Mountain lions spotted in Carmel

CARMEL, Calif. (KION) Two mountain lions were spotted in a residential neighborhood of Carmel early Sunday morning, according to the Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Officers Association.

The association said the cats were seen in the area of Scenic Road and 8th Avenue around 12:15 a.m. on February 14.

“More than likely be the nearest open space, void of houses. the least obstructed way would be coming from the lagoon area,"said Rebecca Dmytryk, founder and president of Wildlife Emergency Services

Either something is pushing these mountain lions out from their habitat or something is attracting them, said Dmytryk.  And, possible overcrowding may be a reason but also people keeping feral cat colonies.

“Because the cat food and the cat themselves attract predators," said Dmytryk. "The cat food attracts mice, rats, raccoons, skunk and everything else the predates on them. And then cats are food for coyote and mountain lions.”

According to Dmytryk, bird seed feeders also end up attracting other. She encourages people to report any sightings of mountain lions.

"So that we can see where they’re going, track their whereabouts," said Dmytrik. "It may be that these mountain lions go back the way they came or it could be that they go into more dense populated areas. At which point something might need to be done."

See the full video below.