A Los Angeles resident has captured a new mountain lion in his neighborhood on tape, thrillling locals who were pining after the death of another beloved local cougar.
Vladimir Polumiskov got the big cat on tape along the border of Griffith Park, home of the Hollywood sign, after he spotted it from a parking lot. It wasn't tagged and wasn't yet known to area wildlife experts.
Mountain lions roam large areas in search of food and mates, and this one may have been recently living some distance away.
"I parked my car, and I was getting ready to get my son out of the car seat," Polumiskov said of the moment before he spotted the cougar. "As I'm holding my son, I look to the left ... and I see a huge cat, a mountain lion" about 15 feelt away.
It was "shocking, obviously ... and scary," Polumiskov told Reuters.
He videotaped the car so "people belive me," he said. The mountain lion remained among the trees and brush for time before eventually heading deeper into the park.
Locals were ready for a new mountain lion after the death of beloved cougar "P-22" — known as the Hollywood Cat, who also hung out in Griffith Park. The big cat was euthanized at the age of 12 because of a serious infection and injuries likely caused by a vehicle strike.
