Mountain Lion: Telephone Pole Is Cougar’s Perch, Steals Spot From Upset Birds

A freakish sight happened in a California desert when a mountain lion was spotted on a telephone pole Tuesday. Talk about quite a view for not only the mountain lion, but observers! It’s typically birds that perch themselves on power poles, but in this instance, a wild cat took the opportunity.

So, what on earth was a mountain lion doing perched on a telephone pole? The Daily Press of Victorville reports that a school bus full of screaming children in Lucerne Valley frightened the cougar, prompting it to run away and climb a utility pole.

Witness Jose Ruiz told the Associated Press that it was hilarious because other birds that consider that pole their territory were harassing the large cat.

“It was like the one crow was saying, ‘Hey, you’re not a crow,’ ” Ruiz said.

Observers noticed the mountain lion on the telephone pole, but Department of Fish and Wildlife authorities motioned for people to keep their distance.

By Wednesday morning, the intriguing cougar was no longer on the 35-foot-high utility pole and had left the scene.

According to the report, Hesperia Unified School District officials confirmed that Lime Street Elementary School was put on a brief lockdown Wednesday as a precaution due to a supposed cougar sighting a few blocks away from the school. In a written statement from HUSD Superintendent David McLaughlin’s office, it read that the “principal wanted to be sure that all staff and students were safe and aware of the situation.”

Some parents were worried that the mountain lion on the telephone pole was an indication that their children were in danger. The Hesperia Animal Control officials said that no confirmed sightings had been reported since the a warning was issued on Tuesday afternoon about the cougar being spotted on Arrowhead Lake Road. Officials issued a firm warning to residents to not leave food or small animals outside. If anyone were to see a mountain lion in the city, they were urged to call Hesperia Animal Control at 760-947-1707.

Animal Control officer Suzanne Edson told Daily Press that there were rumors of another sighting of the mountain lion that was on the telephone pole on Wednesday. This time it was at the location of C Avenue, near Lime and Muscatel. It was unconfirmed, however.

“We did receive a report of a sighting after a resident saw something climb over an apartment complex wall near the area, but after a search of the area we found no indication that it was a mountain lion.”

As Edson explains, mountain lions won’t harm anyone unless they feel threatened. As she says, it’s people who live in their territory. Edson further states that it’s not uncommon this time of year to see cougars. They’re more active during the spring and fall months.

Other wild cats have been in the news for being strange places. The Inquisitr has another story in which a bobcat managed to get stuck inside a car’s front grill. A man driving near Scottsdale, Arizona, accidentally hit the animal and later realized that the cat had been riding with him the whole time. When he walked in front of the car, he saw a pair of elusive eyes staring out at him. He thought the animal was dead at first until he saw movement. The Arizona Game and Fish Department managed to get him out carefully after tranquilizing him. The cat suffered a few injuries and was sent to a rehabilitation facility. Once he recovered, the plan was to set him free back in the wild again.

It’s even more unusual to see a mountain lion climb a telephone pole. The animal in California must have been confused in its rush to avoid any human interaction.

[Photo Credit: Twitter]