Questions linger after second Tulare mountain lion sighting in two months

TULARE, Calif. (KFSN) -- At around 10 p.m. Thursday, police called off their search for an apparent mountain lion seen roaming an east Tulare neighborhood.

That's a little concerning for Cristina Gutierrez, who lives in the area and has three kids.

"Oh yeah definitely. I mean you can't have your kids outside right now, so you gotta be really careful," she said.

The search started earlier in the night after Tulare Police received multiple calls and photos of the animal.

Crews looked for it in a ponding basin and also flushed out a storm drain, thinking it might be hiding there, but had no luck finding the lion.

In the neighborhood known as Alpine Vista, opinions differ over how the mountain lion-if it really is one-ended up in Tulare.

"I think they're probably just looking for food you know? All these dairies around here. There's a lot of good food for those animals, you know?" said Juan Eguia.

"Somebody must be breeding them," said Gutierrez.

Brian Johnson: That's what you think?

"Yeah," she said.

Two months ago and less than two miles away, there was a similar spectacle, as Tulare Police responded to reports of another mountain lion. But that time, they were able to track it down.

Fish and Wildlife tranquilized the cat and released it back into the forest.

Police say they will continue patrolling Alpine Vista, home of the most recent cat sighting.