WYOMING – Over the weekend, two mountain lions were observed within the city limits of Cody. The mountain lions were sighted by a Cody police officer while on patrol in the 600 block of Skyline Drive Friday evening.
The officer observed a mountain lion crossing Skyline Drive, coming out of Sulfur Creek and heading toward the golf course and observed another that had already crossed the road.
A second sighting on Saturday night in the Beck Lake area was reported to Game and Fish on Monday.
“If you see a mountain lion in an unusual location or residential setting, we ask that you report it by calling local Wyoming Game and Fish Department personnel,” said Game and Fish Large Carnivore Biologist Luke Ellsbury. The Cody Regional Game and Fish office can be reached at (307) 527-7125.
Mountain lion sightings in town are not unusual.
“Occasionally, Game and Fish receives reports of mountain lions in town,” Ellsbury said. “Mountain lions are generally secretive by nature. If a mountain lion winds up in a developed area, typically they avoid people and are simply moving through, but people should be cautious if they see a mountain lion.”
Mountain lions, like other species of wildlife often use river and stream drainages as natural travel corridors, which can lead them into town. Mountain lions can move long distances, especially juvenile animals that are dispersing in search of their own home range.
Game and Fish reminds people not to feed wildlife. Feeding wildlife such as deer may make an otherwise dispersing mountain lion stick around for an easy meal or follow deer into residential areas.
