A baby deer was killed by a mountain lion in Hillsborough shortly after midnight on Friday, and neighbors are worried the large cat could soon pounce on their pets and children.
Robert Dahl told NBC Bay Area on Friday that he awoke about 12:15 a.m. in the 500 block of El Cerrito Avenue to the sound of a loud screech, and then a quieter one, and heard all sorts of thudding hit his roof.
When he went outside, he saw that "a poor baby deer had been eaten by the mountain lion," which had pounced from the old oak tree on his front lawn.
Hillsborough Police Chief Mark O’Connor said he sent out a crew to the home later Friday morning, and the bites on the deer were "consistent with that of a mountain lion attack." Police called San Mateo County Animal Control to remove deer and also notified Fish and Wildlife wardens.
What's worrisome to Dahl is that many people walk with at night under his tree, and a school is only a few blocks away. He's been trying to warn his neighbors to let them know that a mountain lion is on the loose.
"It would be a tragedy for sure if a pet was eaten," he said. "It's pretty serious."
For tips on keeping safe near mountain lions, click on keepmewild.org.
