Authorities urged residents and those who work on Vista Park
Hill to be cautious in the wake of finding mountain lion paw prints
there a week ago.
Authorities urged residents and those who work on Vista Park Hill to be cautious in the wake of finding mountain lion paw prints there a week ago.
Jacob Nicholas, the California Department of Fish and Game warden for San Benito County, confirmed Thursday that paw prints found near the Hollister Building Department were indeed those of a mountain lion. The large paw print with no claw marks – a difference between a cat and a dog – indicated it was a mountain lion, Nicholas said.
Nicholas said finding those prints is concerning, but that a mountain lion’s presence in the park did not necessarily pose a threat to public safety.
“Yes it was close to town, but we are in a habitat and environment where deer are present,” Nicholas said.
The CDFG will monitor the area.
On Thursday, the Hollister Police Department issued a warning to residents, urging them to call 911 if they spot a mountain lion.
Capt. Bob Brooks said the department placed signs in and around the park.
If residents do see a mountain lion, Nicholas said, a photograph would help game wardens.
The lion on Vista Park Hill is most likely gone, Nicholas said.
“A place like that, it probably wouldn’t feel comfortable if it was going after or trying to catch food,” Nicholas said.
When a mountain lion catches food, it likes to be comfortable while eating, Nicholas said.
If a lion is considered a threat to human safety, Nicholas said the department could kill the big cat. The CDFG receives hundreds of mountain lion calls every year, with fewer than 3 percent considered actual threats, according to the department’s Web site.
In 2004, the department killed 14 mountain lions considered threats to public safety.
Mountain lions are not endangered or threatened, but are legally classified as a “specially protected species,” according to the CDFG. It is a misdemeanor to kill a mountain lion without the proper permit, according to California Fish and Game Code.
City Code Enforcer Mike Chambless, a former park ranger, first spotted a paw print a week ago and alerted the CDFG. Chambless said two of the feral cats on Vista Park Hill were missing last week.
There have been 16 known mountain lion attacks on humans in the state since 1890, with the last occurring in Humboldt County in January 2007, according to the CDFG. Six of the 16 were fatal.
For more information about mountain lions, visit
