Mountain Lion Visits Boise

A young mountain lion was spotted at two different locations near Boise's Broadway Bridge early this morning. Greenbelt users are advised to be aware of their surroundings and keep small children and small pets close by when using this area. The cat was first reported at a construction site at Myrtle Street and Broadway Avenue about 4:30 a.m. Boise Police Department and Idaho Fish and Game officers responded but found no sign of the animal. A second report came in to police about 6:30 a.m. that the cat was seen crossing the Boise River on the Friendship Footbridge, linking Julia Davis Park with the Boise State University campus. The witness reported watching the animal cross the bridge, turn upriver and disappear. Officers still in the area responded but found no sign of the cat. A third report, this time of lion tracks along the greenbelt east of the Broadway Bridge, was also investigated, but no tracks were found. This may be the same young mountain lion that was spotted Friday evening in the front yard of a Warm Springs Mesa subdivision residence, feeding on a freshly killed mule deer. This lion was seen a second time the following evening in the same location. Fish and Game officers waited at the residence Sunday evening, but the cat did not return. Persons seeing a mountain lion anywhere in Boise are asked to report this information immediately to the Boise Police or Fish and Game. A detailed description regarding when and where the cat or cat sign was seen remains very helpful.