By: Jessica Rae
jrae@kcautv.com
Some would say yes, there is a mountain lion roaming around Sioux City. The rumors have been going around, and today, we spoke with a woman who had her camera on hand when she spotted the big cat.
On February 5th Erin Strawn was standing in her drive way with a friend when she spotted a big cat.
Strawn says, "I look over, and I was like, oh my gosh look at that cat, and obviously its not a cat. So I run as fast as I could in the house and grabbed the camera off the fridge, went outside and took as many pictures as I could."
That cat was wandering through her neighbors yard, and Strawn says she didn't know what to do.
Strawn says, "In the summer my kids run all over, it's fenced in, they can't get out, but it could just reach right over the fence and grab him and pull him, and I would never see him again."
Strawn isn't the only worried Siouxlander. We asked people on Facebook if they had seen or heard of any mountain lion roaming the city. Kimberley Beam says, "I know they're out there because my dog and I encountered one beside the trail behind the Explorers ballpark a little over a year ago."
Erich Nelson says, "Mountain lions have been popping up in the area for the last 10 years."
There was another mountain lion sighting Sunday afternoon near the 2800 block of S. St. Aubin Street in Sioux City.
Cindy Rarrat from Animal Adoption and Rescue says, "Over the years we've gotten several reports from all different parts of the city pertaining to mountain lions or bob cats that could be on the loose. We've gotten as far as making plaster casts of their feet which turned out to be dogs."
Rarrat did say there are a lot of big foot prints out there, but just remember there are a lot of big dogs out there too!"
If you do spot a mountain lion, or what you think is a mountain lion, you are urged to call the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, or the police department as soon as possible.
Iowa DNR: 712-255-4698
