⚠️ This article includes a photo of a deceased mountain lion, which some readers may find disturbing. Scroll down to view.
REDLANDS, Calif. — A dead mountain lion was discovered Sunday afternoon in the backyard of a Redlands home near Ford Street and Citrus Avenue, raising questions about the animal’s condition and how it ended up in a residential neighborhood.
Homeowner Kathy Dawes said she initially noticed nothing unusual during a morning trip to her raised garden beds. “I went out to check on the peppers and there wasn’t anything there,” she said. “Later in the afternoon, we smelled a skunk, and when I went back out, there it was—just lying there between the fence and the garden.”
Kathy and her husband, Rick Dawes, believe the animal is a young female mountain lion that it looked emaciated. “It didn’t appear to be shot, but it definitely smelled like it had been sprayed by a skunk," Kathy said.
The couple said they called Redlands police, who referred them to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. They left their phone number with wildlife officials but had not received a call back as of Sunday evening.
Kathy said they’ve never seen a mountain lion in the neighborhood before and found it strange that one would starve, given the abundance of potential prey in the area
It’s unclear how the mountain lion died. While sightings are not unheard of in and around Redlands, finding a dead one in a backyard is rare.
Fish and Wildlife has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Mountain lion found dead in Redlands backyard Sunday. (Photo Courtesy of Kathy Dawes)
