Mountain lion spotted in Livermore neighborhood

Livermore, CA - A home surveillance camera captured images of a mountain lion roaming a Livermore neighborhood in the dead-of-night darkness.

The juvenile cougar was spotted around 3:01 a.m. on Sunday, according to wildlife biologist and consultant Amanda Murphy.

She said her parents live near the intersection of Siena Road and Lexington Way and that subdivision sits next to a large wildlife interface.

Murphy said the mountain lion walked across her parent’s front yard, then moved down the block.

The animal was only seen for a short amount of time on the surveillance video. Murphy said after viewing the clip, she wasn’t worried about her parent’s safety.

"Not at all. Just concerned with letting people know this is normal behavior. But keep your little kitties and dogs inside," she said.

Added Alys Granados of the Bay Area Puma Project, "The fact that it’s near a forested area, an open space, makes sense too. Especially these younger individuals, they are still figuring out how to be a mountain lion. And older ones might be smarter at avoiding those areas at all."

Granados, a wildlife ecologist, said most confirmed and suspected big cat sightings in the Bay Area are not in the East Bay.

The Puma Project’s website shows the East Bay has had 318 reports dating back to 2004. But the South Bay has over 2,200 reports, and the Peninsula has 553 reports.

"The reason why that’s even happening at all is because of the loss of their habitat. So that open space is a good place for them but probably not big enough to encompass the full herd rate," said Granados.

Experts believe it’s likely the same mountain lion will be sighted near other homes in the coming days. They advised residents not to leave food or pets outside and be alert when walking at night.

Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter), @JesseKTVU and on Instagram, @jessegontv.