Mountain Lion in My Neighborhood

Aside from all things tech, Palo Alto is a pretty boring place to live. Except when you have a Mountain Lion roaming your neighborhood.

I got wind of it when a press release from the police department saying it was on the loose was forwarded by my parents. All day helicopters and police sirens circled. Picked up my daughter from school to learn it visited the schoolground. She was very excited. Its completely bizzare that a mountain lion could make its way from the foothills to here. Today we are national news of the strange.

Then got the news that it was chased up a tree by a black Labrador named Kelsy and shot. The other week there was a similar incident in the East Bay. Thought somehow we would do it ther overtly humane Palo Alto way, but it seems to be a common solution (in no way analogous to anything).

Of course, just after this, the parent's mailing list circulated the original release that it was loose. Well-founded panic breeds uniformed panic.