An Agoura Hills couple says their close encounter with a large mountain lion was “beautiful…but scary” – a glimpse at what might be in store, once the nearby Wildlife Crossing overpass is completed.
“I woke up at 3:30 in the morning and I had a notification on my phone,” said homeowner Peggy McClintick. “It said ‘person detected in side yard.’”
She could never have guessed what her surveillance camera was capturing at that moment. A young adult mountain lion, full-sized, strolled casually across a small portion of her yard.
“Such a beautiful animal! But then…equal parts ‘Oh my gosh! This is in our yard!'" said McClintick.
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McClintick woke up her wife, Sally Tuchman, and the two of them stared at the image of the animal, lithely jumping up to perch on their concrete wall and scanning the cul de sac below.
“Absolutely freaking out. Panic,” said Tuchman of their reaction. The cat was walking right beneath one of their lower floor windows – right where the women take their golden doodle, Ollie, for his daily potty breaks.
“There have been nights – at 11:30 – where I walked out there with Ollie in my pajamas before I go to sleep,” said Tuchman.
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The video encounter lasts for less than a minute before the big cat jumps off the wall and disappears into the early morning darkness, but it is more than enough to keep the homeowners awake.
“We’ve often thought our yard was kind of enclosed,” said McClintick, “and we didn’t have to worry about wild animals. Wow. I was wrong.”
Still, rather than live in fear, the two women who are both teachers, have decided to embrace what happened as a teachable moment.
The Wildlife Crossing overpass, which is scheduled to be finished by early 2025, is only a couple of miles away from their home, and they fully expect that such sightings will only increase over time, as more animals – both predator and prey – make their way over the 101 Freeway in search of food and mating opportunities.
“We really, truly have to co-exist with these animals,” said Tuchman. “I believe this is maybe only the beginning.”
Ollie, however, is going to see a few new restrictions imposed. The couple said he’ll only be able to take his potty walks through the front door, not via the side yard, especially as sundown comes earlier in the fall. They’d prefer not to walk around the corner to come eye-to-eye with a big lion – in case she decides to return.
