In mountain lion country, avoid squatting, crouching or bending over, even when picking up children. Conversely, a person squatting or bending over resembles a four-legged prey animal. Do not crouch down or bend over. A human standing up is just not the right shape for a lion's prey.Although it may be awkward, pick them up without bending over or turning away from the mountain lion.

If you have small children with you, pick them up if possible so that they don't panic and run.

Do not run from a lion. Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase.

Do not approach a lion. Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation.

The National Park Service provides the following guidelines if you encounter a mountain lion: I am almost certain it’s just a transient lion passing through looking for something to eat.” They don’t want a run-in with humans, so if you give them the chance, they’ll escape. If you’re in a vehicle, stay in your vehicle.

Wave your arms, yell, make lots of noise. Certainly don’t approach the mountain lion. He also advised what to do if you encounter a mountain lion, regardless of where you are: “Any predator like that, I think it goes without saying, but give them room. So while it’s rare, certainly to have one within city limits, it’s not unheard of.' Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks say it’s uncommon to see mountain lions in city limits, but also that it is not unheard of.įWP Region 4 spokeperson Dave Hagengruber says mountain lions have been reported in town before, but it is rare and says people don’t have to be overly concerned: “Generally, in regard to mountain lion distribution, if there’s deer in the area, pretty much anywhere in Montana, it would not be unheard of to have a mountain lion. Several other people have commented that have seen a mountain lion in town within the last several days. And then when it stopped and turned its head back toward me like cats do, it was like, holy crap, that’s a mountain lion.” And I see deer do that all the time, so I thought it was a small deer, but it was moving weirdly. Winkle told MTN on Tuesday: “Well, I saw it run across the road and initially it was coming from the dog park over to the Cascade Electric building. It ducked into an alley and went in someone's yard. Cops swarmed the area, but I had lost sight of it by then. Tried to tail it, lost it around 11 st and 6th ave. Winkle said in a Facebook post: 'I first saw it cross 9th st right at the bridge. He shared a brief video with MTN News of the mountain lion, which was in the vicinity of 8th Avenue North and 10th Street. (JANUARY 18, 2022) Matt Winkle was driving in Great Falls on Monday night and saw what he believed to be a mountain lion. If you have a chance to safely keep an eye on the large kitty please do until officers arrive.' If you see the wild feline please call 911 with the location and direction of travel. And, be sure to keep a close eye on small pets. The GFPD says: 'Please be cognizant of your surroundings, including looking up into trees. Surveillance cameras caught the mountain lion walking by the front door and wandering around the courtyard: The big cat also stopped by the O'Haire Motor Inn, home of the iconic Sip 'N Dip Lounge. In addition, a woman posted on Facebook on Wednesday morning that she saw the mountain lion overnight on home surveillance video in the alley of 5th Avenue North and 19th Street. Patrol officers investigated the sighting and saw tracks in the snow. The Great Falls Police Department says that the mountain lion was seen early Wednesday morning near 6th Avenue North and 21st Street. Great Falls Rescue Mission Surveillance video shows mountain lion in downtown Great Falls

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