Mountain Lion Prowls Lake Of The Ozarks Neighborhood

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — Camdenton resident Tim King took his dog Toby out to the front yard of his home near Lake Valley Golf Course on Wednesday night, when he says he met a mountain lion.

He rushed the dog inside and grabbed a flashlight, then returned to the yard and pointed it at the mountain lion, shouting, in an attempt to scare the animal away.

"He wasn't too afraid of humans," King said, noting the puma stayed in his yard for about five minutes, lingering in the flashlight beam. As King got within about 35 feet of the animal, it bounded across the road. The cat turned and looked at King for another minute or so, and then disappeared into the woods behind a home on Laker Lane.

Now King says he's keeping a close eye on his animals.

"We'll have [the dogs] on a leash now," he said, expressing concerns that his dogs would not know to stay away from the cat until it was too late.

King said he was unable to take a photo of the mountain lion, as he had a flashlight in one hand and a pistol in the other. However, he noted the Missouri Department of Conservation has been alerted to the sighting and is coming to his residence on Friday to set up a camera.

Field Biologist Jim Braithwait of the MDC says the department has not officially confirmed that the sighting was indeed a mountain lion, but he says King's account is one that he is taking seriously.

Residents needn't panic, Braithwait emphasized. He says even if the presence of a mountain lion was confirmed, the risk posed is minimal. But he did say area residents might consider not letting pets roam freely, and should avoid leaving pet food or other food items outside that could attract the animal.

He noted one oddity in King's account: that the puma seemed relatively unafraid of a human. That could be an indicator that, if the animal was indeed a mountain lion, it was one that had been in captivity and had escaped or had been released. However, he reiterated, all that is speculation until a photo or other hard evidence—such as scat or footprints—is discovered.

“We get a lot of these calls each year… hundreds," Braithwait mused. "But [mountain lions] are in the state… they’re young males… passing through our state. We have no evidence of any kind of breeding population.”

According to the MDC website, mountain lions are uncommon in Missouri, with about one confirmed sighting per year. The MDC saysthe animals appear to have migrated from western states. The department reminds Missourians that indiscriminate killing of mountain lions is illegal, though they may be legally killed while attacking livestock, domestic animals, or humans—in that case, the animal would have to be surrendered to the MDC within 24 hours.