Neighbors spot mountain lion roaming Thousand Oaks

Only on Fox 11 at this hour, neighbors in Thousand Oaks are reporting mountain lion sightings close to home, some backyards, their border, the open space where the cats live. Most days you could live right next to one and never see it. Fox 11's Ross Palumbo is in Thousand Oaks tonight with what the neighbors say they've seen We've seen. Ross? Well, Glen State officials say there are somewhere between 10 and 15 mountain lions living in the Santa Monica Mountains, but the property owner here has been here for 25 years. He says he's never seen one. Nevertheless, though, just yesterday, a 16 year old girl was walking her horse right down here by this fence. And that's where she saw it. It's walking, one rare sight in Thousand Oaks. I thought I didn't know what to think at first. I was like, oh my gosh, 16 year old Nelly Patch was just taking her horse Titan to train dressage when these stealthy steps suddenly crossed their path. We kind of stopped about here and there was a mountain lion maybe. 15 feet up that way, just standing over there, staring right back at me. I was slightly, I was like a little concerned. I'd never seen one. In an instant, feet, hooves, and paws all went in opposite directions. But minutes later, Nellie came back. I took him back home and I made that same turn around the corner and saw him saw the mountain lion again. She was right back in these bushes here. We got some good video on that one. The video now riding on social media had some like the Rose family recently from Boston. You're a good big sister. Suddenly saying, whoa, it's a little scary. Even 25 year horse owner Brian McQueeny had never seen anything like this before. I think these animals are magnificent. I think it's we are so lucky to have animals like this around us. Mountain lion sightings in the Santa Monica Mountains are actually rare and lions hurting people rarer still. It was just an amazing experience to be able to see one. Neighbors have now seen her too and are protecting their small animals knowing she's probably looking for food. Everybody's hungry. But most, like Nellie, are feeling full tonight. Just loved it. It was really cool. All after having feasted their eyes on this rare, wild sight. I've been on so many of the trails here and just have never seen anything. And it was just really cool because they're such, they're such like amazing and beautiful like creatures. Amazing and beautiful and rarely dangerous, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife says that encounters between humans and mountain lions are extremely rare. In fact, Glenn, since 1890, there have only been six deaths, six human deaths attributed to mountain lions across the entire state of California. Of course, if you see one. Go the other way and do not try to go up to one. But in general, state officials say they are not dangerous. They're more afraid of us than we are of them. And that's what they tell us. I think what struck me about that report, Ross, is the California natives had one reaction. The family just moved here from Boston. Completely the opposite. Ha ha ha ha ha! Well, they are from Boston. They've only been here about a year. They had a small dog and two children. I think they're really surprised. You know, they're from out of town. I don't think they really understand that their backyard is right up against the Santa Monica Mountains when this happens. But they were taking it in stride. I think they realized that as long as they're not walking near the edge of the wilderness here, They're going to be all right. All right, Ross Palumbo live tonight in Thousand Oaks. And as you guys pack up to come home, watch your back.