Mountain Lion Back in Town
Lion seen near cemetery; some pets missing
by SCJ Staff

Pinedale's resident mountain lion is back in town. Last Wednesday, a motorist driving by the Pinedale Cemetery claims he saw a mountain lion standing by the side of the road. The man told Pinedale Animal Control Officer Julie Early that he stopped his car and watched the animal, which did not appear to be too concerned by the attention it was receiving.

Later in the week, Ms. Early received a call about a dog barking constantly in town. When she went to give the owner of the dog a citation the next day, she noticed "pretty good sized mountain lion tracks on this guys place. His dog had a good reason for barking," she said. The tracks appeared to go east on B Street, towards Tyler.

Since Ms. Early received these reports, she has gotten two calls concerning missing house cats, and one woman called who was unable to find her dog. "I imagine they fell prey to the cat," said Ms. Early.

When asked if she felt the cat was still in town, Ms. Early replies "he was in town last week, and he is still in town, I am sure." She continues, "We only have a handful of deer in town, nothing like last year." She assumes the cat is to blame.