California woman injured, dog missing following mountain lion attack

A San Luis Obispo woman was injured and her dog is missing after a mountain lion attacked the pair during an evening walk on Saturday.

The woman and her dog — who KSBY identified as Alysha Periera and a pug named Cupcake — were walking near a dog rest area at 5:30 p.m. when the mountain lion emerged from the nearby creekbed and attacked the two, California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Ken Paglia told The Tribune.

A neighbor who asked not to be identified said that while he didn’t see the attack happen, he was there for the aftermath.

“The mountain lion took the dog and kind of dragged (Periera) on the leash,” the neighbor said. “I didn’t see it — I just ran out when I heard the screaming.“

Periera came away from the attack with minor injuries, the neighbor said, but Cupcake remains missing.

Fish and Wildlife posts signs warning about mountain lion attack

Signs have been posted near the spot of the attack, warning passersby of the recent sighting and advising them to contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in the event of a sighting.

Paglia said the department is now working to trap and relocate the mountain lion.

Once the mountain lion is trapped, Paglia said, Fish and Wildlife biologists will fit it with a GPS collar, medically assess the cat and relocate it somewhere else in San Luis Obispo County, likely around 60 miles from its current habitat.

DNA from the mountain lion was recovered from Cupcake’s collar, Paglia said, and will be used to confirm if this mountain lion is the same animal that was sighted in previous encounters over the past several months.