Two mountain lions spotted by hiker near Jesusita Trail

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Not one, but two mountain lions stopped one hiker in his tracks as he traversed a popular hiking trail in Santa Barbara at around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Mark Richardson, a Santa Barbara resident, caught the big cats on video while hiking the Arroyo Burro Trail, about half a mile up from the Jesusita Trail junction, with his dog.

"I stopped, my dog Evie immediately knew that something wasn't right - she could sense it. I took a video and I waited for it to pass and it went into an avocado orchard," said Richardson. "I ran into a gentleman who had never hiked that trail before and he was asking for advice, 'where does it go and where does it lead to,' and I let him know there was a couple of mountain lions and he turned [and walked] away."

Richardson said he saw the lions coming toward them down the opposite hill shortly after stopping with his dog.

It is very rare to see two mountain lions together.

A mountain lion was also recently seen in Elings Park off Las Positas. Earlier this year, a lion was spotted about five minutes from the Jesusita Trail on Ontare Road.

Residents in the area said they believe the cats are using the creek bed to go up and down from the nearby hills.