Security camera shows mountain lion leaping over Montecito fence

Luci Janssen was surprised to find a broken light outside the gate to her Montecito home. After she and her husband reviewed footage from their security camera, they found something even more surprising: a mountain lion leaping into their yard.

“[My husband] goes, ”Does this look like a dog to you?’ And I’m like ‘No, that looks like a big cat. A mountain lion,'” Janssen says, retelling the story of how they discovered what happened.

The video from just after midnight on February 15th shows a mountain lion approaching the gate in front of Janssen’s home, which is on Sycamore Canyon Road near East Valley Road. The mountain lion is spooked by an oncoming car and leaps over the gate, breaking a light fixture on the way up.

Janssen saw the broken glass the next morning, which prompted a look at the security footage. There was no other evidence of Janssen’s unexpected visitor.

“Kind of came and went in the night,” Janssen said. “But we were asleep. We were actually pleasantly surprised, shocked.”

The sighting didn’t scare Janssen, though. She’s used to seeing wildlife in her yard, and says the mountain lion means no harm.

“We kind of live in their home, so to speak,” she said. “We try to be good neighbors to them.”

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website says mountain lions are “solitary and elusive, and their nature is to avoid people.”

However, it also says they may prey on pets. Janssen says she’ll keep that in mind.

“We do have small animals,” she said. “Little cockapoos. So at night we’ll put them on a leash so they don’t take off.”

The US Fish and Wildlife Service website says if you come across a mountain lion, make yourself big and make noise. Don’t approach the mountain lion but also do not run away, as that may trigger its instinct to chase.

“If you educate yourself how to respond, you’ll be safe,” Janssen said. “And so will they.”