6 stories of mountain lion encounters across the US

These six stories show mountain lion encounters across the U.S. In one story out of Texas, officials shot a mountain lion that bolted through suburbs after being cornered in a backyard. A sneaky predator was found prowling a doorstep in a Utah neighborhood.

Take a look at the stories below.

At least one feline much bigger than your average neighborhood cat was spotted roaming through California backyards in the middle of the night, home surveillance videos show. Screenshot from Milpitas Police Department video on Facebook

NO. 1: ELUSIVE BIG CAT SPOTTED ROAMING THROUGH CALIFORNIA BACKYARDS IN MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

See its excursions on home surveillance cameras. | Published May 30, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brooke Baitinger

A mountain lion seen running around a suburban Texas neighborhood was killed in the backyard of a home, officials say. Screengrabs from video shared to Facebook by Leo Garza.

NO. 2: MOUNTAIN LION CORNERED IN BACKYARD IS KILLED AS IT MAKES A RUN FOR IT, TEXAS COPS SAY

Due to the animal’s “aggression and natural instincts,” authorities were “left with no choice,” police said. | Published July 14, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mitchell Willetts

A man killed an “extremely aggressive” mountain lion (not the one pictured) that approached him and his dog at a Colorado campground, wildlife officials said. Photo by Dylan Crawford via Unsplash

NO. 3: MAN KILLS ‘EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE’ MOUNTAIN LION WITH SHOVEL IN COLORADO, OFFICIALS SAY

“The man was in fear of his life and acted in self defense,” wildlife officials said. | Published October 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brooke Baitinger

An elusive predator was spotted on a home’s doorstep in a Utah neighborhood in the foothills of the mountains, photos show. Photo by Colby Thomas via Unsplash

NO. 4: SNEAKY PREDATOR SPOTTED PROWLING AROUND DOORSTEP IN UTAH NEIGHBORHOOD, PHOTOS SHOW

“Poor guy; probably a youngster, little confused and lost.” | Published October 11, 2024 | Read Full Story by Brooke Baitinger

A mountain lion (not the one pictured) was seen roaming at a park near San Marcos, Texas, city officials say. Zach Key via Unsplash

NO. 5: MOUNTAIN LION SEEN FOR FIRST TIME IN TEXAS COUNTY, OFFICIALS SAY. ‘USE CAUTION’

A city worker spotted the big cat coming down from a tree at a park, officials say. | Published April 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mitchell Willetts

A mountain lion was sighted in Illinois in what officials are saying is the 11th reported sighting of the species in the state since 2002. Facebook screengrab from The Lindsey Way

NO. 6: MOUNTAIN LION IN ILLINOIS? RECENT TRAIL CAM SIGHTING IS RARE, BUT NOT THE FIRST

Don’t expect the mountain lion to stick around, officials say. | Published April 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.