had an issue," she said. "And we've had quite a few hatchlings come out of there."

"The cougars have plenty of rabbits and other food sources," say officials at Fish and Wildlife, but "it's not uncommon for them to roam neighborhoods along the foothills."