An engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge was walking across a bridge to work about 8:45 a.m. Jan. 16 when he spotted something moving in the creek below. At first he thought it was a coyote, but as he got closer he could make out the low build, hulking forequarters and tawny fur.
Mountain lion.
The engineer, Matthew Dickie, moved to grab his camera, and the animal crouched and froze. Other people walking to work noticed and peered over the bridge too.
I'll be damned.
Wow.
The mountain lion stood frozen, looking straight up at them, at most 20 feet away, unwittingly providing a rare broad-daylight glimpse of one of Southern California's most storied, feared and elusive animals.
Soon Dickie's photo was ricocheting through local list-serves and websites. And residents of foothill neighborhoods could see what they have been murmuring about for months: Mountain lions are out and about.
On Tuesday, Crescenta Valley High School went so far as to put out a warning in its newsletter to parents:
"For those of you who live near the foothills of So. Cal. There have been several cougar sightings. . . . He is very large (that's why they presume it's male). Don't hike alone in the San Gabriel Mtns."
Wildlife biologists say the sightings are normal, but the buzz is a perennial reminder that Southern California, after a century of urbanization, still has a wild side.
"Most people who live in L.A. see the mountains but don't get that it can be as alien an environment as if someone threw you 10 miles into the Pacific Ocean," said attorney Paul R. Ayers, who posted the photo on an online forum for area hikers.
He said reaction to the mountain lion, also known as a cougar, has included everything from fear to appreciation to awe.
"Wow," one woman wrote. "My children will be fascinated. Glad I don't run on the trails."
Ayers said he didn't want to strike fear with the photo but thought that the public should be aware simply because the mountains around JPL are frequented by so many people -- hiking, jogging and walking their dogs.
"The Arroyo Seco, it's like the backyard," he said. "There are a lot of children in that area. You forget you are on the edge of a system that isn't deterred by our thoughts of civilization. I've seen cougars three times. You quickly realize you are not on top of the food chain."
