2 cougar sightings on streets of Palo Alto

Street patrols increased in two Palo Alto neighborhoods Sunday after residents reported two overnight sightings of mountain lions outside their homes, authorities said.

A woman called 911 about 10:10 p.m. Saturday and said she had just spotted a large animal as she drove in front of her house on the 600 block of Wildwood Lane, according to the Police Department.

The woman, who was not identified, told authorities she initially thought the animal was a dog, but when she looked closer it became clear it was a mountain lion. The animal ran away and jumped over the fence into her backyard, police said.

Officers arrived at the scene and were unable to locate the cougar after an extensive search, police said.

The second call came in about 11:35 p.m. when another resident, who had been out on a walk, said she saw a large mountain lion walking down the street on the 700 block of Sutter Avenue, police said.

The woman, who was also not identified, said the lion was about 75 feet from her. The cougar did not appear to be aggressive, police said.

Officers extensively searched the neighborhood, which is about 1½ miles away from the original sighting, but again were unable to locate a cougar, police said.

It was unclear whether there are two separate creatures or if the same one was spotted twice, police said.

Authorities kept up increased patrols in both neighborhoods throughout Sunday, police said. No additional sightings were reported by late afternoon.

The last mountain lion sighting in a Palo Alto neighborhood occurred in August when a resident reported an adult and a cub in a large tree near the 1700 block of Webster Street, police said.