Mountain Lion Spotted In D.C., This Is Not A Drill (But It Might Be A Hoax)
From the archive: published Oct 3, 2013, 13 years ago. Details may have changed since.
Aside from the ongoing Washington D.C. shooter situation (last we heard, it was resolved pretty quickly ), another terrifying threat is gripping our nation’s capital: An escaped mountain lion.
According to the official Twitter account of Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s Office of Neighborhood Engagement, a mountain lion was running around the southeastern corner of Washington D.C. last night.
We haven’t seen any other reports about the loose mountain lion, and indeed, the sighting is completely unconfirmed, leading us to believe that said mountain lion is still at large.
Just kidding, we chalk it up to a prank. Or possibly a sign of the end times. But it’s tempting to take the report seriously, because Mayor Gray’s office used ALL CAPS.
“DANGER — PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT MOUNTAIN LION SPOTTED 3600 BLOCK OF HIGHWOOD DR SE.”
Facing a number of media inquiries and concerned citizen calls, on-duty officials from D.C. police, Emergency Management, city Animal Control and the Washington Humane Society all said they had seen no such mountain lion and had no idea where the report came from, reports the Washington Post .
And clearly, no one on Twitter is taking it very seriously.
@AnnieLowrey @EOMONE1 See what happens when the government shuts down? The mountain lions attack!
— Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp) October 3, 2013
Back in DC. Place is falling apart. // RT @EOMONE1: DANGER-PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT MOUNTAIN LION SPOTTED 3600 BLOCK OF HIGHWOOD DR SE
— Pablo Maurer (@MLSist) October 3, 2013
Hide yo wife! RT @EOMONE1: DANGER-PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT MOUNTAIN LION SPOTTED 3600 BLOCK OF HIGHWOOD DR SE
— Arthur Delaney (@ArthurDelaneyHP) October 3, 2013